The daily Madisonian. [volume] (Washington City [i.e. Washington, D.C.]) 1841-1845, 1842-02-21
From the N. Y. .Neu Era
LEGIsLATING ovERMUCH.

One of the advantages which is possessed by our
Government those ofhe old world is that there
less interference with individual actiont is less pal
pable-it does not attempt to govern much as they
do We say that it intermediates than the GOV
ernments of Europe, yet, at that, in our opinion it
governs TOO MUCH. 1t exercises prerogauye oyer
hundred things with which il should have no con-
Germ All the ills which harrass us are the inevitable
results of governmental ntermeddling Government
assumes the power to bestow privileges certain
socatons to issue currency--yainy attempts to oglS-
late them into propriety-and what are the results
but instability, confusion, fraud and loose morality
every ramifcation of trade. The evils of all our IL
I censed monopolies but governmental ntermeQ-
ding and those of our complicated and obscure and
expensive system of law imported from king govern
ed countries but governmental interference
great legi ative reform be effected here
until it arises from distinct perception that man
kind IN all countries governed too much. we
are nightly pleased to believe ourselves OF lmpor
lance and delight in imagining our services indspen-
sible--thus is it with Legislators, they are but
after all When they put on the robe OF the Sena
tor they imagine that nothing can go right unless
they have finger in the pie--they must be cei-
nally patching, and bostering up, and NEEDING
with matters which moments consideration would
tell them was none of their business they
believe, and sometimes honestly, we are prone
to think that virtue and honesty, and honor
and temperance are the ofsprings of statutes
and resolutions and ordinances; and that all the good
which comes without governmental interference rs
fiiiuS nuHus-a sort of bastard good-;hat does not
come into the world with the odor of nationality, Of
decency of regularity. Ask them what has diff
fused modern light and cultivation, and what is gfa-
dualy freeing mankind from the dominion of force
and Ignorance, and they will complacen,y bow and
answer-"Our Legislation Ask them the cause OF
vice, and they will tell you-"the absence OF law -
Suggest to them the possibility that there may be too
much law and they stare at you as if you sail there
might be too much light or too much happiness Our
modern legislator Is very apt to be political zzas
who must needs he stretching out his hands TO steady
the ark of public safely; and if they shared the fate
Of the of Abnadab for their gratuitous oiclous
ness, the ark would get on quite as well to say the
least, without them.
very learned writer used to say chat it was
doubt witt him whether the benefit which the world
receives from government was sufhcent to make
amends for the caames which 1t suffers fro the fol
lies, mistakes, and ma -admnstl alton of those who
manage it" No one, however, will doubt he neces
sily of laws Happy and fortunate would it bn If
there were no necessity, and the time may come
when none, perchance, may be required, unless
it lie the law within the breast. But it should
not be lost sight of, that law, like ned
cine, If necessary evil is evil sl-~a
thing undesirable in itself and 10 be dispensed with
whenever it safely can be To be everlas,ingy dose
ing patient with quack medicines, or nation with
statutes, is most certainly to undermine every thing
like sound constitution in either. II should ever he
borne in mind that as the object OF an enlightened
physician is to make his patients independent Of the
apothecarys shop should the intelligent satesmans
object be to render the nation independent of all law
manufactures. When men educated in error they
have mole to unlearn than 10 learn, The people, in
the great reforms Which are called for have more TO
expunge hat to enact We want the broom of
mon sense to sweep away unconstitutional informed
dlings, rather than the lawyers pen and parchment
to add to- he heap The chief end of GCyernmen, is
to protect effectuay the lives and property of the EFT
liens from violence; and when it has done this has
performed almost all that Government can do with
advantage to the people.
These remarks have been dictated mainly from the
fact that we had presented TO for our signature, on
Saturday petition praying the legislature TO pass
special law, authorizing the establishment Of aninsu
rance company, The design Of the petitioners may
be a very commendable one but why not pass gene
raj law on such matters Why increase our already
monstrous law by thousands upon thousands Of
such enactments2 lfthe business authorized nv such
charters be legitimate onc-one beneficial in its ten
dency-why privilege FEW only to embark in 1t and
exclude the many