The Columbian. [volume] (Bloomsburg, Pa.) 1866-1910, 1909-09-30

When Charles Far Nell was Sena-
tor from Illinois he acquired posses
sion of two checks signed by Ben
jamin Harrison, President OF the
United States, for Sums less than a
dollar in each case and framed them
and hung them upin order to make
merry over them, because he re
garded the writing of check for
nineteen cents or sixty-hve cents as
petty and ridiculous, and he dis
liked Mr.. Harrison exceedingly. |
But it never occurred to him or to
any other human being that the
drawing of checks for the fraction
al part of dollar ought 10 be made
penal offense. Yet under law
which Congress passed last winter
Mr.. Harrison might have been
fined $500 and sent to Jail for six
months for each Of those two
checks.
In all the history Of fool legisla-
ton it would probably be impossi-
bic to find anything more grotesque
than this. If felonies ought not to
be created except under grave
necessity, what shall be said of the
idiocy of making felony out of
the exercise of a natural right
which has been utilized time out of
mind and which is the business OF
no one except the person who
draws the check, his creditor, who
is willing to accept it, and the bank
that holds the deposit and is will
ing to bother with so small an item?
Section IT'S of an act to codify, re-
wise and amend the penal laws of
the United States, which will be-
come a law January I, next, reads
as follows:
"No person shall make, issue or
circulate or pay ont any note, check,
memorandum, token or other obli-
CATION for a less sum than one dol
lar, intended to circulate as money
or to be received or used in lieu of
lawful money Of the United States;
and every person SO offending shall
be fined not more than $500 or
imprisoned not more than six
months or both"
: A man has the same natural
= right to settle bill for eighty-two
t cents with check that he has 10
pay bill for $50 by a check, the
: creditor being willing to accept the
| payment and the bank Offering no
objection to the smallness of the
r item. The Government has no
7 right to interfere with the fraction
=, al check. For transmission by mail
, the check is great convenience
money orders and drafts are often
t troublesome to procure; they are
l always less convenient to a person
with bank account thaa his check
and while many dealers do not
want small checks sent to them,
and in some places like New York
the charge for collection is a heavy
commission on a small check, that
is wholly a matter for the parties
concerned The mail order houses
are glad to have small checks sent
to them, and if they are willing to
take them it is none of the business
Of the United States OF America.
Finally, the penalty is prepos-
ferrous. Two cent rate laws have
been set aside by the Courts because
the penalties provided were oppres-
sive. What could be more oppres-
sive than fine of $500 and six
months in Jail for writing a check
for ninety cents especially if it is to
go by mail. through which it is
quite out of the question to send
ninety cents in money?
The law is an offense against
common sense, and it should be
repealed on the first day o. the
next session of Congress
PHiIa. Record.
Since the above was in type
somebody at Washington has de
cided that this law does not mean
what it says, and is not applicable
to check on bank. A test case
will soon be made.