The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1901-01-28
TOO MUCH LAW.
A Call for Revision of Some and Re-
peal Of Other Statutes.

To the Editor OF the indianapolis Journal:
1t would be well IL the present Legislature
would take some steps to reduce to con-
venient proportions the statutes of the
State. There are at present four large vol
umes containing between 5000 and 5000 Sec
tons. very much of which has become legal
rubbish. encumbering the State laws with
large number of statutes which. by the
lapse of years and change in society and
trade. have become unnecessary and dead
letter. Every recurring session of the
Legislature increases this huge bulk of
laws until they WILL before very long, be-
come library OF themselves.
A judicious pruning of these statutes
would reduce them one-half, and the labor
OF all those whose business il is to assist
in the enforcement of law would be re-
duoed in about the same proportion. We
nave too much corporation law and too
much railroad law, too much law on the
subject of taxation, and, indeed, we are
overburdened with statutes upon various
subjects to such extent that 1t entails
much labor and research to know what the
law is.
The State has outgrown many laws that
still remain on the books and they should
be repealed at once. Take, for instance,
the statute which provides that twenty
five freeholders may petition the county
commissioners to order election in any
township TO determine whether the town
ship shall donate sum of money from
scheme The county commissioners have
no discretion in the matter; they shall
grant the prayer and order an election.
These petitioners may be joint owners of
fifty square feet of land, worth less than
$50. Still. against the wishes of those who
must pay the tax, these twenty-five i'm
pecunious freeholders can force the cleo
tators. who have been furnished money for
the purpose, and If there is newspaper
published In the county 1T suddenly dis
covers that the great and crying need of
that township is the new railroad; hundreds
OF men who never owned a dollar OF tax
able property and who, it is safe to say.
never will, whose votes and influence can
be had for a consideration ranging from a
dollar to a glass of stale beer, favor the
donation; there are others whose contribu-
lions to Improvement are of little conSe-
quence, who can always be had to vote
onerous taxes upon those who constitute the
real taxpayers of the community; and so
they carry the election This statute has
outlived its usefulness, and the necessity
for IL no longer exists. When the law was
PASSED IL was necessary to make such con-
tributions, owing to the fact that there
was a great scarcity of money to build
railroads But in this age, when millions
of money await with eagerness an oppor
tunity for an investment promising per
cent, the necessity for donations ceases.
Convince capitalists that this or that rail.
way or other Improvement will yield a 4
Fer cent. dividend. and these uninvesred
millions will come from strongboxes. eager
to build needed railroads without subsi-
dies or contributions The law is to-day
the vehicle of oppression and the means
through which promoters and interested
persons who live by such schemes of doubt
full honesty off of the Industrious, who have
accumulated the property that pays taxes.
secure their subsistence. Let the law be
repealed, or at least amend 1t, giving the
commissioners the discretion. after hear
ing to order an election or refuse it.
Marion, Ind, Jan. 20. JUSTICE.