The morning journal-courier., 1908-07-09
Thursday, July 0. 10os.
TIMELY PROTESTS.


 United States Senator Brandegee was the speaker at the states prison on the Fourth of July. He was sure of his au- dience. He appears to have made a first rate speech to body of men who while they were doubtless interested in what he had to say, have no prac- tical way a, hand to show their ap- preoiation in deeds. Good citizenship is theme, behind prison walls, which presents grim sense of humor and finds It's only parallel in the enthusi- astic director of prison board, who advocated the display of the American flag from the prison tower each day in the week He desisted from his task only when reminded that the emblem Of freedom floating from house of de- tention wcs scarcely the thing.
 Senator Bfandegee trod solid and fruitful ground when he entered his protest against the legislative mania. the unwisdom of over-legislation. He was none too severe in criticising those who run to the halls of legislation to cure every conceivable worry and harsh experience. He would have been even more effective if he had advocated session of the general assembly for the exclusive purpose of repeating many of the laws now on the statute books, an idea which was only ably advanced by Charles Morris of this city son of former Governor Luzon B Morris. "The true remedy for many ills from which at intervals we suffer-" he warned his shackled audience. 'is in education, in Christian civilization, in humanity. morality and fair dealing rather than in the passage of statutes" It is an-idea which Senator Brandegee can wisely advance on the stump this fall, when the outside voters will want
 
 belongs proposes to do to restrain the lawless and vicious in the trade mar kets of the country. The trouble for too many years with the party in pow CT and the party seeking to break into power is that they are busy advocating new acts of legislation to meet needs already sufficiently met by the common law and existing statutes. The coun- try Is asking for rest, not from the enforcement of the law as 1t demands equal opportunity and like protection, but from the aggressive consideration of experimental legislation the logical end of which no man can see.
 While Senator Brandegee was solar plexusing the vicious habit of work ing the legislative mill over time, Gov ernor woodruff was waving the good people of Killingiy against public ser wants, who are in political life for what there is in 1t for them. Said he. ''Extended orruption-organized cor ruption--cannot succeed without au- thority and the assistance of those who conduct the government and you know, as well as I know, that many of our laws have been enacted for the sole purpose of chartering combna- tions of various kinds to cheat the state in the interest of organized greed.' Everybody knows who he means, the slick lobbyist on the out side of the halls of legislation and the corruptible on the inside. No wonder that this man, who has been made in eligible for reelection out of respect to a tradition which canhcN look one ir the face without winking It's eye warns the voters of the state to re- nominate and re-elect tried and true men who have had previous experience in legislation" It Is time that was uDllt, IlDl OIlly lDl siiO Pu' pO'N VI watching the legislative combination but for the even more important pur- pose of putting an end to special leg islation In all of it's privileged forms A half dozen state senators might b' mentioned who took their first dip into the waters of legislation winter before last, and who are now for the frs time ready to give the state the best service of which they are capable : They should announce their candida cies and let the forces of decent gov ernment surround them In the mean time if the representatives of the peo pie are to fall into the habit of talk ing horse sense, as Senator Brandege' did at the prison and Governor Wood ruff did at KillinEly they deserve th' cordial approval and support of th' ,tate press