Weekly Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1853-1861, 1855-05-31
From the Journal Of Commerce.
Legislative Progr ess and Reform.

From the Journal Of Commerce.
Legislative Progress and Reform.
The practice of legislating for particular
cases and local purposes has come into de-
served disrepute. Several of the States have
adopted the example of New York, and en-
acted general incorporation laws, for the
formation of Railway, Banking and other
Congress has established Court
of Claims; and in all the States there is
tendency to devolve procedures for personal
objects upon judicial organizations. No
doubt the public interest is promoted by these
reforms. They enable the legislative bodies
National and State, to devote more time to
the great measures of general utility compre-
hended in their constitutional duties; and
they relieve private associations and individ-
uals of the large expenses wont to be incur
red in securing the enactment of special
laws. The community, too, is enabled to
avail of the benefits which modern science
confers, and which can only be developed by
the agency of associated capital, with greater
expedition than when the formal and tedious,
and perhaps purposely INSTRUCTED process of
legislation, was essential to the establishment
of every new enterprise. These general laws
likewise relieve the community from hind
RANGES opposed by individual caprice, per-
versity or interest, to objects of public advan-
tage. Under their operation no such occur
renee could take place, as that which, few
years since, prevented the extension of the
Canal Railway in Connecticut, up to and
across the Massachusetts line, to junction
with the Western Railroad at Westfeld.
"The Pedlar's Lott had to be traversed to
reach the desired point; but that lot was pri-
vate property, and no negotiation could be
effected to obtain right of way through it,
for reasons best known probably to the Ped
lar and the Hartford Railroad management.
There is no reason in equity, why the Pedlar
should not have been obliged to yield up his
right of property for the public service, in re-
turn for an adequate compensation, any more
than there would be for exeinpting him from
other public duties which it is incumbent
uysn the citizen everywhere to PERFORM
such as militia and jury service; and, indeed
ptfe-Fight- of prsporfy- islof inferiez grsas-te
that of personal liberty, which is yet in all
civilized communities infringed upon, to the
extent of the requirement which the State
makes of the personal services, for certain
exigences, of every man in the community.
VIC DcichCidl CHCCt vi SChCtdi
ton laws, results from their diminishing the
objects for which the practice known as 'lob-
bying'' is wont to be used. Legislative eodie:
are constantly beset by parties whose business
it is to procure or prevent special legislation
Canvassing for votes is VIGOROUSLY practised
and it is common for the public to be in
formed by what majority measure proposed
will be carried or defeated, long before the
vote is taken, or even the discussion of its
merits entered upon. A deplorable conse-
of this practice has been, and is, to engendel
suspicion in the public mind that corrupt
means are used to influence the action Of leg.
islators. 1t is common for parties who are
opposed to a project, to insinuate that its sup
porters have been bribed to give it their votes
by receipt of present promises of future
fayors or privileges. The nature of the pro.
iect itself, if the franchise conferred is q
valuable one, suggests peculiar facilities fol
accomplishing such an object, by exhibiting
partiality in the distribution of shares of stock
and tends to establish belief in charge.
which perhaps have no other foundation thar
in party virulence or personal disappoint.
ment and malevolence. The effect, how.
ever, is to degrade the Legislature in the gen
cral esteem, and deprive it of that public con
fidence which gives more powerful sanction
to its enactments than could the most formid
acle array of physical force.
Another demoralizing practice imputed t.
legislative bodies that of "log rolling" de-
rives aliment from the system of special leg
islation. Appropriations for ocean mail con
tracts are mixed up with general politics.
Public lands in aid of railways are harterec
\ for 20, othar IL -,
contended that such practices are eradicable
except as the result of higher standard o
virtue in public men than unhappily exists
But their operation may be greatly circum
scribed by the enactment of general laws
which obyiate the necessity of an application
to the Legislature in every individual case 70
the object sought. The transmission of ocean
mails might perhaps be secured by genera
law, prescribing the frequency of. the servic
and the class of vessels by which it shoul,
be conducted, and offering inducements t,
public competition in awarding to the carrie
4 the whole or part of the postage earned
The public would thus be protected from tn,
scandal of seeing i'm the newspapers of tn,
day, such a malignant insinuation as tina
which appeared recently on the departure o
the steamer Atlantic with four or FIVE mem
bers of Congress on board, to the effect tina
those gentlemen were induced to visit Europe
by the proffer of free passage made to then
as reward for voting in favor of the appro
priation to the Collins line of steamers
Some general system in regard to grants o
the public lands to stimulate enterprises o
internal improvement if that should be de
temined on as a wise policy of the govern
ment might be devised, which would also
obviate the necessity of legislating for eacf
individual project. The existence OF such {
system would have spared Congress the ne
cessity, and the country the shame, of ap
pointing a committee to ascertain who of it,
officers or members were guilty of the fraud o
altering the manuscript of a statute. and falsi
flying its purport to the advantage of private
company, as was done in the Minnesota case
The Know Nothing Ticket for Mississippi.
The Paulding Clarion publishes a list O
nominations, said to have been made by the
late convention of the party composed of :