Arizona republican., 1906-08-31

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 honesty by the head of business cor poration, or in any one of a hundred i different ways. Such an agitation will naturally be encouraged by sensational newspapers. and by the oftentimes scarcely less sensational pulpit.
 Another fruitful source of legislation is the neglect or failure to enforce ex- 1sting laws. A lax public sentiment. , plus an incompetent executive. renders of no effect a wholesome law until the i breaches of it become So numerous and offensive that an aroused and indig- nant public sentiment demands relief | The result is often a demand for fur 1 ther legislation, because it is erro- neously assumed that the wrong suf- fered by the public could not have hap pened had the laws been adequate for , it's protection. And a crop of new and unnecessary statutes is the outcome unnecessary because all that is needed Is rigid enforcement of existing law This has been demonstrated within the past year. when, in the midst of the most hysterical demands for new laws aiming at certain offences, successful resort has been had on a large scale to existing laws
 \ favorite form of legislation is that for the benefit or at the behoof of a party. The continual tampering with election laws and regulations: the creation of useless offices. political or Judicial; crusades against or favors conferred upon corporations or inter ests; the reorganization of city govern ments; the legislation of one class of officials out of office. in order to put another in: the institution of a state constabulary for the purpose Of con ,f af4 party or personal purposes: the tiIting against opponents, a process common to many legislative bodies-aI these ale productive of such infinite and far reaching harm as to emphasize the doctrine that no partisan legislation. either proposed before the bodies them selves or pushed in their committees. or enacted into law, can be fair, just or enduring
 The forms of legislative waste here enumerated. and the causes which pro- mote them. serve to show why it is that an almost complete change has come over the character of our Iegis- lative bodies. Their presence gives speakers almost arbitrary power. makes committees into a new form of tyrant develops management and in trigue into fine arts, produces bosses as a natural result. and while keep ing the larger men out of legislative halls puts small ones into their places.
 It is not alone in the domain of law making and the legislator that these abuses are potent. They add to the labor of the judiciary. Upon it is thrown for adjudication. year after year, a body of work absolutely un- necessary. and at great expense to the public and often to private individuals The constitutionality of much of this new legislation is continually uues- tioned. So true is this that a substan- tial percentage of the questions brought before appellate courts are re- lated to doubts of the validity of the laws under which actions are brought. Many of these mushroom enactments are permitted to slumber by common consent. But this is dangerous. be- cause, in such cases. offensive laws re- main upon the statute books, and may later be evoked for mischievOus pur- poses.
 In like manner there should be added to the causes of over Legislation al- ready enumerated the industrious and persistent efforts of executive officers to procure legislation which is either agreeable to their parties or to the ideas they represent as individuals It was the fundamental idea of the founders of our government that the three branches of government should be kept distinct, with certain we'll defined and understood differences The executive officer might recom- mend legislation. but it was assumed that any interference on his part to commend it would not only be going beyond his powers but would also ex- cite resentment.
 Now. however. this idea has gone to the limbo of other beautiful. but dead. ideals. An executive officer may not only recommend. but is expected to urge, and. if necessary, in order to
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