Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1854-04-20


bearing. unless Its lmpropriety should be
exposed by lengthy argument As good
iegal advice as any in the State had been
consulted upon the bill; the whole mat
ter thorougly investigated and, it being
considered as nearly perfect as it would
probably be made in the Legislature, this
course was adoeted as the safest, aud the
most ilkely to expedite business
LII the meanwhile the Senate took UP
their bill on the same subject, amended it
by striking out all after the enacting
clause and inserting the House bill as a
substitute, with the section providing that
the law should go into effect on the first
DAY OF June next stricken out, aud a
new section inserted providing for the
submission of the law to vote of the
people at the next fall election. If
endorsed BY them it was to take effect
on the first of January, 1855; if not
on the first of June Succeeding, allowing
the Legislature in the mean while an
opportunity for repeating it. In this
condition 1t was passed, some of the most
vlrulent enemies Of the principle of
prohlbltory law voting for it, and was sent
into the Assembly There it was taken
up In preference to the House bill con-
sidered IN committee of the whole; the
submission clause stricken out, and a sec
ton providing that the law should 90 into
effect on the first day Of June next in
serted IN its stead the amendments
agreed upon made; the bill as amended
passed, and returned to the Senate for its
concurrence. That body concurred in all
the amendments of the House, except the
one striking out the submission clause
This was reinserted in a form still more
odlous and unfair than before 1t pro
yIded for the submission of the law to q
vote of the people at the November elec-
ton ensuing; and, in case a majority of
all the votes cast at that electon-not all
the votes cast on this subject, but ma
JOrlty of the highest number cast for any
officer on any subject-were for the law,
it was to take effect on the first of Janu.
airy, 1855, otherwise the law was to go
into effect, A D. 1900 The Assembly
refused to concur in their action, and the
Senate refused TO recede The friends Of
the bill in both houses considered the sub
mission as a cowardly and unworthy at
tempt to dodge responsibility, even at the
! best, But still stronger reasons induced
them to insist upon its omission. 1t was
thought, that should the law pass, an ear
nest effort would be made at the fall elec-
ton to send representatives to the Legis-
ature who would repeal it. If such an
attempt were made, the people would be
able to vote more understandingly were
the law to go into effect some time prior
to that election, and afford them an op-
portunity or seeing someth ching of its r4rao-.
teal operation They were willing to de
| lay the time at which it should 90 into
effect, until the first of September, or
even October, but they wished the people
to see the law fairly in force before the
election They we'll understood the siren
at that time for its defeat They felt
that human intellect could not frame
law so perfect that human ingenuity could
not raise objections against it; and by
Misrepresentation and forced construc
tions, before a popular assemblage un-
skilled in legal subtlcties succeed in es
tablishing wrong and perverted impress
sion of its character. Practice is worth
more than theory. The true test of any
law is an experience of its operations =
They wished the people to Judge of the
law by its fruits. If those proved evil
they felt assured that the people would
supply its deficiencies, and correct what
ever improprieties it might contain. But
to send it forth for its enemies to Inisrep-
resent and misconstrue. without giving
them an opportunity to test its merits or
dement's, they considered great injus-
tice. The mass of the people do not pre-
tend to understand the complexities and
outlets Of the law. Hence it is that a
proposition to confer upon them species
of Legislature P0acer, by authorizing them
to decide by their vote. what shall or shall
not become the law, is almost unprece-
dented 1t is true, that by the consttu-
ton our banking law was subjected to
this ordeal. but it is well known that a
majority Of the trainers of that instru-
ment were hostile to banking. They in
serted that provision through hostility to
banks They regarded it as virtually
prohibiting banks in this State. They
felt secure In the belief that nothing but
an almost unanimous uprising of the
people in favor of such institutions.
could effect the passage and endorsement
of banking law They believed banking
wrong in principle and thought they had
placed next to an insuperable barrier in
its way in this State, by providing for
submitting a law in all its details to a
vote of the people. Apopular movement
of an unanimity which could not have
been anticipated did occur The demand
for banks became SO universal and urgent
that it overleaped all obstacles
\ Legislature was elected which sub
mitted the question of Banks or No
Banks" to the people That question was
decided in the affirmative by an overwhel-
ming majority. The next Legislature
enacted banking law, which, at the sue
ceeding fall election, was approved By the
people TO submit the liquor law to a
similar ordeal would certainly have been
unjust and what had a still stronger In
, tiueuce upon the action OF friends, they
considered that it would unquestionabl !
be unconstitutional
Legislatures are expected to take the
. iraSpOusl bility of paSSIuu Such laws a. the