The Seattle star. [volume] (Seattle, Wash.) 1899-1947, 1909-03-02
WILL KILL ALL LIBERAL
SECTIONS OF new CODE
ENFORCEMENT NOT A
LEGISLATIVE
ISSUE.
House Prepared to Finish
Work Begun in the
Senate.

OLYMPIA, March 2.-~Ae was pre-
dlctea ln The Star early IN the res.
tien. the aa-celled liberal sections
81 the new criminal code failed Ut
tnrlB - meet the approval ~ the
Legislators. Already the senate has
performed several operations u
major surgery On the code. and ths
house. with more reckless acaipels
promises 70 make deep inciaions on
whatever spot seems free from serl-
atorini SCARE
The prosecuting attorneys. draw
ing upon their experiences aa 10 the
Feasibility ~ criminal lave. a. told
BY the possibility u conviction and
punishment attempted % remove
from the statute books such pro-
visions aa are universally treated
with contempt and violated with
lmpunity.
Position Of Legislators.
Aside from those gentlemen who
make a practice ~ lnw. the opinion
~ the average legislator leans
strongly 20 the assumption that the
statute books should be Draconlan
IN their severity. no matter what
~ IL probability may be. u le
enough for the legislator % point
the self congratulatory finger a. the
statute as evidence Of hia duty well
done, irrespective Of iia total failure
% achieve the results aimed at
Lawyers in either house argue
with apparent sound logic that the
good naturrd disregard for law on
the part ~ tbs American citizen IL
born from and nursed BY this prac-
lice ~ putting laws on the statute
books which no one IL expected 10
gsHs. - =
then generally 70 promote R0me pfi-
gafe spite or political scheme.
ciasret Legislation.
cigaret Legislation affords an H.
luatrafion Of this tendency ID III
certain that no appreciahie number
of grown men have ceased smoking
cigaretn ~ the past two years BIZ
reason of the Byerly Law. II IL
equally assured that no apEreciable
number Ok mature cigaret smokers
take tho trouble 70 send 10 Victoria
.or Portland for their cigarets. and
since they smoke them with the
same misguided fsryoT as Of pre-
vspue yearHs il remains believhbls
That they buy them within the state
q Washington. They will continue 10
do 20, because there ia no possibility
RI police enforcement minute
enough 10 prevent their sale. Every
man who buys a cigaret illegally
flauts this law. be holds II In scoru
insofar as II affects himself. and
never heaitates 10 give a clgaret to
his friend, although we'll aware that
he Is committing q punishable mis-
damean0r.
Penny Ante Poker.
The same may be said of the man
who IN the privacy * his home sits
Down with his friends 20 play penny
ante poker Confident that his homo
- his castle. he viii indulge IN his
gambling instincts. no matter how
much the statute may cry out that
IL IL forbidden.
individually every legislator uiil
admit the fairness OF such an asser-
ttpn. but collectively their opinion
uudergpea change. and they believe
IA INV, strict law, whether Il makes
crimes out 81 actions that no ono
admits 70 be a crime or not
Games at Olympia.
There IL not a night but what
there are IN Olympia several poker
games. participated In by members
u the legislature. members who un-
der no circumstances would vote for
the law to take official coRnizance
81 the innocence Of game Of poker
within the family circle Ia passing
the law, they themselves have no in-
tention of observing IL In its strlctest
details
And out of this spirit " legislation
arises the complaint of The general
lack u respect for laws laws that
are enacted with no expectation that
they win be observed but just be-
cause some legislators personal dis
position Is not 70 be officially iden-
titled with anything That savors u
''liberalily."