The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1865-02-23
Too Much Legislation.

I From the number of bills presented to the
legislature it would naturally be supposed
that the intention was to alter nearly all the
existing statutes of the State. The confus
ion, the annoyance, and the injury which is
caused annually by the topsy turvy legisla-
ton Of endeavoriug to make law to suit
everybody, and everybody's interest are in
conceivable Every person has to watch
the Legislative proceedings with the utmost
care, lest law might be passed to prevent
him from going into his own back yard. Few
can feel satisfied until they have examined
the laws of the session that some legislative
dirk has not been run into their property
In fact too much legislation unsettes every
business and every enterprise. Frequently
the expression is heard: Il will not under
take this or that business until the iegisla-
ture adjourns" The vice of too much igis
lation does not not always spring from de
sire to annoy or njure, but from that mi
versal passion which marks man everywhere.
a fond,iess for tinkering.
We clip the above from the Milwaukee
Wisconsin, and most unqualiiedly endorse
every word Of it. We are legislated to
death every year, and every year comes
same protests from the people against this
excessive legislation, butt is all to no pur-
pose The evil goes on increasing in viru-
lence at every session. Every lawyer and
pettifogger in the State is tinkering the
statutes and the laws constantly, to suit
some special case nerhas in hand or III con-
of id, i.
ter or a section of the Revised statutes in the
way of a case he is interested in lie forth
with sits down., writes out an amendment to
fit his case, aud po Is it off to Madison, aud
it is put into the mill 18th a batch of some
hundreds of others Of the same kind, and it
goes through, without one member i'll ten
knowing anything about it further than that
it is act to amend an act entitled an act to
amend sec. -, chap. -, OF the laws Of 1864;
which in turn is an act to amend some sec
ton ofsome chapt Of the laws of 1868; which
again is act to amend a certain sec. Of a Ger
tain chap. Of the laws of 1862; which turns
out to be an act to amend sec. - of chap -
OF the revised statutes. Aud SO it goes on;
amendment is piled on amendment, until it
is impossible to tell what the law upon any
given subject is, short Of thorough exanlina-
ton of the legislation of the State for the past
five years The pettfogger who had the
statute amended to lit case he had on hand
last winter, finds hinIseIfou the other side
this winter and his former amendment must
be repealed and the statute tinkered little
the other way; and thus the farce goes on.
In the early part of the present session.
there was a motion for committee to report
all the amendments Of the Revised Statutes.
The resolution was indefinitely postponed, be-
cause it was found that the committee wo'd
have to sit five years, with little prospect of
even then accomplishing tue task.
Is there no remedy for this state of things !?
Must the same expensive, three months farce
be annually enacted for all time to come p
We hope for better things for our (might be)
glorious Badger State There is an adequate
remedy, if the people, w!o suffer and pay the
taxes. would take the matter into their own
hands In an early part Of the session, there
was a bill introduced providing for Bien NAL
sessions, but we have heard nothing of it
since. Let the next Legislature be elected
with special reference to this question-Au
amendment of the constitution providing for
Biennial sessions Of forty days. That is Of
ten enough and long enough for all needed
and legitimate legislation. Nobody claims
or pretends that these everlasting and con
stantly recurring amendments of the laws
are of any interest to the people, for they
are passed and repealed and amended doz.
en- times before hundreth part Of the PEG
pie of the state know Whit they are. They
are certainly Of no benefit To the State They
cost the tax payers some $50, 000 or $50, 900
annually. with no return whatever, either
in convenience, usefulness OF anything else.
This sum may just as we'll saved as not 1t
remains with the taxpayers to say whether
| it shall be saved or not