San Antonio daily light. [volume] (San Antonio, Tex.) 1886-1907, 1896-07-16
DoINGs OF THE LEGISLATURES
Odd Laws Made By Solons in the
Various States.

Odd Laws Made By Solons in the
Various States.
From the Boston Globe.
Comparatively few state legisla-
lures have been in session since jan
uary 1, 1896, but enough has been done
by those few to keep the country a.
ware of their existence.
The New York lawmakers, for ex-
ample, have agreed that the liquor
interest shall henceforth pay tax
so heavy, as compared with the mod
crate eXactions of the old license sys-
TEN, that many of the smaller dealers
will probably be driven out of the bus
mess.
The Iowa legislature has forbidden
the manufacture and sale of cigar
cites.
In Ohio it has been formally reSOlv-
ed by the states solOns in solemn con-
clave at Columbus that the custom of
treating to intoxicating beverages is
pernicious, and that it must be done
away with; not eyein the legislators
themselves shall be exempt from this
S"NtPhhS ~
neither treat or be treated without in
curing the reproof of the law
Nor can a woman in Ohio wear a
high hat at a theater hereafter.
Woman has been reasoned with on
this point year after year, but moral
|suasion has not worked reform in
Ohio. Now we are to see what jail
ing and filming will do.
Another class of laws, of less SEN
Sational but more important charac-
ter, attempts to deal with certain bar
barous tendencies that have 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
| there has been no serious effort on the
part of state legislature to do away
| with this disgrace to our civilization.
During the past few months there
have been several such efforts, Just
| how successful time alone can tell.
South Carolina, Virginia and Ohio de-
cided to make any county in which a
lynching occurs liable to the relatives
of the victim for damages.
The passage of these laws rs chiefly
| significant as an indication that pub
lie opinion has been reused to the need
of some sort of vigorous action on the
| part of the authorities. Any county
administration that permits lynching
will incur the opposition of taxpayers
| because of the resultant damage
suits.
For several years there has been a
| marked and aggressive movement a.
mong 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 Mis-,
sissippi and Virginia; the former was
directed against the keepers of all
kinds of gambling appliances, and the
latter against race track betting par.
| ticularly.
| The praise which an American leg
islature receives at the end of a ses-
sion is always in inverse ratio to the
number of laws it has placed on the
statute books. The fact that an early
| adjournment is taken, after the pass
age of small number of bills, is re-
| garded as something greatly to a
legislatures credit.
In 1896 two legislatures at least
have fulfilled this condition. New
Jersey and Maryland each had a
short legislative session, and appa-
rently received little harm therefrom.
The New Jersey legislature has had
no time limit on its session, and has
+! met annually, but this year has sur
prised everybody by voting for con.
stitutional amendment providing fol-
biennial sessions. Only about $50
bills were passed at Trenton this year
as against ST. in 1895.
The Kentucky legislatures time was
frittered away in fruitless efforts tC
elect a United States senator.