Dodge City times., 1889-05-30
WHAT DOES 1T MEAN?
The Lawyers Unable to Agree Upon
the Interest Law.


A meeting of prominent attorneys
was held at the Office of Rossington,
Smith & Dallas, for the purpose of con-
sidering the new interest law, which goes
into effect on the 25th inst. The attor-
neys, after discussing the law, failed to
agree as to exactly what the law means
and resolved, very naturally, to leave
its Interpretation to the courts. Only
one proposition was agreed upon, and
that was that under the new law a stip-
ulation that in default a note shall bear
10 per cent from it's date is not valid.
This has been the view held by the
United States circuit court under the
old law. Some attorneys held the view
that 10 per cent. interest might be col
lected, if so stipulated in the note, after
date of default. The majority of those
present however, doubted this. It was
agreed that ten per cent might be col
lected after maturity of note. If it
turns out that no greater rate can be
stipulated for after default than before,
the result will undoubtedly be an in
crease in the general rate of interest, as
it leaves the lender without protection.
The law was very loosely and ambigu-
ously drawn.
"THE AGE OF CONSENT"
We think that the time has come
when the action of the last state senate
in reference to the so-called "Age of
Consent" bill be discussed, calmly and
with view to get at the bottom facts.
Perhaps that We are in a situation to
do this as well as any one. We favored
the law of two years ago, thinking it
right, but have found since that great
injustice was being done under it. We
did not discover it, however, until the
in the last senate. Like 9TH
ers, We we're mislead by the error of a
when the bill passed the SEN
ate, who stated that it reduced the ''age
of consent in females from eighteen to
twelve years, aving the impression on
all who read the report that there was
to be no penalty for the seduction of a
female between those years OF age.
While this construction was at once
and shown to be false, both
on the floor of the senate and in many
papers within AZ hours after the
false statement of the tenor of the bill
was made, yet the furOre against the
bill and the senators who voted for it
had started, and there seemed to be no
way of stopping it. Innumerable petit
lions were signed, Indignation meetings
against the senators were held and de-
resolutions passed. The ball
once started could not be stopped, but
went on gaining in force and vituper-
alton, until the session closed. The
Telling against the senators who voted
'or senate bill No. 35 was SO great that
IN some instances they were Stunned by
reputable ladies'. To some extent this
'eeling still exists, but not in many
,ases where the true meaning of the
Dill has been explained.
What the bill did mean was that
where there was charge OF rape pend
ng against man for unlawful inter-
course with a female, between IL and
l8 years of age, it should be the right
If the defendant to put in as his de-
ense that the woman was lewd one.
It has come to our knowle dge that men
ire now in the penitentiary for commit
ing rape with girls between the ages of
p and 1S years OF age, when the facts
we're the girls were inmates of houses of
PROSTITUTION.
Senate bill No. 35 merely provided
hat the man in such cas- might be al
owed the privilege Of putting in as his
lefense the facts in tho case. If this
privilege were allowed him he could
'nly be punished for the crime of adul-
cry instead Of that Of rape. 1t has
lso come to our knowledge that in nu-
nerous cases, inmates Of brothels have
,lackmaiied men out of large amounts
# money, because it was alleged that
hey had had unlawful connection with
iris between the ages of II and IS
ears in such houses.
It strikes us that any senator who
oted for senate bill 35 can sustain his
ction before any set of fpeople on earth,
md further we can't conceive that any
roman in Kansas, after knowing the
cal facts as to the effects of said bill
an stand before the people of the state
4 Kansas and sustain the action and
ituperous charges made against the
enators. We deem it but right and
ust that this much be said. but if this
ppears in any paper of the state, we
esire it to be fully understood that
My the person whose name is at