The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1876-05-19
LAW-MAKING AS WE DO 1T.
NIsCHIETUUs OVER-LEGIsLATION
IN THE UNITED STATES.
The Loading Down Of Our statute Books
with Worse than Useless Laws The Evils
Of sumptuaiy Lesiriation-The Folly Of
Government Interference with Religion.

,,-..-.,.. ,.,,,,.ad ,.s, svaoing bsfore tho Kent
p'o"'ioS ,e0."i," !, 10. ra,s,.
Club Of the Yale Law School, on "over' LeR's'a-
ton" MIR. Bromley seemed to have grown
younger since bis settlement In New 10TH ''
snid;
Were the power 81 making laws comm,o,Vo anS
a"ose oh'' VINO were V"p'"i. " -. a,,o,,,I
interpreting them, or e. those whoeo spo.'''
training a,,ed then, for an intelligent under
...,,'. :, a.. ,,,a.,,n, tbs force and the
s'a"u'ns ol .oe mems. .''..sand ,ha, wa should
scope OF the statute, l appfebehu tnat VIC shou'u
have fewer ard better laws. and that the evils OF
80 isa,s,.,,oo wouId not be 80 grave and Sc
oNtr-tssia''o" " - p.. - 80.
rious problem In social sc'ehce' Dut no one
of YOU who has ever attended uDon the delib-
-. ,. ,h.y cal, them deliberations-of a
ethhons -'o' WV '"'. - -, a., .s,.,,..
State Legislature or VINO mas hau inc privilege
of listening to the conversation OF the average
" '.,ou ~. "a in h,s mood ., n,sdom.
'ep'sia'o.' WI ~. US -, ,na y..,.,s,,,..
need be told that the lawyer III the LeR'siature
L. almost invariably viewed with suspicion by
tho bornv.banded sons of toll. who think thew
know better than anybody can tell them Just
what laws they want and how to make them.
no not understand mn ma advising that the
functions OF legislation should be ,ntrusted ex-
,S,., a. ,- q, -. -. a.. O..
c'us'eS W ia"Serr' sihpp s'''e '"e law
that the statute books in all our States are load
49,,
laws as the results OF unintelliLent iee,siation
LEGISLATORS; and offer the opinion that had this
business been committed TO practical hands, we
IL.
prcnensno body OF laws III Tue srNt,a 9 t =.
~ was Vxensternaoi Sweuem, in,"ys's
.hhncenor 10 whose stnt. s'l ,i s'a,us
Auolphus oweu 80 much OF ms success success a. a
tn,cr' VINO sa,u i no. aoothevm has
tnat y toNcIneu rus .1 ~ Nv =. ~.
passed INTO proVerD. ~ embraces ,he wno p
pnmos,o os ~ ane anu nus syar yaniree
exneIlence Oh mannonu. No one ever VENUES
TO- contrsoict u. IL Is not oi'pueed oy any OF
~, WY NJ IN ~, Vuu We y, 'ha S,a,o NJ
yu. VINO asseuiuie w "eeh ~ wy az sa ~, "
iol with an average OF w o or three bls Tor puD-
lo hCts w wv pochftS VI thViI Vlic Ie,u' W oo
Ia zee y. VIZ ,h :. & m 'si, V,e ", t ,
VIII haree WIN you t'..t we naNe too many laws
,nrn unrhns NJ n,ssr, a., a. g. , V sras,,n
more, PERHAPS this assertion u 700 sweepihg.
s', ine n' es,s i sVvs ~ W W VIZ
s.a.e i,ouse WIZ ihlS,,"n wen 1n ,,ih Is
MAKE s no deHGSiUn OF pnnosopnn OF
nor a. me gathered wisdom oi ages, can eve, eve,
Sr s liz a. 1s MSr1 n to make
JAWS: You NAV reason with MN ana cite hu.
ords Spn may eyen gug,e 70 hn s .as las. s
ne ieI uead on tue towpath'
THE WORLD is GOVERNED TOO MUCH"
You NAV convince him and he admit IL ALL
and vet Vol, cannot GET il o,it 81 liza mead Thar
p,triutic and enIigntensd constituency has sent
him I" the Legislature To- make some more laws.
maze mem ne foy nun ', 'ne "a,
ana aiter ad ssuhs,ed tn rcom,ii.S and SCI
nm in law ih-arIss and t"wn cierks' of,ires in
law calf he wnnia Se false to ms constituents
nnd Jnrc,,ci in his oty hruld he ,efas ~ con
trihn,o ~ tha wopt for the functtop Of law
mau,n, n,,,s, nv, ,vs, n,r'rnisheb In ma,
shine in use Ana 90 20 d,y and to-morrow
and fhr,uoh ali Tho weary 10 moro q IN AT mall
snesr er so u VI ysr and TO Gnu .
