Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1841-1853, 1850-04-18

To Correspondents.
:, Bloomington. - in summer end sI0 i'm whit
Alabama Legislature.


cry Gazette speaking of the results Of the session.
says:
alt is the longest session of the Legislature on
record-having lasted three months and one day.
Upwards Of -four hundred acts been passed, and
out of this number there only some dozen cor two
of gen-ral nature among the latter are the Reve-
nue. law the Free Banking Law; act incorpora-
ting the Southern Bank of Mobile; an act allowing
the Bank Of Mobile issue three dollars IN paper Tor
in specie hand approprating sixty
thousand dollars rebuild the Capitol an act re-
organizing the County Courts, making them simply
Courts of Probate, and abolishing the common law
jurisdction and merging the officers Of Judge and
Clerk into one an act approprlatlng one hall the
two per cent. fund and hundred thousand dollars
OF three per cent fund to the Selma and Tennessee
Railroad. Among the former are Plank and hall-
road charters nnumerable divorces. relief, &C. &C.;
about twenty thousand miles Of Plank Roads have
been chartered We trust that this will not be the
last of them.
''The immense amount Of local legislation will
strike every a crying evil that should be cor
rected- great amount of money is spent in this
way that could be saved to The treasury and he nP-
piled to the payment of our public debt. All these
local matters, by law be left to the courts IN
the different counties with much more convenience
TO the public than the direct action of the Legisa-
"The entire business Of the session should be ac-
complished in four FIVE weeks at farthest but IN
mainly in legisating upon private matters, in which
the great public have no interest"
The above proves one thing certainly, if not more
that "biennal sessions" are not a sufficient remedy
for the evils of excessive imprudent and mprovden
legislation. Not at all. Remedial means must be
sought in some more effectual way. You must do
away with the necessity of local. special and partial
laws, In order to ensure reform. While the necessi-
to refuse to enact such laws as any portion Of the
people might ask for and really need for the protec
ton Of their interests. The philosophy of all this
seems to us very simple. There is no need. truly,
TO assemble one hundred and fifty at Indiana po-
lis to egislate for county the Lake, or the
Ohio river.-on the Wabash, or in the White
Water Valley.-or even for Marion county Why
can't we adopt comprehensive-at the same time a
well guarded system of county, well toUn or
city governments, under which the people may all
legslate for themselves, without troubling the gene
raj legislature about of local INTEREST," We
can and when we do, we remove the need, which
till then will and continue to exist, Of applying
TO the general assembly TO enact ncighborhood laws
for us.
For instance we want something done about
county road Of what interest is ii to people out o
the county, The representative introduces bill
and it slides through without inquiry. Why shce1l
any body inquire Other representatives have no
interest in the question: and, like hundreds of smi-
lar matters, it passes by consent! 1t would be ar
outrage TO defeat it, unless there are remonsrances
and these grow out Of individual interest often
otherwise. Give Us a general laU under which coun
ties may legislate for themselves about such matters
and there will then be need Of troubling the legs
laure with them. So also about moral questions
such as license laws, &c. Now, some counties, al
Hancock, have laws at all about license,-th,
whole thing is left to public opinion, and the anti
nuisance laws. Wayne, we believe, has a ten gal
Ion law. Jefferson county contends that all the Ii
cense laws are such a of confusion, that ther
is in fact no law at al,-at least say her leading
lawyers. And so 90, about almost every matter
of general interest.
As to general principles, almost every body vii
agree, that when you come to matters Of detail ant
opinion. people will differ, they have right do
All the laws in the world can't makesthem do other
wise, for the simple that you can't legislat
all men, and AL circumstances, exactly alike, no
anything near it,
Let each county, therefore, legisate for itself within
limited sphere and according TO its prevalent no
tions in opinion and interests. If wrong. exampl
and experience may cerrect: hardly anything els
will. And to say the least. the general assembl
will be relieved from the necessity which will other
wise certainly continue exist Of legslating local
ly as well as generally.
Why cannot the counties occupy relationship un
der general laws of the State, corresponding to ths
which the States occupy under the laws Of Congress.
differing only in such degrees as may be essentis
fbo ralf. Oft fha hCla "a, ,yl,,t
want. Has nny one objections TO offer. Let bii
speak,