The Democratic advocate. [volume] (Westminster, Md.) 1865-1972, 1886-02-06
For the Democratic Advocate.
Some Needed Legislation.
DAY, CARROLL County,, MD, Feb.

DAY, CARROLL COUNTY, Nd, Feb. g.
As everybody is counseling the General
Assembly (more than our newly elected Gov
ernor thoughtit necessary for him to do) we
think our little town should have its due share
of advisory representation also-not in telling
them the same old story ''that laws should
be good and wholesome" of which they are
the competent judges-but simply in calling
attention to existing facts requiring legislative
enactment. Hence we ask: Would it not
be "good and wholesome" if the tciiling potoe1
were made conformable to few equitable
rules specified by enaetment2 A mother who
had ten aons said they were "all zaotly alike
but Sampson, he was not 'zactly alike; his
father was named Sampson, and he was named
after his father, and for that good reason, his
father left all the property to Sampson, and
so he was not 'zactly alike" Now if devil
sors were required by law to give reasons for
making largely unequitable devises, and or
phans courts were empowered to pass upon
such reasons, Tor higher courts, if complain
ants prefered) whether they were justi6able
or not, there would be fewer family estrane-
ments and fueda. lasting through generations,
often, the effects of WHICH sometimes may be
TRACED to their cause hundred yeaps back.
incidents before US confirm the opinion we
have long entertained, that this one man porer
has an undue range, and should be oiroam
seribed by enactment requiring reasons as
aforesaid for important inequalities, which
reasons should be approved by an orphans
court to make such requests valid.
And, while everybody desires the removal
Of the ''book tax does nobody want some
sort of compulsory clause in our school
law? The little ones who cannot speak for
themselves now, should not be found in the
near future, uutaught citizens, steering the
ship of state of the grandest government of
the world, whose necessities they may see
with inadequate capacity to meet them-a
government Whoae strIgglea Of progression are
70 be carried on with weapons of thought and
reason, instead of the brute force on the one
hand, and oppression on the other, that up
holds the depraved assumption called troy
atty" which the more untaght know no better
than 10 venerate. Let us have with free
people, free institutions. free press, free
schools, free thought, free speech and-if we
were called to preach, we would make the
keystone-free grace.
There is another matter which congressional
enactment should make good and wholesome;
by making it obligatory on the part of rail
roads, as common carriers, to charge, with
out discrimination, at all stations alike, a
handling price we will call it, on freights, and
pro rata on all distances long or short-allow-
ing, of course, those rates to be sustaining,
with due profits, without being inflated BY
watered stock or otherwise. And passenger
fares should be alike arranged pro rata.
After such restrictions, the railroad system as
a whole would become more remuneratiye to
itself, without being sectionally rnipops to
patrons. And without some SUCH congress
sional actiop, bankr.tey will be the qltimatum
to the Atlantic slope==impereeptihlY alow it
may be, hut as rapidly sure as destiny it will
be-,