New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1897-08-27
TOO MUCH TRIVIAL LAW.
GOVERNOR GRIGGs's ADDRESS BEFORE
THE BAR ASSOCIATION.
AN EVIL. THAT is GROWING WORSE EVERY YEAR
REMEDIES SUGGESTED TO CHECK THE
FLOOD OF UNNECESSARY



REMEDIES SUGGESTED TO CHECK THE
FLOOD OF UNNECESSARY
LEGISLATION.
Cleveland. Aug. 26.-Therc was large Attendance
| of women and members OF the local paT ~ inc
| meeting OF the National Bar Association III ."e
| Y ~ c. A. Building this morning. In ANTICIPATION
| OF n discussion on the Arbitration Treaty which
| had been promised. However. the discussion dd
nos n.aterialzc. As soon as the meeuhs was
called 10 order President J. NJ Wooiworth IN
| tioduced Governor Griggs OF New-J'rseF' "ho W.
| Iivored the annua address, his topic b"ihs Law"
making"
! GOVERNOR GRIGGSS ADDRESS.
! The Governor spoke a; length Oh the o''i vi
| the great mass Of crude and unnecessary legisia-
ton being turned out yearly by Parliament anu
Congress, the many Colonies ana state legi'Ia-
lures. and the innumcrahe municipal boo'eS an
evil that has grown to alarming proportions In this
country OF recent years. He depored the iact
that while every calling had the benefit Of trained
minds and hands. there is class OF skilled iegis-
lators. trained to construct laws: nor Is there
any school OF legislation at which may be learned
the theory and practice Of constructing statute
He reviewed the actual process Of lawmakine as
IL is practised in State Legislatures, saying III
part:
These thousands Of propositions 20 alter the iaw
Of the land cover almost every conceivaDic opj.ci
prys,s fe they extend 10 ali Kinds Of business
TO trade. commerce. municipal government, SAM
tary and police regulations. TO the domain OF NOR
ais well to the fields Of speculation ana io s
III in Mey III of hc
year Naturally the more careieS ar.s u enc he Ysr
There is usually no general scheme of uniform
They are heterogeneous, often apsur1N .Vi'ra-
dictory as where one member onereu a Wv,
within three months after The passage OF ,he DBL rn
and his colleague immediately offered ano,nei o as
nirip all nIo yrirc n 10 etNa
fifty feet above the surface OF the street 1900
pur ne is often o, covered with cbsc%ry some
indeed most. the products OF those especlahy
Sss powers or prviescs for prSae or business
purposes. Many originate from muncipn n1at5rn
purpose Of the people Of any city, but out OF the
opinions and particular ideas OF SINCE mun II,
city under the direction OF It's chief officer or GOV
ernng body MANY are ana meet E Ts@ o o
supposed difficulties that they have met IN cases
in the Jaw OF divorce has originated In the desire
of some lawyer to bring his client WITHIN us IA
vorable conditions.
QUA,K DOCTORS OF GOVERNMENT.
other bills are the product of men with peculiar
ideas to whom nothing that IS is beyond their
capacity for Improvement. 10 whom no experience
of ages can teach anything. who have no respect
for stability nor reverence for antiquity. They are
the quack doctors of government with cni
for every inconvenience Of life. no matter what us
Many of these bills. drawn With only one purpose
sion and unlcarncd as the who.e body Of enact
ments relating TO the subject. are unln,ehtioniHE
dangerous and disturbing unless carefully l'F."tt
and pruned before their passage. they arr, cas'
upon the committee In confusing numbers 10 re,
wise them all is Impossible II mani1os.iE aoSu 1h
they generally suffered to die without ths
courtesy Of report or are ,enor,ea fTn, ar
fected interests. and succumb 10 opposit'93n hu'
soma. pride in the ward Of his ieRlslh'N, suaIr'an-
ship. or because no positive evidence OF harm az
pears under the process of loS-roiling ny wmirH
the maxim zone good turn deserves another -
brought hear upon the function OF Ia" -ina KING
positively vicious receive the approval OF pa
lority and to the Executive for approval IN"
ing days of the session. when III" attention oil ~
more careful and prudent is reaNcd Or occul'e
pour ost in torrent that is terrifying 20 t.
,So sS dS2 H1 ns dmSdy for h
condition rests in the disapproval OF the EXccuNc
1t is worthy of note that the Governor of New
about five hundred passed bills in the present year
In New-Jcrsey ninety similarly dsposod Of.
a smaller number, but. in proportion to ne num-
Der passed. equal percentage Yet douh: if
single reasonable complaint Of inconveni'n|e, or
public loss has hcon heard by reason OF the failure
Of ihese $50 bills 10 become avs ,oa..,~, -,
our own times II has developed enormously win
annual volumes Of statutes OF any particular S'a'e
for the last twenty years Will prove this
great BUSINESS development, OF the times. to tho
contributions Of scientific discovery TO the ma
At the same time there have been COMMUNICABLE
movements to restrict IN" volum" Of Legislation
sage OF special laws upon many subjects Is forbid
den notably in ;he matters of granting charters o.
and other municipal divisions Of the State
Yet the OF trivial legisation of statutes I'M
called for by any public Inconvenience or necessity
go increasing. confus ina tho citizen. omharrass
ing the lawyer and perpcying the courts Of Justice
with contradictions. Inconsistencies. diemmas and
foods Of verbal turgdiiy.
Laws enacted one year are repealed Tho nex' to
give place some lew conception. The spirit OF
conservatism dies out IN he nGrce "nTGS OF 'nir
change for the mere sake Of change in orr laws !,
stale their infinite variety.
REMEDIES FOR THE EVIL.
Speaking OF the remedies for the pcrnc.ous condi-
ton of things he described the Governor said:
have said enough of the prolinc tendency to
lcgislato that prevails in our day 1t remains to
nrecss 20 discuss fundamental changes in The con-
stituton OF parliamentary bodies with Az us dc-
of man devised or his experience worked out.
lower house with mer1bership frequently chang
ing secures closencss OF touch and sympathy with
the people The upper house secures the calmness
and deliberation which are essential to guard
against sud zen and unrcasonng popular pre1lices,
op s NJ cismor and unrest 10 save the people from
the folly of their own excitement ana emotions.
If representative bodies Ike our State Ltgisldt7
ures Bile zeal with entire success with All
the complicated and subtle questions tina; are pre-
scented for their consideration. how much less can II
he expected mat the masses OF the people would be
able TO do so? Yet find some who seriously pro
pose TO rcegate legislation to the body OF me people
I'd OF the system knOWn - me fci'l'l-
dum lake the popular voice. not through The pe0-
pies chosen representatives. but iTon the dlrecl
votes OF the people themselves. This Is % abandon
the system OF representative government. Govern
ment by representation Is principle derived from
| the Oldest custom OF the Ango-Saxon race IN
| Hucbald's biography OF 8 Lebuin. book written
in the tenth century is found this remarkab!c pas
sage concerning the saxons Of the eighth century:
"Once every year. at a fixed season out OF each
local division and ont of the three orders seNcraiy;
twelve men were elected. who having assembled
| together in Mid-Saxony. near the Weser at a
I.f hold
| iiberating enactinr ard publishing measures Of
| common interest according 10 the tenor Of la"
| adopted by Themselves. -,
| Historians Of the English constitution trace the
existence of such a representative assembly through