Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1914-03-12

! Have we really TOO much legisla-
ton" Of one sort and another in this
country?
The inquiry IS pertinent and timely
| considering the obsessing circum
| stance that the Georgia Legislature
| will gather in Atlanta Within fouI
months and ell varieties and condi-
tons Of new legislation are being
! proposed
Instead Of fussing and frltternp
! away its time over a thousand and
| one bills OF relatively small cOnse-
quence, and thus through enactment
Of a lot Of them cluttering the statute
| books with all kinds Of amazing new
| laws. would il not be the better and
the mere statesmanlil1e thing for the
Legislature to fix its august attention
upon n dozen or so--or, better still,
upon three or four-really big meas
ures. and thrash them out intelli-
gently and helpfully?
Suppose, for instance, that instead
OF fussing about more prohibition
laws the State already having on
hand q large excess assortment that
II seems unable or unwilling to en-
force-the Legislature fixed its mind
upon the genuine reformation of It's
child labor laws, its convict laws. the
disposal of its forthcoming maturing
bonds, and its taxation probiems-in-
Guiding the Western and Atlantic
Railroad
If the Legislature would forget that
II had other businesS--or might have
other business--and worked to final
and sensible solution the foregoing
problems, would it not be rendering
Georgia a far finer and more patriotic
service than by forever squabbling
over small things and fussing over
extreme points Of view that nine
tenths of the Legislature, in its heart.
would be heartily glad to get rid of
for all time?
The Houston Post, considering this
matter from the viewpoint OF Texas,
recently set forth some opinions that,
while perhaps, more or less eXagger-
ated in spots, nevertheless depict a
status of things not far from the I'M
pleasant truth.
The Post says:
In his recent address before the
Bar Association OF New York,
former Chief Justice Cullen, Of
the Court of Appeals Of that
State, deplored the decline of per-
sonal liberty in the United States.
ITO day" he said. according TO
the notion of many, if not most
people, liberty is the right Of part
of the people to compel the other
part to do what the first part
thinks the latter ought to do for
its own benefit"
Never before has nation
been so thoroughly submerged by
statutes. Beginning with the
Federal Congress and coming
down through the state Legisa
lures and other lawmalling bod
les, the statutes have multiplied
year by year until the personal
freedom of the citizen is but lit
tie more than a myth. Many
people are not satisfied in disre
garding the principle of local self
government as it applies to the
smaller subdivisions of the States,
but they have exhibited an
amazing eagerness TO surrender
even for the purpose of enforcing
their conceptions of human viz
tue upon people living thousands
Of miles away.
The Georgia Legislature might take
to heart, perhaps, with profit to it.
self. the foregoing from The Houston
Post.
OF late years the Georgia lawmak
ing body has shown a growing ten
dency to fuss and fume over trifies
many times multiplied, rather than to
devote itself to real constructive leg
is,ation.
The present Legislature made a
good final record last summer-afteT
must waste of time In the beginning
nevertheless-and il ought to COM
plete that good record this summer by
euacting a few genuinely big reforms
the while II let's the small-fry politi-
clans go hang!
Judge William B. Moore, OF F'itz-
gerald, is a candidate for the Leg
islature, and is looked upon by his
friends as a most likely winner
lie is one OF the leading Confeder-
ate veterans of the state, and is par
ticularly popular with the many Union
veterans TO be found in Fitzgerald
Indeed, it is predicted that he win re
ceive as a sort OF substantial start