The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1913-04-14
THE MExrAL ANGUISH BILL.

Tallahassee, Fla, April 11.--Senator
Stokes is rushing his measure known
as the mental anguish bill He re-
ceived favorable action by the senate |
committee to which it was referred
this morning and IL is understood that
it will be reported back to the senate
tomorrow morning with a recommen- i
dation that It pass. The bill is re-
garded by many as one of the most
obnoxious measures that will come
before the present legislature 1t Is
intended by the bill that where per-
sons telegraph for relatives to come to
the bedside. OF dying relative and the
message is not promptly delivered, the
sender may collect damages for his or
her lacerated feelings. As mater Of
fact as is pointed out by the oppon-l
ents OF the bill, those whose feelings
might be worst worked upon by the
failure Of the company to make such
delivery viii reap no benefit from the
measure should it become a law, for
the reason that feelings of this kind
are too dear TO them to be aired in the
courts for price. Whereas the VIC
ious negro and the lower class Of
white people, who have no sense OF re-
flnement, will fall easy victims to law
yers and other agents seeking to re-
dress wrongs of this kind for revenue
only, and the court dockets will at all
times be burdened with cases in which
there is absolutely no merit.
1t was declared here this afternoon
that the purpose for rushing the bill
through the Legislature without giving
time for due consideration of it's mer-
its, was that it possessed no merits.
The legislature is barely organized,
point out the opponents of the meas
use. and the time of members has been
so fully occupied that they have had
no time to give any thought to meas
ures in which they have a personal or
an especial interest. Then why not
ask these gentlemen to allow this ques-
investigate it? Bills of general inn
portance of this nature, they point out,
should be printed and furnished every
member of the two houses and made a
special order for some date In the fu-
ture that Will give them time to thoro-
ughly digest Union.
We have attentively read Mr.. Stokes
bill it looks to US like good bill, and
we move that it pass 1t is true that,
in common with all other refined and
sensitive people, we cannot size up our
mental anguish by the yard, pound or
dollars worth, and we should not
think of suing a telegraph or tele-
phone company for any quantity of
anguish it might cause US to ang.
There are, however, quite a number of
coarse and unrefined people in the
state who can size up their feelings
at an approximate market value, and
by the time they had soaked the
Western Union and other corporations
for a few thousand plunks they would
cause so much mental anguish to the
directors thereof that they would take
measures to save the feelings not only
OF the said coarse and unrefned peo-
pie, but of the timid and shrinking
violets like ourself We very much
doubt the stories of sensitive people
protesting against Mr.. Stokes bill. A
man who wouldn't sue a telegraph
company because his feelings are hurt,
isn't blame bit likely to rise up and
shout that he doesn't object to having
them hurt We are suspicious that Mr..
Stokes bill will not cause mental
anguish to anybody unconnected with
the Western Union, the Postal Tele-
graph, Bell Telephone, ct. ais. In be-
half OF all the other shy and delicate
people in the state. we hereby with
draw all objection to Mr.. Stokes bill.