Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1910-03-10
some Things WRONG
MANY GOVERNMENT FEATURES
Need IMPROVING.
Numerous Laws Should Be Revised
in the LiGht OF Experience, EspeC-
tally Inc Laws Governing Taxa.
iiOn. Intricate Court Procedure
Becoming Fountain of Injustice.

Congress and the state legislatures
are spending a vast amount OF time
in the investigation OF the affairs
of public officers, aud of trusts that
have drawn to themselves so much
wealth, and have hedged themselves
around with so much power, that
they are well-night omnipotent. We
suspect there is no other present way
to handle these things. but there
ought to be. If the laws are suffi-
ciert to meet all these perpleXing
questions then the courts ought
to be enough to dispose OF
them. That is what the courts We're
intended to do, while congress and
state legislatures have their own
fields to work in, and there is enough
for them to do. If the court pro-
cedure could be simplifed and null
tiplied conflicting rules and preced-
ents eliminated, Il world of time
could be saved. time which is now
consumed in beating the air and
confusing the courts and iulies. The
theory is that the law is an exact
science. II it is, it certainly was
never created on technicaities, and
does not have to be taken apart and
reconstructed, like an old watch
every time it gets out of repair.
When Il simple case where the law
is all plain and all the facts can be
readily obtained never should oc-
cupy q court week after week until
court and bar are exhausted and the
brains of iuries are added.
Then good many laws should be
revised, especially the laws govern
ing taxation for it is notorious that
at present the richer q man or COM
pany is the less taxes he or it pays.
This is not only an injustice, but it
l.; a source of endless irritation to
the poor, and to people moderately
well off This is the cause of most
of the discomfort with the Aldrich-
Payne tariff There is in it no clear
distinction between necessities and
luxuries, no clear distinction be-
tween articles that come in COM
petition with American labor and
between other articles that in the
hands of shrewd manufacturers can
lndirectly,be brought into direct
competition with American products.
We cannot believe that the manipul-
ators who formed the tariff were ig-
uOTdnt Vi tHe eHcSlS tldl Nouiu Ioi-
low but rather that one object which
they had in mind was to be sure to
secure generous campaign fund
when it should be needed. AS to|
luXuries and necessities, it may be a
great luxury for a man or woman
whOdepends upon manual labor for
support to have costly wearing APP
parel, but that is a necessity to the
man or woman whose business it is,
in one form or another, to mix daily
in society or the general business OF
a city or state.
To tax automobiles from abroad
as much advalorem as they original
ly cost is good for revenue, but when
that tax is so excessive that auto
mobile manufacturers are able to
charge all the cars cost, then 81 900
profit, then another 81, 200 for ad-
vertising and for the agent that sells
them; then the tariff on the import
ed machines should be reduced.
No man is in favor who always
has a Crouch, but to Cry out for JUS
tice ought to be in order always |
hence we say the laws of the states
should be revised. the laws of con-
gress should be revised in many ways
and the courts of the country should
be so overhauled that ordinary trials
should be simple and swift, and made
to impress the people, that they will
always be safe when they submit
a just case to the adjucation of the
Godwin's Weekly.