The Van Buren press., 1868-05-01
Law Making in the Nineteenth Century

Below we mortify our readers by publishing
the Bill lately introduced into the bogus Leg
isaturc by one Gibbons, of Perry County:
An ACT prescribing electors oath for certain
eases.
BE il enacted Jy the General Assembly Of Ar
kansas. SIC. /. No person in the State of Ar
kansas, without having previously taken the
oath prescribed for electors in the ConstitI-
ton of the State, shall engage in any of the
lines of business hereinafter enumerated, viz
practice law, practice medicine preach tn,
gospel, teach school. act rs steamboat captain
rs pilot as engineer, as mate, edit or publish !
paper, run Il ferry boat, keep a toll bridge
Keep saloon or restaurant keep billiard sa-
loon. act as auctioneer, as mail contractor
do no mercantile business, shall not carry
arms shall not keep stallion.
SEC. ?. Any person violating section one
hereof, shall be deemed gailty oi felony, ano
shall be punished by Imprisonment in The
pcnitendary not less than two or mere ihan
ten years.
SIC. 3. This act is to be in force from and
after its passage.
We claim to have made great stride in en-
lightment since the days of the dark ages and
yet we defy any one TO cite any act of any
council, conyocation. or other legislative body
Of the first centuries of our era that can COM
pare in malignity, in Ignorance of the true
spirit oflegislation in utter defiance of reason
and common sense, with this oflshoot of the
untutored brain of this yandal from Perry.
As we understand the theory of legislation,
laws are made for the protection oflife, liber-
ty and property. The wisest lawmakers have
Ia hat Ia. 10
interferes with the private affairs Of the peo
pie, the better for all concerned. Being over
governed has been the curse of the American
people. Tried By this standard let us see if
we can detect the motive of Gibbons. VIII
this law protect life or property? BY no
means. This cannot be its object We must
then find the policy OF the proposed law in
the desire to protect liberty" Alas for the
Solon from Perry, the first fact presented by
his bill, is a denial or abridgement of por-
tion of the liberties of his constituents. lie
proposes to compel certain specified classes of
the people to submit to an Infamous test oath
before they shall enjoy certain liberties. He
does not attack franchises or privileges, which
may otter properly be made dependant on
conditions, but strikes with malignity at the
very first rights of a people. We must, how
ever, conclude that this Lrcurgus of the nine
.----.,. century nad some obscure and illdeiin-
ed idea of protecting the liberties of,he mass
OF the people by virtually ostracising a part
No doubt this simpletons head has been filled
with the guarantee folly ofthe present age.
He has heard of the new theory, discovered
by the Radicals in Congress, of saving coun-
try from revolution by "paper guarantees v
and full of this newborn idea he has rushed
TO the halls of legislation armed with hi.
guarantee" In his own plain way he has
suddenly discovered that in order to preyen,
the next war, no man should keep doggery
or stallion unless he believes in the political
and civil equality of "all races"-that if cit
izen does not believe that a negro is as good
as white man. he shes,ld not be permitted &c
preach the doctrine of peace on earth aut
good will towards all men. delivered to us by
Him who taught surrounded by slavery ant
among a people peculiarly alive to the in
equality of men, The most charitable con.
truction We eau put upon this act Of the Per-
ry county prodigy is that he is crazed by tn,
elevation to which the mistaken people of hi
county have in the goodness of their heart,
placed him, No doubt he is a Jealous parti
zan ofliberty and would lay down his life fo
the people and their rights; no doubt he il
sinccre-but this only shows us how deleteri
Gus is the effect of modern political poison
upon brains not overstrong, We cannot az
ford to stop at this this time to discuss serious
ly the constitutionality Of this miserable at
tempt to deprive a people of their rights. The
bill will no doubt become a law and we may
then have something more to say.