The Birmingham age-herald., 1906-06-12
From the Washington Post.

N MEASURE just proposed in the
 YA Louisiana legislature will com mand the earnest attention of vocates the regulation of our public and private lives by government. In the first place, it is crammed almost to choking with wisdom and benevolence. In the next place, 1t practically forbids race suicide These two virtues alone should float it triumphantly on wave of popular en- thusasm. But there are other virtues, as will be seen by looking over the salient features of the bill as related in the press reports:
 Tt shall be unlawful for any young man to attempt to court any young wom- an before she is 24 years of age. Be- fore making such attempt he shall inform the parents or guardian of the woman he proposes to court of his intention to do so
 'He shall also make affidavit before a Justice of the peace that his courtship will be in good faith, and for the purpose of trying to convince the young woman that 1t will be profitable for her to marry him.
 Tt shall be unlawful for widowers over the age of 40 to attempt to court any woman under the age of IS beyond the confines of the parish of their residence
 After the passage of the act all chil- dren born to legally married people in this state shall be raised and educated at public expense All male children shall be sent to the State university at Baton Rouge. and all female children to the State Normal school at Natchitoches."
 There is a painful poverty of detail in this announcement, but of course we were ready to expect as much from a neces- sarily nasty synopsis In the dispatches. Naturally, the bill provides for all con- tingencies; at least we assume it does, and thus 1t is open to us to consider the points actually revealed just as though ample provision for giving effect to all of them were specified. The giant mind capable of devising scheme so majestic must needs be capable. also, of securing it's successful operation.
 This being taken for granted, we pro- ceed to an affectionate analysis of the first paragraph. Certainly, no well-condi- tioned youth of counting age will hesitate to acknowledge his matrimonial inten- tions. Experience convinces us that the average youth couldn't conceal them if he tried. A moments honest thought will persuade the most reluctant citizen that he might as well own up to the parents and the local magistrate as to go around watering at the mouth, and making sheep's eyes, and paving the girl in plain view of everybody. The entire neighbor- hood knows all about it, anyhow. and a candid avowal will lend him a whole lot of dignity. As a matter of fact, we have never thought that young women are suit ably protected in respect of nudges, el- bow play. crowding on benches. and hand squeezing at picnics. It has always seemed to us that young men had no right 10 ogle unless they were prepared to make good within a reasonable tiVe.
 We are not so sure about the restric- lions on widowers, particularly the pro- yiso. or at least suggestion that the re- striction operates only in the case Of girls residing outside of the parish (county) We are left to suppose, for example, that Bill Jones, aged 45. with domicile in the parish of Caddo, is free to marry Birdie Johnson. aged IS, provided she lives just around the corner or within the township anywhere; but he can't cross the line into Bossier or De Soto and do any business with Ruby Smith, although she may be F or more. We must say this doesn't impress us as the square deal It looks too much like cornering the mar riage market by act of legislature. Still you can't have everything. and most men will be content to marry under a law which provides for the rearing and education of their children ct the public