The twice=a=week herald. (Amarillo, Tex.) 1887-1906, 1906-08-31


In many cases misdirected or igno-
rant zeal OF an executive officer IS re-
spousible for many new and useless
with the elements in him OF an agl-
tator, and often OF the demagogue-
hes been carried into Office, after an
hysterical canvass, under the promise
to prosecute certain kinds OF accused
persons. once elected, he takes up
his work in the same spirit that had
characterized his electoral campaign.
Re indicts with great facility. He
Tits against classes or individuals,
only to find that juries do not con-
Wet, or that, II they do, courts will
not sustain, Then comes a new har-
vest Of laws, in order to justi y or sup
plement the zeal OF men who may be
honest, but who are wanting either
in judgment or knowledge. In ad-
dition, there is probably no other
class Of officials and no form of action
which more surely produces contempt
for law, whether new or old, tina
those inherent In spurts among pros
ecutors.
In some instances the opposite Of
the illustration just cited may be
found. An official may insist that It
is no part. either of mis- duty or that
of the law, to proceed except where
he is fairly assured Of his ability to
prove every charge, and to assure
conviction, He may have the old
fashioned idea that 1t is discreditable
to indict without reasonable evidence
of guilt merely because some igno-
rant, irresponsible agltator, or a hys-
terlcal victim, or newspaper, may
suggest or demand 1t. This is apt to
produce its supply Of new bills at the
succeeding session OF the legislature,
some of which may pass the scrutiny
Of a careless or an aspiring governor
Another favorite form of legisla-
ton is that for the benefit, or at the
behoof of party. The continual
tampering with election laws and reg
ulations; the creation of useless Of
fees, political or judicial; crusades
ouoynst o, favNrg nan farrad IMAM ,nr
porations or interests; the reorgan-
ization Of city governments; the leg
islation of one class of officials out Of
office, in order to put another in; the
institution of a state constabulary
for the purpose OF controlling the po-
lice OF great cities for party or per
sonal purposes; the fitting against OPP
ponents, a prcess common to many
legislative bodies-all of these are
productive Of such infinlt and far
raching harm as to emphasize the
doctrine that no partisan legislation,
either proposed before the bod
les themselves or pushed in
thir committees or enacted into
law, can be fair, just or enduring.
The forms of legislative waste here
enumerated, and the causes which
promote them, serve TO show why 1t
is that an almost complete change
has come over the character Of our
legislative bodies. Their presence
gives speakers almost arbitrary pow
er, makes committees into new form
OF tyrant, develops management and
intrigue into fine arts, produces
bosses as a natural result, and, while
keeping the larger men out of leg
islatlve halls, puts small ones into
their places. Log-rolling becomes a
necessity, and mischievous or useless
bills pass easily and almost by suf
ferance. The existence of these elc-
ments also promotes conflict between
urban and rural interests in The hope
that one or the other may escape a
fair share of that taxation which al
ways grows as the result OF sucn dam
gerous rivalry.
All in all, these conditions inter-
fere continually with tue orderliness
and the dignity, with ti,s purity and
life. Our whole system
Of government tends TO opposition 4
50 far as It's public charac!s are cen
cernel-with laws passed in 10 dish
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