The Bossier banner. [volume] (Bellevue, Bossier Parish, La.) 1859-1952, 1879-05-22
Too Much Government.
(Ne,c Orleans Picayune

The New York Times says that
when the curious visitor to the CAPT.
tai of New York is shown into the
State Library, his eyes rest on
large quantity of books, all, by their
appearance, belonging to one Set
There are ten thousand of these vol
umes. What do they contain 7 Are
they works Of literature, of art, of
science, or of philosophy 2 Are they
the records which labor and indus
try, guided by genius and learning,
have left behind for the instruction
of meni BY no means. They are
simply books of law-the laws of the
State of New York, which have &C.
cumulated during the last hundred
years. No human ever knew and
no human being ever will know all
that these books contain. Perhaps
all that is useful or vital in them
might be condensed within the lin.
its of single volume. Yet there
they are, the record of that sort OF
opinion which year by year passes
for the wisdom of the State. There
is, as our New York contemporary
justly remarks, no earthly reason
why each succeeding Legislature
should add to the accumulation of
rubbish which serves no useful pur.
pose, except to serve as record of
the follies which legislative bodies
commit. There is no earthly reason
for it, apart from the chronic idea
which infests the minds of men who
are sensible on other subjects that
there is something sacramental and
mysterious in the act of legislation
which can change folly into wisdom,
aud even alter the workings of the
laws of nature. This perverted idea
Of the legitimate functions of gov
eminent We believed to be the ex.
PLANTATION of the epidemic of legis.
latiOn with which our societies are
afflicted, and not, as the Times sug-
gests, the desire of legislators to see
their names printed in the public
records of the State. The conse,
quence is that one set of legislatures
enacts laws which succeeding legis.
latures explain, amend or repeal, and
the process goes On in the same
weary round from year to year.
1t is remarked by Mr.. Buckle, a
philosophical writer, who seems to
have had very little reverence for
legislators, that no legislative body
ever yet passed beneficial act of
affirmative legislation. Benifcient
legislation he does not deny, but he
insists that those acts which have
proved advantageous to society all
consist III the repeal of some pernic-
ious law, or the remedying of some
injustice, previously sanctioned by
law. Mr.. Buckle certainly did not
mean to exclude from the list of
beneficial legislation the laws which
define and punish crimes and offens-
es, and those which guard the rights
and liberty of the citizen. Apart
from these exceptions it is hard to
find fault with his sweeping. At all
events his challenge has never been
accepted by the believers in abund-
ant legislation. The enacting and
amending and explaining and re-
pealing oflaws goes on from year to
year; and from year to year we be-
come more and more painfully con.
scioas that we arc suffering under
severe attack of superfous legisla-
ton. The evil has become SO con-
spicuous that many persons are has,
tily inclined to assert that it indi.
Gates, if it does not prove, that free
institutions are failure. The theme
has been deliberately and of course
ably discussed by Herbert Spencer,
whose conclusion is that the evil of
our legislation is an evil attendant