45

1

'90; Pennsylvania at the same time. Vermont held theirs

2

until 1936.

3

Professor Carroll of the University of Vermont

4

made a special study of the experience under some sixty

5

years of unicameralism in Vermont and he concluded that

6

nothing in the experience of that State justified any

7

assumption of the superiority of bicameralism, but the

8

political conditions were such that the change was made

9

and from that date until 1937, for almost precisely 100

10

years, bicameralism in the legislatures of our states

11

ruled with complete uniformity.

12

There have been in the Twentieth Century three

13

or four periods of considerable interest in unicameralism.

14

The first of these was in the progressive era shortly

15

after the turn of the century when, from 1911 to '15,

16

and a little bit farther, I suppose, there was considerable

17

education toward unicameralism. As a matter of fact, the

18

proposition was gotten on the ballot in fifteen states

19

and, in one or two of them, they voted on it more than

20

once; but the result was always the same. The proposal

21

was rejected by votes which ran normally about two to one.