Warren sheaf., 1911-02-02

oratorical pyrotechnics will be ex-
ploded. 1t would be a good thing if
these questions could be brought up
at an early date and settled, for it is
going to be difficult to accomplish
much general legislation until they
are out of the way, as the public mind
and also the legislative mind is CEN
tered on these questions.
| The Emil-Ahmann Contest.
The Senate has settled the Emil
Ahmann contest by seating Senator
Ahmann. There is no question about
the business of their decision. There
never was any moral question about
Senator Ahmann's right to his seat
in the Senate. He received a very
large majority in both the primaries
and at the geenral election. There
was not a shadow of doubt but be
was the man that a large majority of
the voters of the district wanted to
represent them in the senate. The
question of his citizenship was raised
and it was admitted that if he was
not citizen he had no legal right to
a seat in the Senate. The lawyers
laid down some rules regarding the
establishment of citizenship that
ought to make the Courts sit up and
take notice. They laid down the
rule that the burden of proof lay upon
the contestant to prove that the con-
testee was not a citizen. That the.
contestant could not be made to an
swer questions as to the place of his
birth and that a man was presumed
to be a citizen unless it was proven
to the contrary. If the courts should
|adopt these rules as Court procedure
it would be impossible to prove that
WI Ting Fang, the Chinese minister
was not citizen of the United States
if he alleged he was, but as righte-
Gus verdict was arrived at, no one
complains at the weird law propo-
sitions laid down The Senate is
'law unto ITSELF and no one will ever
question it hereafter.
Freak Bills.
There has been a noticeable alb
sence of freak and discriminating
hills so far this season, but they are
beginning to bob up.
A bill was offered last week pro-
viding that a man who took a drink
of intoxicating liquor should not be
permitted to use or fire high power
rifle the same day. The idea being
to prevent the loss of life by the
handling of fire arms by intoxicated
persons during the hunting season.
such law to be enforced? To bring
about even the possibility of its en-
forcement it would be necessary to
send a policeman with every hunter
that enters the northern woods and
fire-arm expert, also. to determine
the character CT his rife.
Another bill prohibits the drinking
/ of spirituous, malt or vinous liquors
on all railroad cars except buffets and
dining cars and gives conductors and
brakemen police power to enforce the
act. If this bill becomes a law who
wouldn't be a conductor Or a brake.
man? The tips they could collect for
allowing bibulous ones to indulge,
would make them rich beyond the
dreams of avarice in a few years.
| It is hard for a man to understand
why it is any worse for lumber-jack
to take drink out of black bottle.
in smoking car filled with men, than
| it is for member of the legislature
to take one out Of a twenty-five cent
individual in buffet car filed with
women and children.
| Why should it be made a crime for
q German farmer 70 wash down his
| frugal lunch with a bottle of beer in
day coach and aristocratic men and
women be permitted to swig to their
hearts content in a diner? There
seems to be an inordinate tendency
on the part of legislators everywhere
to regulate, restrict and circumscribe
the individual actions of men who
shovel for a living, walk and travel in
smoking cars and to permit those who
cut coupons for subsistence, ride in
benzine buggies and travel in Pull
mans to do as they please.
Every dead letter law placed on the
statute books makes it more difficult
to enforce enforcible legislation and
lessons respect for the law.
There is law now in force in this
state prohibiting the sale Of cigar
cites and cigarette paper in this state,
vet recently there were counted at
| @-o %4~,1 - $h4 aor~@Say,. he ron;