that these legislative acts are valid and constitutional expressions of the sovereign will binding upon each branch of the Legislative Assembly as well as upon the citizens and people of this state.
The fact that different legislative bodies in this state have at different times in their separate branches provided by resolution for increase in the number of employees or in the amount of pay or have otherwise provided for the payment of expenses such as in a contest case does not furnish a legislative construction in favor of the possession of inherent powers in each branch of the Legislative Assembly contrary to the expression of the legislative enactment duly enacted by the Legislative Assembly. The legislative enactments themselves furnish a criterion upon legislative construction and the acts of individual branches of the Legislative Assembly in connection therewith furnish further legislative construction in support of such legislative enactments. The questions therefore are now presented: (1) Was there a legislative enactment covering the employment and the payment of the employees of this special House committee? and (2) Was there a legislative enactment providing for an appropriation and the method of disbursing such appropriation in connection with such employees? There can be no question that there is a legislative act covering the officers and employees of both branches of the Legislative Assembly, § 34, C. L. 1913. There can be no question again that under § 35, C. L. 1913, no employees of the Legislature ether than those provided in § 34 shall be paid except by a resolution of the Senate or of the House. This implies that there may be other employees, and also that their pay may be fixed by a resolution of either branch. This section therefore does not negative the right to employ additional help. The contention of the respondent that the resolution shows that the investigating committee was not for proper legislative purposes should be denied, because it is to be presumed that such committee would function and has functioned as a proper legislative investigating committee until the contrary be made to appear. The contention likewise of the respondent that the committee itself employed this help, and that this legislative power could not be delegated to a committee, is answered by the two resolutions of the house which authorized the committee and fully ratified all of its actions both in the investigation had and in the help employed and expenses incurred. The crucial question remains, however, whether there exists a legislative enactment appropriating moneys for the expenses of such investigating committee, and providing the method by
