The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-12-08
THE nrrORMEns.

Reform run mad" is the title of an editorial in The Kansas City Journal. treating of the many drastic laws that have been enacted in many States against all corporations and corporate interests. The efforts of these reform CTS to enact laws which shall be ''in- junction proof is referred to. and The Journal thus refers to conditions in that city.
 Even in a matter of such compara- Sss sa of tns sanSay laws .ns as terpreted by criminal Judge here m Kansas City, the same. spirit seems doninant. The local court has caused a law that has remained a dead letter on the statute books for nearly half a century, yet this court will not permit legged offenders continue the practices they have pursued all these years The court demands that the theaters close pending decision of test ease ,oss wsifn ia the defendants. The defendants have sought an appeal to higher courts, put thus far without success. In the mean time the marsha als keep on making ar rests, which piles up penalties inJu- rious to the property and the persons of those who are merely charged wlIn law violation and are not vet convict ed.
 The editorial concludes: 55
 Reform has gone to extremes and in all parts of the land the reformers are actuated by overwrought zeal 10 acts of oppression in the enforcement of what they believe tS. to ,s be the iaw ,Se Se oisGaEx Of aisbama Hr the which Would deny to the accused fair and an honest trial With Railroads are punished for merely ask ing for justice. and theater nianaseF are forced to make sacrifices of coye' that tbey are guilty of an infractio1fm law This is the mania of the ref9 CTS. 6lacf
 So Alabama is not the only aon,, where efforts are made to keep tb. or corporations from going inf alleged courts to test the laws or thciJ .,, ,n. violations. Punish first and { ns n, case afterwards" appears rsforr, ru, principle acted on. It is evii featur, mad, sure enough. and thE r.taru,Ars {, of it is that the would-b Dow what the, many instances do not Hn.,.hs srect o are doing or what will .,,s They see the laws they are payronx which ouxh or think they see. yo at if with th, to be corrected an1f tt nroverh,a, hu, blind impetuosity ana ', . great man, in the china shoHs work greater evil, cases 'he,r Whey are endeayorins t than are those liners who don't know correct knt to reform nor how te what they " are bound to work mucf go aDou' teir misappiied zeal.
 harm Tn 'SEn this subject it will not b'
 "hne gting to quote a portion of th' uh'hler1y of Justice Brewer. of the su opinloi1 i1Court of the United States. 1T pfeme Is known as "the stock yards whatf He said.
 caseN is doubtless true that the State
 My impose penalties such as will tenc nb compel obedience to its mandates b' t4ll, individuals or corporations. and il /imposed only after there has been { f final determination of the validity oi the statuter the question would be yerl different from that here presented. But | when the Legislature in an emort tt
 prevent any inquiry of the validity o } challenge thereof in the courts, tha
 the party affected Is necessarily con l strained to submit rather than take th'
 chances of the penalties imposed. tiel | it becomes a serious question whethe
 the party IS not deprived or the equa | raH a