Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1877-12-13
A Lesson on Lay i, and Political Econ.
omy, for the Boys:
BY LUTHER BROWN

For the HERALD.
Boys: 1t is high time you were
making some calculations, as to how
you will manage public affairs, when
you come into power. Suppose we
talk over the subject, and see if we
can find any way to improve on your
dads management. You know that
people sometimes quarrel and fight
with their fists, which is very wicked !;
and sometimes they go to law, which
does not differ much from fist fight,
only one is carried on at the expense
of blood and bruises, anu the other at
the expense of time and money; one
produces as much enmity between
the parties as the other. Now boys,
what do you intend to do when you
come into power? If two of your
number quarrel, or go TO law, or one
should be SO wicked as to steal
horse or rob house, will you put
HIM in Jail for six months, waiting for
Court to sit, and all of you go to work
to pay for boarding and guarding
him? or will you have one of your
best men always ready, at the County
seat empowered to determine the
case, so that if found guilty he may
be started for the Penetentiary by
the morning train, aud il innocent, set
at liberty? 1t will make no difference
what title you give the man you en-
power to try the accused; you may
call him judge, or Tycoon, it will be
all the same ; only see that he is one
of your best men. | feel confident
You can make some improvement on
the way yodr dads do this business
You see you viii have full yower to
make the laws as they should be; and
it is not unlawful to use common sense
in making a law. Boys, what do you
say about forming yourselves into a
debating society to practice on some
OF these questions these long winter
evenings? You might charge 10
cents tor admittance, if thought best
and | doubt not you would have full
houses; and that even 'this Honor"
might learn something by attending.
You see your dads have run the laws
in the old ruts so long it is difficult to
get them out; and had it not been for
the inventive genius of some of the
boys, years ago, they might now have
been hauling their pork and wheat
from here to Chicago on wagons, TAX
ing care all the way to keep the wag-
ons in the old ruts, because their dads
used to 60 in them. Just so with the
laws: if thief steals pig they send
the Sheriff all over the County to
bring in 80 men for a grandjury, be-
cause their dads used to do so; and if
the grandjury think he stole the pig
they start the Sheriff again to bring
in as many more men for petit Jury to
try him and all this time they have
Judge upon the bench supposed to
be one of the most learned, and hon
orable Of men; and yet your dads
profess to believe it would not be safe
to let this judge decide upon the guilt
or innocence of the man Isn't it
wonderful? Why, it is as good as
telling the judge they are afraid to
trust him. But then your dads don't
mean that; they are just drifting
along in the old ruts, and have proba-
bly, never spent a thought on the SUBJ
ject. [ want you boys to explain it
to them. There is NO reason why
they cannot see the folly of spending
vast sums of money to bring these
jurymen together and keep them in
Court under the false pretence that
they are better qualified to judge of
the truth of the testimony than the
judge is.
Now, boys, if you start in a debat-
ing society, want you to ventilate
this question, in some shape, you can't
stir it without producing some light.
If the practice of the law was made
to conform to its theory, parties to
suits would oftener have something
left when they are through with them
to purchase the baby new dress
than thew now do.