The twice=a=week herald. (Amarillo, Tex.) 1887-1906, 1906-08-31
PARKER DELIVERS ADDRESS.
One Time Nominee Of Democratic Party President is Chief
Speaker Before American Bar Association 100
Many Laws" He Says.

who annually turn ont an average Of
nearly fifteen thousand laws--two-
thirds Of them devoted 20 private
or special quest OMIT IL certain
that there would be greater satlsfac-
tion. both individual and public
more knowledge OF wapt law has
done and can DO. and moro respect
for It; fewer ro9utctiohs and ambl-
tons built upon the shifting sands
and a general recognition OF the fact
that quality Of laws, ana not their
number, counts. Fewer aspiring
young men might seek seats In these
bodies merely as stepping stones to
something deemed better; the anna
teur, the incompetent and the black
mailer might be less In evidence; the
boss who orders legislation, in order
that he may sell II or exchange It for
personal power, might gradually be-
come extinct; the sensational news
paper-that outward sign of inward
popular corruption or hysterla--
might have less authority; and men
Of recognized character and success
could be relied upon to keep our laws
in harmony with our progress, and
thus to promote and insure their eff
flciency without an oyer-production
that sometimes makes them con
temptible.
But, as this congestion OF leglsla-
ton has long since become chronic in
Car modern democratic society and
the malady still remains, 1t is neces-
sary to consider It in some OF Its
many phases. Some small part of It
is the result Of adjusting our life TO
conditions, fewer OF which are new
than Is generally supposed The po-
litlcal theories which have gradually
become fairly dominant since the doc
trines of the English Revolution Of
1858 were intensified by the doctrines
OF the American Revolution of 1776
and those Of the French Revolution
Of 1889 account for the supposed
necessary for many new laws, in spite
of the fact that none Of these events,
slngly or even combined, haas intro
duced new or untried theories. Com
ing back to local government, each
branch Of It, each added legislative
body, has felt itself called upon to
enact series of laws for dealing with
its conditions, or what 1t has deemed
emergencies.
Although each new migration, as
it spread from the Atlantic to the Pa
citic, has carried with 1t rules of life
and conduct long and successfully
tried on many scenes, it has scarcely
reached the vestibule Of larger ca
reer and opportunity Of its own be-
fore It's legislative body has launch
ed upon the world a new line of en-
actments dealing with marriage, in
heritaance, individual rights and
property, and all the manifold inter
ests of life, in a manner which its
people have thought new. Especial
ly in the relations Of corporations to
society and business, many states,
distant from the scene of origin and
development Of these organizations,
have begun the work Of regulating
and tinkering with them almost be-
fore their people had passed out Of
the individual or partnership per-
iod The result has been q great
mass of legislation that was crude,
much that defeated its own ends and
more that was hurtful to the COM
munities most concerned. 1t was
only when the earlier Of these laws
were repealed or modified that the
commanding natural resources Of
such states really had an opportun-
ity to find development, and that
their people could enjoy the natural
reward of their own courage, indus
try and intelligence
Sir John Macdonell, one of the
great legal authorities of present day
England, has recently called atten-
ton to the fact that for nearly two
hundred years ehstruggle has been
toward equality, and that this az
counts for much of the great bulk
of legislation in this country and the
hoe about rncOvprnd from his recent