The daily Nome industrial worker., 1916-03-16

That this is a doubtful evil may be at once conceded because it Is not in evidence that there is a de- mand for more laws.
 Some person speaking recently said that laws merely gave expres- sion to the accepted morality of the community. That's not correct. Ofton they give expression to, a condition which the community would reject of Its Social consciepc- as rather immoral than otherwise. But theoretically 1t fs correct. Sometimes 1t docs reflect the so- cial view but that is only when so- ciety has organized to enforce the views regardless of the laws then in force or not, and when such laws are enacted following social enforce ment they are simply affirming so- cial sanction of an accepted condi- |tion and they simply will not b, violated.
 But the greatest trouble with le- gislation is that it is factional. It is not representative of the will of the masses, but rather of those who dominate the masses, and is often enough a social irritant, compelling the establishment of punitive mcus- urcs to enforca
 In many euactments, so foreign are they to- the will of the people, that the most important clauses therein arc the. penal clauses. Ideal legislation Is legislatioh that reflects an accepted condition Take recent instance thet occurred lover in Europe. tf3 <
 Landlords throughout Glasgow and other sections of Scotland reised rents because they claimed by req son of the munitionist activity the workers were not casually but per manently employed. By reason of their land propriotorship they felt justified in endoavoring to abstract more from tho workers.
 Ton thousand in Glasgow alonc re- fused to pay rcnt. Eviction proceed ings were started against them ana the whole ten thousand attended the court and announced that they would pay no rent and would make no munitions until rents wore estab- lishcd at tho old scale. This was done. Thereupon Lloyd George brought in measure to prevent any rent raising throughout tho country.
 This law did not enforce any new condition. It ratified merely a condition the organized community of workers had established. It could not be broken and it was cer- tain to be enforced Punitive clau- ses were not the most important in the bill. It was social measure which had first of all received SO. cial warranty.
 Where laws run up against snags as general rule, it is because they endeavor to effect alterations in the ground plan of tho social life befora society itself has approved such 8 change, It may have the warranty of powerful faction which being 50 powerful controls the government, but such a law will require heavy penalties to aid it's enforcement ana when enforced is only tyranny h disguise.
 Probably it was really in view ot the deficiency in representative gov ernment not representing certain i'm portant .factons, often divided but when considered in their totality a majority of the nation, and passing laws which were inimical to the in- terest of these unrepresented, fore ing upon them the views that they did not want and interfering arbI- tarily with their individual and COT lectve customs, Jefferson said that that was the best government which governed the least and Thoreau amended this expression to say that that government was the best which didn't govern at all.
 What we see today in Europe Is an astounding condition which is not reflex of the peoples will, but unquestio4abiy reflex of the will of those who control the govern ment.
 Yet the hostility which is manifest