Every evening, Wilmington daily commercial., 1906-02-28
WfLMINeroN, , sDNEsDAr. FEB. es.
nlscElLANroua nEcoRn
Floodeates OF Legislation.

AARNNNAA0H % H0kNHAANi0Hs
The hoodgntes Of legislation have been
opened in Washington, and bills by the
thousands are being introduced in Con
gsoss. Up TO this week the number Of
bills introduced in both houses exceeded
10000, and il estimated that during
the session this total will be increased
70 10000.
Tho manifest absurdity Of this great
mass Of proposed legislation is found in
the fact that Il would be a matter Of inn
possibility to even take vote on these
10000 bills during the life Of the present
Congress, 20 say nothing Of giving con-
sidemtion to them upon their merits
II they have any. Tits shown by letter
in tho Congressional Record that each
roll-call in the House consumes thirty
minutes. For these 10000 bills, there
fore, the roll-calls alone would occupy
10000 hours. The legislative day con-
sists Of five hours, and 1000 Of them
or moro than six years-w would be taken
up in roll-cals in the House Of Repre-
scntatives alone. AZ least a decade
therefore, would be required for the
merely ordinary consideration Of the
Legislative crush Of the pending session
Of Congress.
The scope and tenor Of these 10000
pcnding bills and the 1000 more to follow
would doubtless mako interesting read
ing 10 is probable that they propose
relief for every shortcoming in govern
mcnt, real or imaginary, and, in addition,
remedies for every i'll that flesh is heir
tor Thousands of them would be OK
posed as absolutely ridiculous, and II is
saie to assert that not one in a thousand
possesses any real merit.
Coming down 10 bard pan and common
sense, what real evils are there that
oppross the people and call for the remedy
Of legislation by Congress What citi-
zen is actually oppressed in mind or
estate by existing conditions ?
With tho single exception Of the
grievious oppmssions attendant upon
tho protective tariff that promoter of
Trusts and high prices tho people have
little 10 complain Of. Tho high prices
affect thom, seriously and directly, by
increasing their living expenses and there
fore they have righteous grievance
which calls for relief by appropriate
legislation. Business interests may
also require appropriate currency
legislation, in order TO afford security
and stability to the circulating medium.
Our declining merchant marine needs
legislation-not in the way Of subsidies,
however--to give il freedom Of action
and opportunities Of expansion.
But in Whist other respects may be
the need of the remedy through legis-
lation be said to be imperative There
is a great clamor for legislation to curb
tho railroads. But where there is one
real victim Of railroad exaction, thousands
Of victims OF Trust exaction through high
prices prices far higher than those at
which Trust products are freely sold in
foreign markets-may be pointed out.
Despite these conditions, We have
10000 bills pending in Congress, with
members behind them who believe they
should be enacted into laws. Tho imagi-
nation stands appalled, at tho mere sug-
gestion Of what would be the result
should all Of those 5000 bills, TO saw
nothing Of the few thousand moro that
arc expected during the present session.
be grated upon our statute book. How
could the people acquaint themselves
with their provisions and thus guard
against incurring the penalties Of vio-
lation
There are many who believe that we
have TOO much legislation already. Con-
gress enacts, on an average, about two
hundred laws session and State LeVis-
latures add to this number, each State
also averaging at least two hundred
session. Here, then, is real total Of four
hundred new laws, enacted biennially by
national and local governments, which
the people Of each State are expected to
make themselves familiar with. and, as
good citizens, to faithfully obey.
What a farce il all is. How conclu-
sively the situation proves that the
tendency Of the times is largely in the
direction Of too much legislation. Radi-
cal reform in the direction Of looking
only to essentials is the need Of both
State and Nation.