The Indiana State sentinel., 1875-01-26
Law Making.

Law Making.
1t was the custom years ago for school
teachers to post set of 'rules" conspicu-
ously in the school-room with penalties OF
violation attached for the government OF the
little kingdom. Itnever worked well. By
cunning evasion the mischievous managed
to get in their misdemeanors so as TO
raise disorder, while the slight
lapses of the better sort suffered
penalties out of all proportion to their guilt.
When the better doctrine of self govern
ment came, of which Horace Mann was the
great apostle, there was better order and less
torture in the schools. Within certain limits
the same principle applies to the laws of the
land. 1t tisvery hard to beat it into the heads
of very good people that compulsory virtue
Is no virtue at all. 1t is a bogus article, and
won't stand the test. If these people, who
clamor much for laws prohibiting vari-
ETY. of things which they do not endorse,
will analyze carefully the structure of their
own minds, they will find that the element
OF intolerance predominates over their re-
gard for the public welfare. Good people
have always been more or less intolerant.
That is the natural tendency of humanity
when when it happens to be on
the right side. II l am right and
you are wrong on any question, 1 be-
gin very mildly to expostulate and persuade
you over to my side. But if you prove OBJ
stinate and pig-headed in your perverse no.
tions it is not long before l am reaching for
the thumb-screw to compel you to recant
That is human nature, especislly that kind
which is strongly impregnated with right
eousness. And out of it arises the disposi-
ton to legislate evil out of existence. AS
if the world could be redeemed from its
viciousness as you would keep a boy out of
mischief by putting him to bed In the day
time. Negatively, he is a very good boy
while under the blankets, but, in fact,
stimulated by the invasion OF his rights and
self-respect, he lies there hatchin worse
schemes than he would ever have thought
of out in the sunshine. He gets wickeder
every minute in plans and purposes
to be executed when opportunity of
fers. In the matter of law making, the Sc
curity and rights OF individuals de-
mand protection from the license of the
vicious. Beyond that, law has no business
with the perverse to reconstruct them on
the pattern of the pious. That is an under
taking not to be attempted by coercion, but
but another class of influences. A bill was
offered in the Senate last Friday by the
member from Sullivan, who presented 1t to
satisfy the man who drew 1t and not as the
expression of bis own views, which well H.
L. In IL
to the true domain of law. its
design is 70 annihilate all the
evils of excess in the use of intoxicating
liquors by the severity of law. The pro-
visions are so stringent as to be ridiculous,
and the penalties tor violation likewise
severe. 1t simply reflects the
spirit of the author, without considering the
state of society or the rights of those who
diff.r with him in opinion. Heis the victim
of a bad philosophy, based on intolerance,
to reform evils by forcing men
to do right. There is more than
the simple mistake OF failure ia
this error. The coercive system
all the power of the persuasive
plan in reformstory work. Moral sussion
Is rendered inert when force begins. Herein
lies the utter failure which has befallen the
work of tho wUmon III reforming intemper-
ance. The real power of that class lies
wholly in moral suasion. In coercion by
law they have not sufficient strength to
compass the end proposed If 1t were possible
at all, and by attempting that method,
they lose what influence they ether |
wise might have. Cosxing and driving |
do not work we'll together on the human
animal. The instant the latter is begun, |
the foTEaer may as well be wholly aban
1oned. But correcting evil by overwhelm-
ng legislation is not the folly OF women
,nly, nor confined to the vexed question
IF the liquor traffic. The inexperienced
legislator is beset with like fsllacies, and il
very members notion should be adopted,
the world itselfcoud not contain tho books"
If statutes which SHOULD be written. Two
rocks of session have brought forth 400 bills,
ess ore, and there are six weeks to come. 4
his shows the strong tendency towardsf'
tatute making, which grows out of the idea 8
{. mending all mistakes aud rigbting all :
Trongs by law. How the minds of men .
isagree IN regard 10 what the law should be 9
shown by the fact that score of different 6
Ills have been offered On the same subject.
s mode OF suggestion and comparison the 8