The daily union. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1845-1857, 1857-04-07
coon AND BAD LAWS.

GOOD AND BAD LAWS.
VI. have thiryone sovereign States and seven Terrific
IL, with national government having limited powers
0nb uenary on certain subjects them all Within
s states there ave city, village, and other sub
odrse authorities All Of these clothed with powers
feUiflatop more less extensive The persons exer
spr them may be presumed to possess every variety Of
Qualification from the lowest to the highest Under such
circumstances 1t is extraordinary that the laws should
he varied in their character good and Others bad
Tbs motives of the legislators, although presumed TO be
oa may sometimes be quesi oned but 1t rests with those
bo mpeaeh them to establish the accusation Probably
roIsqatiye body in the Union has been fortunate
to please everybody in all It's laws Every State has at
,ome time enacted laws which portion of its people
damn as unwse unconstitutional All such matters Of
, consideration and are soon settled such In Maine
Massachusetts and New York their liquor laws have been
the subject of the exciting controversy In the latter
State their canal enacmens aroused angry and bitter feel
ogs and her courts declared one of them unconstitutional
and void, as il did their stringent liquor enactmens
Statutes in other States have been declared unconsituton
al and void These things warrant us in saying that bad
laws not confined to any one State or Territory, nor
good ones the exclusive characteristic of either Until
Gently criticisms upon Legislative action have usually been
confined to those to be affected by it. The "Mainelaw"
enacmens aroused only those subject to their provis
ons The New York and Massachusetts, passenger laws
which the United States Supreme Court held to be in
conflict with the national constitution, disturbed those
only whose interests affected by their operation But
II has been left TO the meddling propensa- g W. %
,;,;r ,--r--a~.s,s, our day. to extend querulons
supsryiSion over laws to which they not amenabe
Not content with denouncng enactments which dspeass
them they msrepresen and als their provisions
to sord an apology for denouncing them with greater
vehemence and effect This has been emphacally true in
relation to the laws of Kansas Those of Nebraska and
other Territories well in the States fail to attract
their attention. or afford them of complaint They
all escape CRITICISM while those in Kansas denounced
as wicked and unjust but mainly account Of their tenor
and effect being grossly msrepreented Kansas passed her
code of laws aad among them there many containing
wise provisions not inferior to those of the old thirteen
States These unexcep.ionabe laws the hufnders Eever
openly approved. She passed that wise and
bad which ranked with many condemned elsewhere by the
people, or declared null by hecours and which she has
since repealed Instead of informing their readers of this
repeal and advising that what they objected to have ceased
to exist the backpablcan papers mislead their readers
into the belief that they still in force and work out the
laws which Immediately them, and those in other
States and Territories Of kindred character, and open
their batteries upon those in Kansas and attempt to de-
mollsh hem mainly however, by gross Misrepresentation
Why his2 The ia at hand. Their whole object
Is political effect in the free State They hope by foul
excts their readers to sectional hos
tiy and action and in the end to dissolve the Uuion
and establish at the North another couederacy with
black-repubcan leader at its head and all is sub
ordinate positions filled from the game political par
ty This the great and controlling object in view,
and sought to be carried out Their purpose hav-
ing been clearly Developed the honest aud patriotic
Unicn.men who have been deudsd into their ranks
fast leaving them aud joining tho democracy They
not Likely to be again deceived by the cry Of bad laws
in distant Territory uttered by those who enact and
submit to unconstitutional ones home The clamor of
the black republicans concerning the statutes OF Territory
will not successfully divert tina attention of the people from
those unjust and unconstitutional which they have
long been striving to sen upon the people in the States
where they reside. ..