The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1895-10-19
ADJUSTMENTS.
TOO MUCH LEGISLI IION IHE
3HOEBLE.

Speaking of the test case being made
i'll New Orleans to determine the con
stiintioraliTy OF the "toIvitt made
Broonis" law, the Baton Rouge IrHth
remaiks:
Not this time. but neat, the broom
war can lie rairled Up to the Snnltme
Count and the moral status Of blooms
Wi! eventually I've settled at II sum
,nfal II at viii equal tie cost of tSe
dust a"itat";s used ii alt Of he pub
lie institutions. State prison lne,rtied."
l Ia Il iautIitg IL our shaitnt itgis-
lator with ore idea who put through
the foolish law To prevent The sale of
convict made hiacms unless ~ brand
ed. His object WAS ne doubt to curry
favor with tie ouners of cnie one
hGIse bloom factory III some obscure
mock ct our great metropolis. and
little did lie care whether the law was
wise or foolish, eXpedient or inexepe-
dient. His fellow legislators, seeing
no lain in the law. or fearing the
d~emagoeIc cry would be raised against
them that they refused to protect
%''lionest' labor from the banetul en-
=" 'bfitt IdbbI ltlll
their help to make that a law which
should never have emerged from the
dust Of their committees pigcon-holes.
And by some similar process foolish
and useless laws are ground out every
time the legislative mill is pun in cp-
Grafton. Every solan has his fad. to
which lie devotes his time and energy
In bringing forth into some s~llapeless
mass of legislation. Then he goes
home satisfied and proudly c1lls the
attention al some adsnliing consiitn-
ents t" his noble effort. Every new
recruit to onr legislative halls imag-
ines that unless he can trace 1T least
one law To his paternity, he has done
nothing.. What he may have done in
preventing the passage Of some bad
law or i'll promoting the passage of
some good laws, seems to count tor
naught. 1t is this false notion OF the
duties Of good legislator which ac-
counts for the passage OF SD many til
vial laws by cur legislatures. Much
valuable time - consumed in the
enactment of mere police regulations
which should lie lett to the care and
discretion of the police jnries of the
various parishes.
When we seek the true cause of tl,is |
vicious tendency OF modern legislation,
we lind 1t resting OF that spilit of ex-
action and unrest existing among the
people themselves. Tie people, avail
ing themselves Of their great Ameri-
a privileges of soveieigns, are ever
nr0na tn nIlfif.Iyn tH.J,. ,,,l |
while their criticisms are sometimes
Just and deserved, yet it must be con
fessed, that IN many Instances, they
are cruel aud unnieiited. Perhaps no
set ot the peoples servants receive
more criticism ana blame at the hands
OF the people than their representa-
tlves. Often il faithful representative
is repndiated and cast aside by a
caprIcious constituency because some
demagogue has raised tile cry that lie
has done nothing for his people: that
he rannot point to single law of
which he is the author.
1t is the fear of this species dema-
gegism which spurs many Il new legis-
IatIve recruit to father some bill. good.
bad or indifferent. He may have been
elected on that very issue made
against his predecessor who was
charged Will, doing nothing, and he
knows that unless he gets his name
before the public and can point to one
little law as has his, goose will be cook
too when reckoning time comes
around.
The evil of crude and unwise lecis-
latlon grows with eaci, returning SEES
sion OF the legislature. The mass of
1~ndlgested and i'll many instances, un-
digestabIe. law, is appalling. Bad and
anwise or i%nexpedient laws become
more and more difficult Of execution
palpable inexecution oil one law
Tor II length of time, brings all law
!nto contempt, and when that condi-
Ion OF things is reached, society rests
a volcano which may burst at ANY
lme into open and undisguised anar-
Thy.
The remedy for all this disorderlays
n the peoples hands viii they APP
'ly 1t