Legislature , n. -- The legislatures of some of the more important states having constitutional
government are as follows, the general name (or a translation of it) of the legislative body collectively being given under the heading legislature, or parliament:
---------------------------------------------------------------- *In the self-governing colonies of Great Britain the legislative body usually
consists of two chambers, the names of the
legislature and the chambers varying. Thus in Australia the Federal Parliament is composed of the Senate and the House
of Commons, in New Zealand the General Assembly is composed of the Legislative Council and the House of
Representatives, etc. #Members of the Storthing are chosen for three years by direct election by manhood suffrage, forty-one being elected from the towns and eighty-two from the rural districts. The Storthing on assembling divides
into the Lagthing including one fourth and the Odelsthing including three fourths of the total membership of the Storthing. All new laws are laid first before the Odelsthing. If the two
houses do not agree they vote in joint
session, a majority of two thirds of those voting being necessary to a decision.
§ While theoretically general,
the suffrage is so classified as often practically to disfranchise those who are not property holders.
Leg"is*la`ture (l&ebreve;j"&ibreve;s*lā`t&usl;r;
135), n. [Cf. F.
législature.]
The body of
persons in a state or kingdom invested with power to make
and repeal laws; a legislative body.
Without the concurrent consent of all three
parts of the legislature, no law is, or can be, made.
Sir M. Hale. &fist; The legislature of Great Britain consists of the Lords and Commons, with the king or queen, whose sanction is necessary to every bill before it becomes a law. The
legislatures of most of the United
States consist of two houses or branches; but the sanction or consent of the governor is required to give their acts the force of
law, or a concurrence of two thirds of the two houses after he has
refused his sanction and assigned his objections.