The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1896-05-24
AGAINST LYNCHING.

and filming viii do.
AGAINST LYNCHING.
Another class of laws, of a less SEN
sational but more important character,
attempts to deal with certain barbar-
Gus tendencies that have had free play
! in too many American communities. A
good deal has been said about the
frightful prevalence of lynching in the
south, and in one or two northern
| states, but up to the present year we
do not remember any serious effort on
the part oe a state legislature to do
away with this disgrace to our ciViliza-
ton. During the past few months
there have been several such efforts,
just how successful time alone can tell
South Carolina, Virginia and Ohio
have decided to. make any county in
which a lynching occurs liable to the
relatives OF the victim for damages.
The passage of these laws is chiefly
significant as an indication that public
opinion has been reused to the need of
some sort of vigorous action on the
part of the authorities. Any county
administration that permits many
lynchings will incur the opposition of
taxpayers because of the resultant
damage suits
ANTI-GAMBLING LAWS.
For several years there has been a
marked and aggressive movement
among our state legislatures in the di
rection of anti-gambling legislation.
The past winter has seen several i'm
portant laws of this kind enacted, the
most important being those of MiSSiS
sippi and Virginia; the former was di
rected against keepers of all kinds of
gambling appliances and the latter
against race track betting particularly.
SHORT HORSE SOON CURRIED.
The praise which an American legis-
lature receives at the end of a session
is always in inverse ratio to the num-
Der of laws it has placed on the statute
books. The fact that an early adjourn
ment is taken, after the passage of a
small number of bills, is regarded as
something greatly to a legislatures
credit. In 1896 two legislatures at least
have fulfilled this condition. New Jer-
sey and Maryland each had a short
legislative session, and apparently re-
ceived little harm therefrom. 1t is true
that the Maryland session has a con-
stitutional limit of ninety days, but
even in that brief period much damage
might have been wrought AS it was,
the state escaped serious injury and
even received some benefit, it would
appear. The New Jersey legislature
has had no time limit on its sessions
and has met annually, but this year
has surprised everybody by voting for
a constitutional amendment providing
for biennial sessions. Only about $50
bills were passed at Trenton this year,
as against SIT in 1895. This was in ac-
cordance with the governors recon-
mendation and both governor and leg
islature were cordially commended by
Jerseymen generally.
THE SENATORIAL DEADLOCK
NUISANCE.
The Kentucky legislatures time was
frittered away in fruitlesS efforts to
elect United States senator. This is
not the first instance of the kind in
American history, but it is to be hoped
that it is nearly the last. The legisla-
lures attention should be devoted pri-
marily to the immediate needs of the
state That the state government
should be left without necessary funds
to pay current expenses may be quite
as great a mis- fortune to the citizens as
that the commonwealth should be I'M
represented in the upper house of the
national congress. But both difficulties
would be removed by giving the cleo
leaving the legislature free to attend to
state business.
HOW LEGISLATION CAN REACH
THE INDIVIDUAL.
State legislation affects the interests
of the citizen directly and conspicu-
ously, as the action OF congress seldom
does. A few weeks ago 5000 saloon
keepers were in business in New York
City. The passage of the Raines bill
was virtually notice to 1900 OF these
men to abandon the traffic, since the
tax of $500 is prohfbitory in their cases.
Moreover, to the remaining $500 deal
ers the new law declares certain re-
strictions and certain prohibitions such
as have heretofore been unknown in
New York 1t forbids the free lunch
custom 1t lays down rigid eXactions
as TO hours of sale, and it subjects the
saloon keeper and his property to in
Spection and surveillance not to be
avoided. In Iowa, again, the business
of all persons engaged in the making
and handling of cigarettes, from the
large manufacturer and wholesaler
down to the humblest retailer at the
country cross roads, has been utterly
destroyed Two months ago it was a
legitimate business, receiving both the
sanction and the protection of the
state. Today it is d forbidden traffic,
and those who engage in it must do SO
clandestinely and at the peril of the
laws infections. The action of the
legislature may or may not have been
justified as an exercise of police power.
Many of Iowa's citizens, we are aware,
support the law and demand it's en-
forcement. We merely cite this law as
one instance among many that have
recently come to our notice, of extra
ordinary interference with the rights
of individuals. The legislatures of
1896 have not heSitated to a,bridge per-