The evening telegraph. [volume] (Philadelphia [Pa.]) 1864-1918, 1868-08-10


stopping this wholesale making and changing
of laws. We see simple methods taking the
place Of complex in the arts and sciences, but
laws instead Of being narrowed down to the
compactest space, are OF all our artificial CON-
trivances continually becoming more bulky
and diffusive. Congress, at every session, ia
repeatedly making laws that are just as regu-
larly altered and partially repealed at an en-
suing session. Every little petty detail, to
take only single instance, say Of the Trea
sury Department, which is expanded into q
number of sections oompacted into . so-oalled
law, introduced, talked over, and passed, is in
many cases entirely imperative. About a
year ago, we think it was, an imperative sec
tion appended to one of these weighty docu-
ments contained specific directions for the pay
ment of the Compound Interest notes whioh
were 30 obviously the only way in which the
payment could bs made, that IL such legisla-
tion was any way at all extraordinary 1t might
have excited surprise. One of our New York
contemporaries, and a very able one, too, We
well remember, devoted a whole column to
spreading its surprise at such remarkable
legislation, even so old a veteran could not
refrain from an exhibition of feeling
II we come to our State Legislatures, what
an amount of work. Oceans on oceans of
lawsl "Alp, on Alps arise - What noun
tains of lofty nonsensel A young member Of
the bar was complaining, in droopihg, de-
spending manner, Of the complexity Of many
IL, t,oI of .
Legislature, then recently adjourned. "Hushl"
exclaimed an old coadjutsr 'don't you see ii
lawyers can't understand them how inexpli-
cable they must be to the public at large
Consequently we have all the benefit of the
confusion ~
We are afraid that our country takes the
lead in this wholesale legislative business
Other countries are getting to be ashamed OF
the vast accumulations, and are making ar
rangements for simplifying the old trade.
Thus the English tariff laws are now confined,
we think, to five, certainly not more than
seven articles There is much consolation left
Us in the fact that, in spite of crude, undi-
gested, and bad laws, hastily passed, and
very often as hastily repealed, such
10 bho ASOuPolatlNO PO"oI VI LulS
try that it rises from these burdens
by the natural buoyancy attendant on an
elastic land whose resources are every year
becoming more and more developed. Despite
war and its attendant calamities, no adverse
legislation can seriously affect its invariable
progress. The reasons for this have been well
stated in the language Of one of the best
writers of the age:-"No ordinary misfortune,
no ordinary misgovernment, will do so much
to make a nation wretched as the constant
progress of physical knowledge, and the con-
slant effort of every man to better himself
will do to make a nation prosperous. 1t has
often been found that profuse expenditure,
heavy taxation, absurd commercial restric-
tions, corrupt tribunals, disastrous wars, sedi-
tious prosecutions, condagrations, and inunda-
tions have not been able to destroy capital so
fast as the exertions Of private citizens have
been able to create it.