Charlevoix county herald., 1914-07-25
WHY COUNTRY
TOWNS DECLINE

Public menace is often a noble cause
distorted, For this reason the eXtrem-
ist is usually dangerous man. Osten
sibly he seeks the salvation OF society,
but tbs rabidness of method counter
acts the SINCERITY of his Intentions.
This is illustrated in much of our pres
ent day reforms and legislations,
There is an abnormal tendency just
now to reduce the rights and privileges
of the Individual and 10 enlarge the
function of the state, The effect is al
ready becoming apparent in the reduc'
ton of personality to Lilliputian dimen-
sions and powers, This abnormal leg
islative paternalism will soon have us
mollyooddled into imbeoility
OF the making of laws, there is no
end, but there is Limit beyond which
they cease to be virtue. Unreason-
able legislation arouses only 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 his
tory. 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 re-
suits were these laws that the Society
for the Promotion of Public Morals" Ga
body Of reformers whose method ard
motto were Legislation died off for
lack of funds.
In its final analysis, legislation is de-
structive. In the discharge Of its nor
NAL function ii only limits and restrains
It seldom erects a constructive program
But the destruction or curtailment of
any system, involving legitimate fac
tors of social service, is justifiable only
by the substitution of something better
This is what so many well-meaning
agitators fail to grasp. Examples of
this abGurdity 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 own home, even for his own
amusement with his own family and
friends.
Speaking of Kansas law-making, for
instance, Gov. g. II. Hodges says:
t'The instances of laundering and cru
dity are by no means occasional, How
could it be otherwise? In the large
membership of our State Legislature
there are usually seant dozen men of
superior ability and experience, And
yet, legislatures so composed add some
thing like twenty-five thousand pages
to our statute books every year. Last
year-l9l3-the Session laws of Califor-
mia made book of 1746 pages eXclu-
sive of indexes; the Session laws of
Colorado, 696 pages; Delaware, GAG
pages; Indiana, 967 pages; Minnesota,
91S pages; Missouri, 7SS; Nebraska, Sl0;
Kansas, 59i. These conditions are not
unusual. About half the time of each
succeeding legislature is taken up in
pndoing what former legislatures have
done. The Kansas legislature sat AZ
days. Consequently an average of sew
ell laws passed both houses each day"
As samples of these absurd and mul.
titudinous bills, the Governor cites
"That women should weas skirts which
/ 81, OF I'M hn
low the patella; to prohibit the wearing
of corsets and bloomers; to prohibit the
use Of any language except English on
the menu at hotels" ETC., etc. What is
true of legislatures is presumably even
more true of the less dignified bodies
known AS councils, village boards, etc
The EXAGGERATED LEGISLATIVE
POLICY which drives our children
away from home, makes truants and
miscreants, and verify believe Is RE
SPONSIBLE FOR A LARGE PER
CENTAGE OF THE INCREASING
CITYWARD MIGRATION OF OUR
RURAL YOUTH. At recent confer.
CutC vi lODdllOll OillpClS vi NIC UuN'
emile Court in Los Angeles there was
made the following recommendations
''MAKE EVERY HOME A SOCIAL
CENTER. PUT BILLIARD TABLES
IN THE HOMES. OPEN RECREA,
TION ROOMS WHERE THEY CAN BIZ
PROPERLY SUPERVISED, PLAY
WITH YOUR CHILDREN, AND YOU
WILL NEVER FIND THEM IN THE
PROBATION COURTS"
Men of broad views and far-seeinl
mental caliber are coming to the same
viewpoint. Thomas Edison says: 'the
problem of the age is PLAY" Very
recently one of the leading cities o
Ohio has added to its already whole
some list Of games, in connection with
its municipal Fairgrounds, for the use
of her school children, that most beau.
tiful and purely scientific of them all
the game of billiards.
. a