Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1902-12-11
Class Legislation.
lSauarnaI1 Nnu.sl


There has been introduced in the Viz
sinia Legislature a bin TO outlaw the
kiss. Should the bill become law every
vide Himself with ill., a physician certif-
cate before touching lips with his sweet
heart. under penalty CT fine and i'm
Misonment. The bill in its preamble very
solemnlS recites that whereas kissing has
been decided by the medical profession
To be a medium by which contagious
diseases are transmitted from one per-
etc, that it shall be unlawful for any
person to kiss another unless ne can
prove by his family physician that he
has not any contagious or infectious dis
ease; that If the physician testities that
the defendant has weak lungs he shall
be found guilty of Il misdemeanoT, and
the same penalty shall be imposed as
if he had some contagious or infectious
disease. The bill provides that the pun
ishment for unlicensed kissing shall be
rot less than 81 and not more than So
for each offence At that rate many, a
fairly ardent young lover would possibly
violate the law about 500 worth any
favorable evening.
But the proposed law won't do. It is
clearly unconstitutional. it is class lcgisia-
ton, and ii is against public policy. The
right 10 pursuit OF happiness is guaran-
iced in the fundamental law. Wouldn't
that right be everiasungly knocked into
a cooked hat If the free privilege of oscu-
latins with the chosen of ones heart
We're denied? Is there any happiness
which surpa sscs that of the moment when
lips meet in "a long, long kiss--a kiss OF
youth and love-" Whether the immortal
trainers of our Constitution had this con-
tingency in mind when they were build
ing the foundation OF the government
can only be conjectured-and some OF
them are alleged TO have been able KISS
erS-yet the fact remains that by writing
happiness into the Bill of Rights just
as they did. they forestalied this Virginia
legislator with his anti-kssing bill.
The proposition is vicious class iegiS-
lation, in that it says he must get the
license to kiss. That throws the onus
of the burden of prohibition on one-half
free. and the half that is prohibited is
the half that the other half wants to be
kissed by. The favored half wou!dn
give three straws TO exchange kisses
with itself. True, it does something OF
the sort in a perfunctory and social way,
but that is merely by way Of conforming
to a custom and not because 1t realiy
wants to- a foundation stone of our IN
stitutions is equality before the law. The
bill in question would create favored
mighty poor way CT being favored.
The bin is against public policy, be-
cause il would incite to violations of
the law and thus detract from the re-
unlicensed swain would say, Wont you
permit me TO smash the statute. Miss
Mary?" And Miss Mary would quicker her
lips in an enticing smile. and the statute
would be smashed. And Miss Mary would
thus become an accessory to the Illegal
tIian one legislator in Virginia who would
make the youthful chivalry of the State
a class of criminals and the beauty there
Of an aggregation OF accessories TO Nlo-
IatjOnS OF law? Representative ware, OF
Amherst county, ought to withdra" his