Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, Wis.) 1850-1968, 1878-04-04
THE BEAUTIES OF LEGISLATION.
A strong Argument for Less Frequent sessions
of The Legislature.

A Strong Argument for Less Frequent Sessions
of the Legislature.
TO tie Editor Of the Wisconsin,
Such legislation as the following is
what incllnes lawyers to favor bien-
NAL sessions
Section 5, chapter 1877, laws Of
1861, has remained for seventeen
years law of real property in this
state, has been adjudicated upon by
the Supreme Court, its meaning set
tied, and titles established and quoted
under it, at great expense to; parties
and to the state. The section is as
follows:
mo action shall be commenced By
the former owner or owners Of any
lands, or by any person claiming un-
der HIM or them, to recover posses
sion of land which has been sold and
conveyed by deed for non-payment of
taxes, or to avoid such deed, unless
such action shall be commenced with
in three years next after the record
ing of such deed
Now comes the legislature of 1878,
and by chapter 24o, enacts by adding
at the foot of said section the follow
ing, viz:
But aoheaerer any such action shall
be commenced after the expiration Of
three gears from the date of the re-
cording of such deed, unless such &C.
ton shall be brought by person
who was minor at the time the right
ofactlon shall accrue as aforesaid such
deed, if executed substantially in form
prescribed by law for the execution
of tax deeds, shall be conclusive evi.
dence OF the existence and legality of
all proceedings from and including
the assessment of the property for
taxation to and including the execu-
ton of such deed.
This act shell apply to tax deeds
heretofore issued, as well as those
hereafter issued"
Here is a covert, pernicious attempt
to repeal the limitation upon snch ac-
tons as are mentioned in section five.
Some one has an ak to grind, and in
this way proposes that the people
shall turn the stone for him. Not
daring to propose repeal or amend
ment of the section in plain terms,
this blind, uncertain language is used,
"But whenever any such action shall
be commenced after the expiration of
three years, snch deed
y shall be conclusive evidence,
&c." in fact (but SO blindly put in as
hardly TO be noticedl, saying that
such actions may hereafter be com.
menced at any time, and thus again
unsettllng a well-estabished rule of
property in our state. The ottener the
legislature meets, the more of Just
such legislation we are liable to have.
| have no tax titles, no clients who
have, am in no way interested in titles
based on tax titles, but / do object to
this constant change of general laws.
When once the law is settled and PEG.
pie have accommodated themselves
to it, see no reason why they,
through their legislators, should be so
willing to change. Out of such
changes lawyers subsist, to a great
extent, at least, but their subsistence
is not the first great object of legis-
lation.
This mania for law making is an
evil with which our state is sorely af
f1ict d, and have 40 idea that the
''revision' from which some hope SO
much, will be of any practical use or
benefit, there will, in all probability,
be perfect avalanche of changes
proposed as soon as the special SEES.
sion convenes, and what is left by
that Legislature will only furnish mate.
rial for every succeeding one to exer-
else its inexperienced hand upon.
Every senator from Milwaukee CT
believe) voted against submitting the
resolution for biennial sessions, to
vote Of the people; why, | cannot
conceive.
In less frequent meeting of the leg
islature it seems to me, lies our only
hope of reform in this matter OF zen.
terprising" legislation. / call atten-
ton to the above change in the limi.
tation law for a double purpose: to
direct the attention of the revisers to
it, and call public attention to the
manner Of accomplishing such results.
DAVID S. ORDwAY.