The morning Astorian. [volume] (Astoria, Oregon) 1899-1930, 1903-02-14
CRANK LEGISLATION.

For reasons not clearly perceived
there is much less in the way Of crank
legislation this winter than is usual
during the legislative season. 1t is
only here and there by careful reading
that one learns Of something new in
the way Of reforming the world by
statute In any Of the states whose legis-
iatures are now in eruption. Possibly
the good times have made the solons
contented with things as they are; pos
sibly there are fewer men among them
who have original ideas. and possibly
the failures of the various reform bills
of the last sessions have filled the as
piring ones with despair, and they have
abandoned crooked world to its fate,
Over in Kansas something in the
way of a novelty has been introduced in
the form Of bill providing for taxing
old maids as wen as bachelors. In the
case of bachelors the tax is to be inn
posed between the ages of 40 and 65,
while in the case of bachelettes it is to
be imposed on all over IS. There Is
no existing machinery of law equal to
that delicate work, and yet unless the
tax assessor and tax collector be fur
nished with an infallible means of de-
tecting the age, the law will be as dead
asif the supreme court had sat on it.
A New York legislator supported by
several clubs of leading ladies has in
troduced bill establishing a state farm
for women. The complaint is made
that numbers of women now shut up
in prisons of the state have nothing to
do except sew, scrub, cook and darn.
They are in need Of recreation. and the
bill proposes to provide large and pic
turesque farm, where they can go and
raise violets in spring and chrysanthe-
NUNS in the fall and thus have the |
benefit of an outing while still remain |
ing under charge of the prison direct
ors. The advocates of the bill assert !
that there are no better farmers than |
women. and that most women long for |
rural life. The bill recalls the story
of the convict in Illinois who. on being
asked what work he would prefer to be !
set at, replied he would like to be a
sailor Perhaps in the fullness of time
we shall have yachts for lady conviets. |
A Minnesota legislator has introduce !
ed bill making It unlawful for one per |
son to kiss another unless the kisser !
can prove that he IS not afflicted with |
contagious or infectious disease. Had |
he stopped there, he would have ac-
CURED no fame, for shat bill is old. |
But he put a new touch to it by in
Guiding among the ailments which |
shall be bar to kissing that of weak |
heart. OF course a man with weak |
heart has never been known TO kiss |
anybody except his mother but none
the less the inclusion of that ailment |
in the bill gives it something of nov
city and raises a new issue out of an
old subject. /
The best bill of the lot is that of
Pennsylvania man, providing that at
danger points along railways there
shall be placed three grades of torped-
oes. The first shall be strong enough
to warn the engineer if he be awake
and attending to duty. The second
shall be strong enough to wake him up
by shocking him or throwing him off
the seat. The third will have power
to knock him off the cab and automat-
ically set the air brakes. Concerning
that measure little need be said 1t is
one of the bills that fills the bill.
There is before congress a bill pro-