The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1904-10-20
PRAISE FOR OUR LIQUOR LAWS
WE HAVE DONE BETTER THAN
ENGLAND, SAYS PROF. BRYCE.
Conc Further and Done More 20 Settle tho
Problem-C0mpares England's Posi-.
ton for Dealing With Corporate Over.
growths-More About Lawmaking.

Another large audience greeted the Right
Hon. James Bryce, M. p. yesterday after
noon when he stepped forward to deliver
the sixth lecture of his course on "The Law
in it's Relation to History" at Columbia
yesterday, with another degree, the gift
OF that university, added to his already
long list Of those honors. More than half
the audience were women.
Mr. Bryce did not devote much time to
the United States or American law yes
terday. He did, however. express the
opinion that we had gone further and done
more to settle the liquor traffic problems
by legislation than England has, and he
spoke briefly of the legal side of the labor
and trust problems.
Noting that neither slavery, extensions of
territory nor the immense volume of Eu
ropean immigration had affected our laws
in any great degree, Mr.. Bryce gave as the
reason for this last that our law had reached
a stage Of development where we had got
rid of the old technicalities, and it had be-
come a powerful. simple system which
made it unnecessary to alter it to suit new
Corners. He went on to say Of the prob
lens engaging attention here and in Eng
land
flTSU COTneS lHe TestlCtiOu Vi tue tTdulC
in intoxicating liquors. That has been a
problem of great importance. Here you
have taken 1t UP and made many legislative
experiment s. and II seems to me that you
have advanced with your experiments fur
Their in the direction OF securing good laws
this t spbeSt WITHOUT too much inter
ference with individual liberty docs not
tend to discourage intemperance-and, you
Identified With the Official parties ' 10 INV
On both sides of the ocean. he said the
many questions relating to labor and the
conduct Of strikes we're giving rise to much
cisions Of the courts were given with much
care. But the most perplexing problem Of
modern legislation was how far 1t Is desirable
either that the State, the Government as a
interfere with individual liberty to promote
the welfare of the individual.
sEverybodyis agreed that there are some
things the State may do said Mr.: Bryce,
"but 1t must not curtail, even little, indi-
vidual liberty"
Lastly he said. there was the question of
what limit should be put upon great COM
binations of capital, which. he asserted,
were much less frequent and powerful and on
a much smaller scale in England than in this
Of indirect axation-by levying duties on i'm
ports. the fact that English business men
lacked holiness in creating and maintaining
large combinations and also to the fact
visions Of any Federal OF State statute,
and the people at any moment could pass
legislation to deal with any combination
great deal more easily that II could be
adopted here. Said Prof. Bryce:
In England II any great combination were |
to arise and the legal remedy against II Were
to prove ineffective. Parliament would have |
no difficulty whatever in applying remedy !
by passing an act. Here. on account OF the |
constitutional limitations OF your state and |
Federal legislatures. 1t might make dh-
ference.