River Falls journal. [volume] (River Falls, Pierce County, Wis.) 1872-2019, 1914-07-23
WHY COUNTRY TOWNS
DECLINE

ETIor usually consists in eXap-
gerated truth. The overstated
case is lie. Public menace is Of
ten noble cause distorted. For
this reason the extremist is usual
ly dangerous man. Ostensibly
he seeks the salvation of society.
his rabidness of method counter
acts the sincerity of his intentions.
This is illustrated in much of our
present day reforms and legisla-
ton. There is an abnormal tenden-
cy just now to reduce the rights
and privileges of the individual
and to enlarge the functionof the
state. The effect is already becom-
ing apparent in the reduction of
personality to Lilliputian dimen-
sions and powers. This abnormal
legislative paternalism will soon
have us mollycoddled into imbe
cility.
Of the making of laws. there is
no end, but there is a limit beyond
which they cease to be virtue.
Unreasonable legislation arouses
only a spirit of disrespect and
lawlessness. We are assured by
such authorities as Hume, Green,
Froude and Lacky that the early
part of the 18th century was the
most corrupt period in all English
history. Strangely enough, this
was the same period when more
laws were placed on the statute
books than at any other equal
time. But so barren of results were
these laws that the "Society for
the Promotion Of Pu lie Morali' Ca
body of reformers whose method
and motto were ''legislation'N died
off for the lack of funds.
In it's final analysis, legislation
is destructive. In the discharge Of
it's normal function it only limits
and restraints. 1t seldom erects a
constructive program. But the de-
struction or curtailment of any
system, involving legitimate fac
tors of social service, is justifiable
only by the substitution of some
thing better. This is what SO
many well-meaning agitators fail
to grasp. Examples Of this absurd
ity in legislation are now in vogue
in certain states in which it is il
legal to play games OF dominoes,
cards, chess, checkers, billiards. or
bowling in ones home, even for
his own amusement with his own
family and friends.
Speaking of Kansas law-makinG,
for instance, Gov. G.. I'll. Hodges
saws, s'The instances of laundering
and crudity are by no means occa-
sional. How could it be otherwise?
In the large membership of our
State Legislature there are usually
a scant dozen men of superior
ability and experience. And yet,
legislature so composed add some
thing like twenty-five thousand
pages to our statute books every
wear. Last year-1913-the Session
laws of California made a book OF
1746 pages exclusive of indexes;
the Session laws Of Colorado, 696
pages; Delaware, 846 pages; In
diana, 967 pages; Minnesota, 91S
pages; Missouri, 1888; Nebraska,
$40; Kansas, 594. These conditions
are not unusual. About half the
time of each succeeding legislature
is taken up in undoing what form
er legislatures have done. The
Kansas legislature sat 40 days.
Consequently an average of seven
laws passed both houses each day."
AS samples of these absurd and
multitudinous bills, the Governor
cites: sThat women should wear
skirts which should extend at
least four inches below the patella
to prohibit the wearing of corsets
and boomers to prohibit the use
of any language except English on
the menu at hotels" etc., etc. What
is true of legislatures is presum-
ABLY even more true of the less
dignified bodies known as councils,
village boards, etc.
The exaggerated legislative pol
lev which drives our children from
home, makes truants and miscre-
ants, and l verify believe is re-
sponsible for large percentage
of the increasing cityward migra-
ton of our rural youth. At re-
cent conference of Probation offic-
ers of the Juvenile Court in Los
Angeles there was made the fol-
lowing recommendations:
"Make every home social cen
ter. Put billiard tables in the
homes. Open recreation rooms
where they can bt properly super
vised. Play with your children,
and you will never find them in