The Dallas daily herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1887, 1881-03-02
STATE PRESS REVIEW.

The Austin Statesman says that Senator
Houston opposes the bill requiring the "a,
vertising Of judicial sales. bccsuse 1t would
pay the newspaper. We think tho senator &
hard up for ideas and arguments. If how
ever, it were alone In the iatcreat OF news
papers, II oughs not to pass. But since II II
moi, but in the material interest Of both th'
creditor ana debtor, it should become law
The Bonham News advances good ant
strong argument in favor of the retention o
the present county court system, If its prem
ises were correct but IS it Ia not the case
that all counties that have nsd good jndgo
are out Of debt, Of course its conclusions 10
for naugh.. The News says:
In all of our populous counties, under the
present system, where they have had efficient
county judges they have succeeded in paying
off the county debt and n bringing the scrip
of the county UP from so cents on tho dollar
to apsr with United States money. Most OF
them are out Of debt and have large cash
balances in tho treasury, and they can point
TO numerous public Improvements which
Rave been made Abolish the county courts
in those counties and in five years they will
be heavily in debt and every public enter
prise in them viii languish. Better lot the
judiciary system aloue now for awhile
About all that is needed now il three more
app Hate Judges, and tho supreme court
should DO divided so ns to givs ono branch OF
1t jurisdiction over civil cases aud tho other
over criminal cases.
The BRENNAN Bsnrer suggests Tho follow
ing philosophical plan fer the suppression
Of crime and especially to stop mon from
wearing weapons:
The only hope for the boltor is Ia the
moral reformation of society; there must be
q change pro uced in public sentiment,
Take for instance the habit of carrying con.
cealed weapons. Public opinion yirtually
sanctions il; but few persons say That it is
right, yet 1t hos the oountensnce Of society.
III all respectable men and women made up
their minds to ostrucso every man who was
known 10 carry concealed six ahooter on
his person, The habit would DO speedily
abandoned. If men ms general thing re-
fused to associate with other men who were
known TO gamble, or 10 drink both habi 8
would be abandoned Do those who put their
trust in laws ever take this view Of the evils
they ere attempting 10 legslaio out of ex-
istence!
The Jefferson Democrat has the following
to say concerning the sale Of school lands:
There Is bill in the state sonate for the
Gale Of school lands. 1t provides tha. they
are to be sold in lots Of not less than 100
acres, nor more than ono section to ono
person. The object Of this law is to prevent
land spectators from monopolzing the
lands. Land monopoies are, of course, n
great curse to any country, but we cannot
perceive how such a law, or, in fact how any
law that can be framed, would prevent land
monopolies, IL moneyed men wish to make
Investments in land. II simply compels the
determined speculator to buy the lands, BY
sections, in tho names of other parties, and
then have them decided TO himself. Ga the
other hand, II may, snd doubtleas viii, have
the effect TO drive of immigrants who wish
to settle In colonies. Ii seems to us i. would
Dc mueh wiser for the legislature to intrust
the ssle OF the lands to the governor and TO
authorize him TO make such favorable ar
rangements as he can with the railroad com
panies owning alternate sections, SO as to
promote an active settlement Of all our
unoceupied territory
The Houston Post, while IL manires,s no
symptom of Observation-Disclosures, still desires
the present law SIS 10 tho pardoning power
somewhat changed, and says:
We arc Of opinion that tho empowering
clause in-the constitution is too unguarded'
and that the pardoDing and commutirg
power should be entrusted to the governor
under advisement of a board OF pnrdons. or
that 1t should DO made subject, in soma wav,
to tho entire body Of the Judiciary, AS the
legislature cannot be currently appealed TO,
A. any rate, the executive should not be al
liberty to traverse, Individually and sporadi.
cally, me decisions Of the courts whoss sole
and important business IL 10 to administer
justice unless there DO apparent errors or
new matter OF plain and uumistakable char.
Rcler discovered. In such case it would be
we'll that tho governor were intrus,ed with
the power TO remand the case for new
Trial Almost any restriction or amendment
would DO better than the present irrospon-
slble license of the executive on this point.
Tho state has been disturbed beyond meas.
ure by the systematic overriding of court
decisions and popular opinion, until the feel.
Log created amounts to one Of extreme dis.
gust not to say resentment. Technical
hedging in vital case always makes tho
people angry, and in the long run, they
would deliberately prefer that an occasional
error should DO committed from over
severity, rather than the bonds of Justice
should be loosed and IN evil reputation fast.
ened upon tho state.
The Jefferson Democrat, discussing crime
and what to with it, among othor things
says
twill not do to charge any one state or
section, more than another, with this condi.
ton Of things. The truth is, crime preyails
all over our commonwealth, and in all our
counties aud towns. II will not do To saw
that the laws arc not enforced, for they arc
~ ngidly carried out In every case except
that of murder and attempts a. murder, IA
they have ever been. Our jails, warehouses
and panitcntiaries are filed up with crimi
mails and convlcts II we were TO coun. up
the aggregate number In i,ils and peni,en
uaries, we would find, no doubt, that il
oqualled If II did not exceed two hundred
thousand. If this Is the fearful price that
mankind has 10 pay for civilization and nd.
vancement 1t would DO better perhaps for
the world to be stepped in Ignorance. Tho
problem of what 10 do with criminals has
never oeen solved. With sll our increase
70 knowledgoin everything else, there has
Ieon no step In rational progress in this
direction. Cruel punishment have been
Utica ~ various umos and they accomplished
nothing, while a policy that il leniont only
E.ycs encouragement 70 tho vicious. The