the extras when generous iawsiyers vote them
from the public treasirv and the SECRETARY de-
ciares The Geuer i Assembly, adj iourneL ana Tho
Sheriff cres, as wei he may, " God save the Com
mohwealth there shan be constant stream
os 'ot puonS neus pqura"s ,nno ,ne ne RAJ
hoppe. 81 leglslatlol, mere snaIl come py MS
otISEa,eu IeptesentailNe 70 tue RIcat anu gen
eIal court whoever mas grievance, or hopoy,
OF a prt proJsct, whoever mas an entesptise IN
manu- wnlen We WINS los'ereu Df the stste, or
siueo oy muhlo'pM eorporauon whoever mas
theory ui T. ati2n or sducAiuh, OF desire 10
reor.anne we 'nllllMN iorce whoever mas any
49, J.sc i , w",e" ne ~ eracs
,ien'. " thel icasv"' tnls ~ u ue.nhoVracy'
mere tue peohe RUE lhe nTnnDi, MAKE ,ne laws
chins "a es W" w,,ch ni,a ~ nav ns,rhno r
o 70 o. in"' n,i"T '"s a ". -
sys me cliz"h' anu 1 nave as R2ou , ,
o. 1uv one ~ a .uin ,"e " IN, W ~ ny
shall not use my prlvlIege! And SO be says TO
n,s 'esentat t e. "Hte uo.s. S Se' a Jaw
10 H. u,,a A. s,,tnr 80 Son" ~, g.,
oncr Iii Tor public act entitled an aci in
u ft,, !" %" ~ ~, Az @ H. ~, smeep
culture, WllSh IIVNluiss lur 'ne bIomlscupus
sliuRnttr OF uhhuzLlel uoes. of tue eltlL-n
~ 10" w. uct"c.I' '"e ;fsso7s"ns anu
nyar, Wi ue'n'r 'nv ',,.' y, -, anu rs
soNeIe.Ii, c.hi,anu goes ~ 20 MS represehla
i've * we , YAK i3w' sttalghlWay goes INTO
sn , n"p 81 tln a.u pun. sS. ent, t,ru az
aci u, auui." ~ az aCt ior ,le assessinen' shl
II3'SV.on VI 'aAes VI le 'aNes h.tlon ~ ~
n,s 10y o. e1 hJt ger a iait snow IA the pubic
49,.
o,IanH,nk ~ .Na,lo""' vu"iu, .at-heI us
Ettv'anrr, nis n"Joy' or nls "nlul' tho nNtrdse
'',lAeu n t "nlf o"e nort Itptess IN nls i'a! .
sSnsa i; 70 70 u"nS; maze raw ABOUT "
i, On 49,. L. =. a, i""S. az J." she n ilea cnls-
49, a',o 49, i'e ~ V'eu rs ny Vhf wv NV
te's nei,tuS 10. az our ms ~, u ~ .he wan
~ h he nasu.aa" o,e "oi" VI pie"S' Tue scourss
" INV "''"se'i "'u
TIE SHEET ANCHOR or DEMOCRACY.
Every wear adds to the hulk of ponderous vol
umcs of public acts. and stu more largely 10
the fearful growth Of what are distinguished by
the name OF private acts, and many OF them Of
such "A character that We are led TO wish some
times that the public acts were private and the
private acts were public and that the whole
annual lrist might lie turned over to some eI-
detrimental government In process OF deyelop-
nent IRON barbarism, after the manner II the
quacks In medicine. who keep a dog o try their
Iiostrums On. We would not, u course, depriye
the free American citizen or the Intelligent
legislator OF the exercise of his law ma ing
function. Is, NJ means but since we have al
really too m my laws for our own comfort and
Our machine must be kept running to Keen from
rusting, we would nave IL run for the benrnt-if
bench II be OF some other people just emery
Us ~ I ~, ~. t',rh c c' Neai
"a ~, ni,ii,, ,, ~" ~ ,I 49, ~, 20 -, ~ ~ w.
a. ,,,I 80 - ~ ~ - ."e ipo
.. o'ia.tvu ~, - n'ne Ic ~, WV nIst stcp
aue u,'lA VI ,ne N.Ee ~ 70 ahe ~ ae'
"