The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1889-01-18
NEEDED LEa1sIAr1oN.

s'caught on'' the T. M. B. A. petition
to the Legislature to pass law reduc-
ing the rate Of interest; and I notice
that Gov. Martin in his message, rec
ommendI the same.
Now, Mr.. Editor, this attempt to reg
ulate the rate ofinterest by law, it seems
to me. is just stupenduous nonsense.
To show the F. M. B. A. that the pres
ent law does not regulate the rate of
interest it is only necessary to cite them
to the fact that the highest legal rate
of interest by contract is II per cent,
yet by giving first-class security they
can borrow all the money they may
need, right in lola, at s per cent. One
thing we may just as well learn first
as last; that is, the rate of interest is
regulated by the ld,o Of supply and de-
mand and the Kind of security you
give; not by State laD. In my opin-
ion the thing for the Legislature to do
Is to regulate the interest law, and let
us have no law on the subject except
where the rate is not specified in the
contract, then the law should specify
what the rate should be. This thing
of the State debating what one man
shall pay for the hire or use of anything
is wrong in principle and should not
be allowed. If I want to give. and
my neighbor is willing to take, IL dol.
lars for the use of 100 dollars for one
year, it is none of the States business.
If I want to give, and my neighbor is
willing t. take, IL dollars for the use
of a house for one veal, 1T is none of the
States business. The State has just
as much right to interfere in one case
as in the other. The State might just
as well say what the rent of farms or
the rent of houses shall be, or what the
price of labor shall be. Yes, Mr.. Edit
or, it is all wrong for the State to try 10
interfere IN any Of these things. This
howl for lower rate of interest makes
me tired. Its getting old and "dusty"
and always smacks of demagogism.
Now Mr.. Editor if the State is going
to assume to be guardian for the peo-
pie in their private business transac-
tons let the legislature pass a law
making it crime with severe penal
ties for any one to 60 in debt or give
credit, but the State had better keep
out of the guardianship business. 1t
might bite off more than it can "chaw"
But seriously do believe that if the
people would quit going in debt it
would be the great panecea for all our
financial woes.
The people had better let the inter-
est business alone and strike for laws
that will benefit them. We ought to
have law making the penalty more
severe on anyone that allows stock to
to run at large, especially hogs. Some
men are sloven and careless don't care
if their hogs do root up their door
yards and gardens and annoy their
neighbors. The law now is. as I un-
derstand it, if your neighbours hogs
annoy you, put them up and advertise
them as strays and make the neighbor
foot the bill. But catching is before
hanging" and if you attempt to pen
them up they will run off your place
and you dare not drive them back.
We want law SO that person can
be prosecuted for allowing their hogs
or other animals to run at large.
Then we want law compelling
land owners to keep the weeds cut
down in roads adjoining or through
their land, and let it be the road over
seer's duty to see that the law is en-.
forced.
Then let the law be made more &C.
we're on anyone blowing in the road
without an order from the road over
seer.
Then there is the everlasting school
book question. We have to pay at
least two prices for our school books,
which is heavy unnecessary tax on
the people. We want the law amend.
ed 80 we can get our books at fair
price.
We need a law fixing severe penal
ties any person firing off gun in q
public road. There is nearly always
danger of frightening teams. besides
hunters take advantage of their priv.
ilege of shooting in the road to shoot
EQUALS in hedges against the law.
We also want the law made more
severe on anyone that will 60 on an.
others farm and go to shooting game,
without at first obtaining leave of the
owner. Iwould about as leave a man
would 90 to shooting my chickens as
to shoot quails or squirrels on my
farm.
And last, but by no means least We
want good strong provoke law. Some
people are disposed to provoke any one
that don't just please them. We
fought to have law SO person could
be fined for provoke the same as for
assault I know such law works
well in one Of the Eastern States.
Then there are some epithets that
some men and boys when angry are
disposed to apply to others that ought
to be more severely punished than
mere provoke. There Is one epithet I
will not name, that refers more to a
mans mother as being low and vile