The commonwealth. (Greenwood, Miss.) 1896-1923, 1909-12-17
NEW LAWS NOT NEDFD.

EeSaiy urged Tor consideration can
lTs;carried owe q few years and
some postponed indefinitely. In
Gov. Noel's decision not to throw
down the bars and allow the leg
islature to consider q wide variety :,
Of topics at the approaching session,
he is eminently correct and gives
further proof of his .broadminded-
ness and ability as a legislator. He
is going to wisely sidestep many of
The restrictive statutes that are be-
ing suggested for his consideration.
The people of our State do not
crave their lawmakers joining in the
mania that has been recently man
ifested by some legislative bodies in
the South, and elsewhere in the
country, to legislate morals into the
body polite. The solons will oblige
their constituency in not attempt
ing to do for the people at large
what they ought to do for them
selves. Morals cannot be legislated
into a community as easy as morals
can be shot into humanity with a
nausea. Still, in many sections of
the country, lawmakers have been
afflicted with the idea that they are
dlvinely-appointed guardians of the
general public. Such examples of
legislation has experienced the in
evitable result of the reputation by
the people of the absurdities placed
on the statute books, the rejection
of the laws on which the ink was
scarcely dry, and which are worse
than no laws at all. The legislator
who is laboring under the delusion
that he has sent by his electorate
for the purpose of injecting good
ness into the people is inflicted with
a misconception of the duties of his
Office, and he often is a public nui-
sance instead of a chosen represen-
tative of the people.
Our people, as a whole, are ably
qualified to look out for themselves
to a certain degree. That noted
statesman's thought is applicable:
1.-The land is best governed which
is least governed" 1t seems diff
fcult to convince some Jealous leg
islator of the gospel truth of this
aphorism. They cannot sever con-
nection themselves with the erron-
eous idea that the more laws they
make, the better citizenship we will
have. LII a multiplicity of laws
there are bound to be bad meas
ures, many others which cannot be
forced because of their drastic
character, and still many others that
should not be forced because
they excite only contempt and utter
disregard among right thinking
people. Drastic legislation will not
make good men and good women.
You might as well attempt to gath
er up the wind with your fists or dip
up the ocean with a sieve. Educa-
ton, precept and example can only
inspire respect for written statutes.
and when a body of lawmakers at
tempt to make all the people good
by repression, oppression or intol-
erance, it fails its true object, and
the statutes it enacts excite only de-
rision and disregard. Common
sense must be behind every law, and
it must meet public approval. We
need no new laws to stop the people
from doing something they have al
ways been accustomed to doing. We
have already infringements on our
liberties, and will not tolerate any
others unless they are backed by
sound judgment and common sense.
Governor Noel, being the legis-
lator and statesman that he is, we
feel sure, is going to spare US from
a law-maklng craze, a statute-fram-
ing mania. This will be another
way that he will win golden opinion
from his constituents and place him
in history as one of the safest and
most consistent governors who has
graced our gubernatorial chair.
No county in the state can boast
i IF q MORO hoo ufifn1 oo,,rf bo,,co +bop