The Bismarck tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, N.D.) 1916-current, 1932-09-02
(Official City, State and County
Newspaper
Why Not a Repeal Legislature?

There is growing resentment
against a multiplicity of laws. Each
legislative session adds to the bulk
of our state statutes. Few laws are
repealed but the hopper is always
full of new proposals.
Why not reverse the process at
the next session and make the repeal
measures exceed the enacted new
ones? Whoever is elected governor
next fall could well devote major
portion of his message to calling at
tention to the dead timber on the
statute books and the necessity for
repeating laws and abolishing USE
less commissions and sinecures.
Recently a Montana legislature
conceived the idea of introducing a
repeal measure for every day Of the
legislative session. He was able to
suggest some 60 repeal measures. Few
of them passed. He could not over
come legislative repeal inertia. Leg
islators are anxious to attach their
names to new laws. Many struggle
after bubble reputation. 1t is too
often a race to see how many sue
cessful bills to which a laWmaker
can affiX his name. just like the
woodcarving tourist who is more anx-
ious to get his name above that of
Jones or Smith than to enjoy beauty
about him.
How much better to be identified
with wiping from the statute books
laws which really impede the devel-
opment Of the state or add unneces-
sary tax burdens to the people. Here
is constructive field which is given
too little attention. Let there be
intensive study of improving that
cumbersome and unweildy mass of
state laws. So many inconsistencies
exist. They stick out like sore
thumbs.
AS We have said before. the Mon
tana legislator had the usual success
that meets innovations. Practically
all his proposals OF repeal failed
Legislators guard existing laws with
a blind tenacity. To most of them,
law once enacted should stay on
the law books until the crack of
doom. Here are some laws, the re-
peal of which was proposed in Mon
tana. All of them failed of repeal:
Section 1923. Every person
who willfully leaves open a gate
leading in or out of any enclosed
premises, whether enclosed by a
lawful fence or not, is punishable
by fine not exceeding one hum
dred dollars
Section 1880. Every person
who willfully and knowingly aids,
assists or encourages to run away,
or who harbors or conceals any
apprentice or person bound OF
held 10 service or labor, is guilty
of misdemeanor
Section 1907. Every person
who arrests or attaches any dead
body of human being, upon
any debt or demand whatever, or
detains, or claims to detain it for
any debt or demand or upon any
pretended lien Or charge, is
guilty of a misdemeanor."
Section 10767. Every person
who makes, offers or accepts any
bet or wager upon the result of
any election, or upon the SUCCESS
or failure of any person or can
didate, or upon the number of
votes to be cast, either in the ag-
gregate or for any particular
candidate, or upon the vote to
be cast by any person, is guilty of
misdemeanor."
Section 10983. Every person
who fights duel, or accepts or
sends a challenge to fight a duel,
is punishable by Imprisonment
in the state prison or in the coun-
ty Jail not exceeding one year."
Section 10904. Every person
who posts or publishes another
for not fighting duel, or for not
sending or accepting challenge
to fight duel, or who uses any
reproachful or contemptuous Ian
guage, verbal, written or printed,
sending or accepting challenge
to fight a duel, or with intent to
fight duel, or with intent to
provoke duel, is guilty of
r1iSden1eanor