New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-06-14
TASTY LEGISLATION.

The Indiana Legislature at its last session
furnished an illustration of the readiness WIN
which the average laWmaker SEXES the cluD
of the Br-it-cnactcd, and the unskiliuness
with which he sometimes wields it, An OK
foam having been run over by train at
railroad crossing during the session, the Legs
laturc hurried to enact a law requiring that
locomotives should sound their whistles for
not les, than eighty rods at every crossing,
the penalty in violation being fixed at from
so TO $50, for which the engineer IS
held personally liable. The law has just gone
into effect. and the locomotive engineers
are giving the people of the State grand
n.histling benefit Schools have had to be
dismissed, runawaYs have increased, people
go about with their fingers in their ears, ana
conversation has to be carried on with slate
and pencil 1t is even doubted if the vOcifer-
Gus Voorhees, could be heard upon the stump.
This, however, Is counted among the adj
yantages of the law; next, If not superior, to
the good accomplished in saving ORLEANS.
In general, the screeching is a nuisance; it
scales horses, sours milk, and prevents the
conundrums of women, whose husbands come
home late from being heard by those to whom
they are addressed.
In these respects this hasty enactment can
be used for purposes Of illustration by the
opponents of ovcr-cgislatiOn. But there Is
another side to it. The opponents Of over
legislation everywhere insist upon having
legislative sessions only mt long intervals
bcnnaly at the oftenest. Now the Indiana
Constitution is already up to the standard Of
this requirement, and the Legislature of that
State has only biennial sessions. But the
martyrs to this internal racket are exceed
mely anxious to have another session as soon
rs possible to repeal the obnoxious law. They
say that in two ycar5-if they have to wait
that length of timc-they will be deafeDed ;
and they clamor for immediate relief Meas
ures have been taken to test the cOnstitu-
tionality of the law, but meantime the wary
engineer takes no chances, but whistles out
his eighty rods, and gives good measure every
time.
This state Of affairs lends new interest TO
an old question in social science, relative to
the function OF law aking-whether upon
the whole it is better to have lnirequent
Legislative sessions IN order to avoid the
danger of weak and bad laws, or frequent
sessions in order "a repeal them as soon as
their effect is known. We should commend
this question 10 the consideration OF the de-
batting societies in Indiana, where it could be
discussed with knowledge, except for the
fact that under The existing law debating So
cictcs have no chance. The law is in many
respects a calamity. Unless some change is
made in It, or the trains are all stopped on GER
tain days, the Hon. Thomas a. Hendricks will
have to 90 ont of the State to be interviewed;
and we take it upon ourselves to say that
without an interview with Mr.. Hendricks at
least once a fortnight this whole country
would be very sad. Then suppose, on account
of the internal din, he shouldn't be heard
when he declines-as he has been in the habit
of doing once in ten days-the nomination
for Vice-Presdent. We shudder at the
thought. All business would stop and every
body would say, What has become of
Hendricks 7" and likely as not he wouldn't
be nominated.
Really the Legislature ought to be called
together and the law repealed There'll be
campaign on shortly and no man, unless it Is
tie venerable William Allen, can talk against
q thousand locomotives. And William Allen
can't run the entire campaign alone.