The Montgomery advertiser., 1907-08-06
laoRr ABSURD LEGIsLArroN.

The more we learn of recent Texaa Legislation the more we are surprised that any body of men in their sober senses should have enacted such laws. A few days ago we alluded to some of them, and to their absurditics. but since then our attention has been called
 to some others that are even more vul-
 nerabie than any we referred to.
 For example. the lawmakers decided
 that certain telephone abuses should
 be corrected, so they enacted very
 perfect law. as they thought. which
 would remove all complaints on the
 part of those who own telephones.
 Now that the law has gone into effect 1t is discovered that any person using the telephone of another Is guilty of felony and may be sent to the peni- tentiary. Under this law . patron of a hotel cannot use the hotel phone: a visitor at the home of another cam not use his hosts phone: man who goes into an office, store or shop on business h guilty of a felony If he uses the instrument kept there. Of course the Legislators never intended to pass such . law as that, but th0 did 1t and it is now in force--provided any effort Is made to enforce it. which we seriously doubt. Plainly it is not possible to enforce it generally because it would be impossible to detect all violations of it.
 Then there is anotfier law which has which is about as absurd and unjust as the other. The Texas lawmakers. like their bretheren in a number of other States plainly thought that the entire country would soon go to .the dimnition bow-wows' if anybody should be allowed to ride train on free pass. They were in the reforming business, and looked on any one whc gives or accepts a railroad pass as very undesirable citizen, SO they went to work to abolish the evil. and enacted a law that they thought would fix it has. Investigation into both the letter and spirit of. the law shows that under its provision no child or infant in arms can ride on any in Texas without paying full fare! This discovery has just about the law and there is no way of lodging it, as can be done in the telephone law. This railroad law can be en- forced. and it will be manifestly to the interest of the railroads to put it rigidly into effect for 1t would add to passenger profits. When one of the Legislators who voted for the law sets on a train with his children and babies, and is forced to pay as much for each of them as he does for himself he will feel like get ting off somewhere and asking some- body to kick him.
 Then there is certain insurance legis- iation that was found to be loaded Among other things in the insurance law as passed is a provision that com panies engaged in that business must deposit certain securities with the State Treasurer. As soon as the law went into effect the manager of an insurance company carried to the treasurer some securities. telling that official that he had no right under the law to examine into the value or validity of the securities offered, but must accept them for what they pur- ported to be. Examination of the statute shows that this assertion is correct, and the Treasurer must take whatever is offered him in the shape of securities, whether they are worth anything or not.
 These are some examples of Texas legislation, and they show how easily inexperienced Legislators cen make ab- surd and inefficient laws. In their anxiety to correct what they consider a wrong or an abuse they hurry law through without knowing whether it can or should be enforced. In this way laws get on the statute books which are not worth the paper they are printed on, and others are passed which, if enforced, would be an out rage on any people or community. So far as we have kept up with the pro-