The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1909-04-22
FROA OTHER PENS
JoURNALIsT1C LIBERTY.

senator ASneWS Dill making Illegal
the publication of betting odds in the
newspapers would probably have, if
passed and enforced. some desirable,
though inevitably slight effect in the
way of making more difficult the con-
duct of certain forms of gambling. 1t
commendable bill. on the contrary,
we regard it as example of legisla-
tive meddling with the natural and
legitimate freedom of the press and
reprehensibie because neither neces-
sary nor demanded by enlightened
public sentiment.
If newspaper deliberately and
obviously becomes the organ, and as
it were the implement for the carry
ing on, of an illegal business. 1t might
we'll be subjected to prosecution. but
under general not special, laws. 1t
is wholly different matter to tell
the news of the day. and there are
days-they will be much rarer in the
future than in the past-when
enough readers Of any newspaper
will want to know what happened
the day before on the race track to
make 1t worth while to tell what the
betting odds on the competing horses
were That few will. or can. make
an evil use of that information is
about as determinative of the pro-
priety of giving 1t as is the fact that the
card sharpers who haunt the ocean
liners find it convenient to consult
the table showing the dates and
hours when steamers sail.-New York
Times
UNDER A COMMISSION.
Des Moines is full of the glad hos
annas of the city saved. Two years
ago the legislature passed a law en-
abling cities to adopt new charters by
which the work and responsibility or
municipal administration are placed
Of Ax-Q
men.
A single dose of this. it is reported,
has worked wonders. Des Mofnes is
fairly prepared to throw away her
crutches. Starting with a $4,000 de-
| felt, she closed the year Wednesday
with a clean slate and money In the
treasury. The electric light company
is docile, cutting Its rates; the water
company wants to be good; the street
car company offers to go share and
share, on the Chicago plan" while
the banks. for the first time. are pay
The "Des Moines plan" isn't as new
as II nretends to be. We venture the
| conviction that Des Moines has always
been governed, since the Civil war, by
a Commission" state poiliclan OF
| two. a saloonkeeper, the HANDY man
of the public utility interests-this Is
| the type of commissions" which nave
been in absolute control OF american
cities. whatever the ostenslole 1oin
Of government has been. Des Moines
| has simply changed from an irrespon-
| sible TO a responsible commission
| with an incidental Improvement II
! ACKNOWLEDGMENT Post.
THE SPLIT INVENTIVE.
| writer in the New York Sun pro
tests vigorously against the attack upor
the spit inflnitive"-this putting al
adverb between the sign to" and thu
verb. All the grammars are, OF course
against it, but practive. which makes
grammar, is quite the other way. Near
" every body uses the split inhnitive,
end though Byron is charged with be
ling the originator of ito slowl!
trace the forests shady scene'-stil
Macaulay, Ruskin. Burns, johnson
Lamb. Burke, and even that literar,
worthy, Shakespeare. seem, at SOM
| time or other. to have fallen into th'
same careless habit. If so 1t may b'
called.
| The fact about this ungrammatica
form of expression is. that it seems t
be a very natural and effective way o
arranging ones words. 1t seems almos
| as natural to place the adverb befor
the verb it modifies as TO place an ad
jective before the noun. 1t seems t
lmake the modification more exact ant
temphatic. So it Is late in the day t
be kicking against the spulit infnitive
I-Ohio State Journal