the spread of contagious or infectious disease among animals. Another rather novel one, designed apparently to prevent unhealthy progeny, prohibits the intermarriage of persons either of whom, whether man or woman, is epileptic, imbecile or feeble minded, where the woman is under forty-five years of age, under a penalty of imprisonment for not less than three years, and sexual intercourse with women of this character under forty-five, or with any woman under forty-five by any man who is an epileptic, and consent to such intercourse by any woman under forty-five are made crimes punishable with the same penalty. An attempt is made to settle or prevent labor disputes by the establishment of a State board of mediation and arbitration. An election law adopting the methods such as are commonly embraced under the term "Australian Ballot was enacted. All holidays are made dies non in respect to negotiable paper, and when falling on Saturday, the following Monday is fixed for the purposes of presentment, payment, protest, etc., and days of grace are abolished. Rigorous penalties are levelled against the dealing in obscene literature. Building and loan associations are defined and regulated. The adulteration of candy is made punishable. The employment of children under fourteen in factories is prohibited, and other provision made for the protection of children. Sales conditioned to keep the title in the vendor are required to be in writing and recorded. The militia law is revised. Conspiracy to commit a person to an insane asylum is made a punishable offense. The docking of horses' tails is prohibited under a severe penalty. A secret ballot is provided in town elections upon the question of licensing the sale of intoxicating drinks. GEORGIA. ored taxpayers to be entered in separate lists on the tax digests of the several counties of the State, a measure which may hereafter afford some indication of the relative progress of the two races. Idaho exhibits the healthful tendency to secure in elections a just expression of the popular will by an act providing for a secret and uninfluenced ballot. cision the question of giving the full right of sufShe has also determined to submit to popular defrage to women, and has made permanent and incurable insanity a ground for divorce, with a wise precaution of a condition that the insane party shall have been confined for six years next preceding the action in the State Insane Asylum. The great and advancing State of Illinois has been active in noteworthy legislation. It has established for cities, subject to their assent by popular vote, a system of appointment to public offices based upon merit; limited the beginning of contests of the validity of wills to the period of two years subsequent to probate; forbidden under penalties the entry at horse races of "ringers" or horses under false names; provided for the pensioning of school teachers after a service of twenty-five years, the pension fund to be raised by a tax of one per cent on the salaries; abolished days of grace on all negotiable paper; provided that all parties liable on negotiable paper shall be equally liable to the holder and may be sued all together and judgment rendered against those found liable, with the privilege to any party paying the judgment to use it to compel reimbursement against any other party liable secondarily to him; provided for the appointment of party committees for the settlement of disputes as to what candidates may have been regularly nominated; enacted a measure for a tax, graduated to some extent, upon property transmitted by will or descent, making the tax in the instances of some beneficiaries other than near relatives as high as six per cent; established a system for the regis tration of land titles as distinguished from the registration of deeds, and designed to make the public records conclusive to a large degree upon the title to real property; make provision enabling cities to levy a tax for the establishment and maintenance of public libraries made provision for the retirement and pensioning of fire insurance patrolmen; forbidden under penalties the wrongful taking of messages from telephone and telegraph wires; made provision against extortion in the payment of laborers' wages, requiring payment thereof in bankable money; prohibited under penalties the coloring Another act requires the names of white and col- of every substance designed to be used as a substi The Legislature of Georgia has contented itself with the passage of ninety-seven acts, which occupy two hundred and eighty-two pages. These indicate that the practice of this State is to deal with large public concerns through the instrumentality of special rather than general laws. There are many acts establishing schools for particular towns, many affecting the registration of voters in particular counties, and numerous special acts relating to particular counties and other political divisions of State, as well as to municipal corporations. An act, drawn with apparent care, makes provision against the practice of medicine by unqualified persons. It recognizes three schools of medicine as reputable: the regular, the eclectic, and the homœopathic; establishes three boards, composed respectively of members of each of the schools, and authorizes them to issue licenses to applicants after due examination. the tute for butter or cheese; forbidden the keeping of ment? Such must be its necessary tendency, and INDIANA. Indiana, the neighbor of Illinois, makes similar assertion of general over individual interests. She establishes as her principal mode of raising her revenue a system of property taxation designed to reach property of every description. To make this system effective she pays no attention to clamors against inquisitorial practices or the hazards of encouraging perjury, and frames interrogatories in which every known tangible or intangible thing which may be the subject of property is enumerated, and the citizen is obliged upon the demand of the assessor to answer as to his ownership of any of them. It would be interesting and useful to know how far this attempt to baffle concealment may prove effectual. It would seem certain that the successful enforcement of such a scheme of taxation in some States and not in others would be a potent agency in determining the choice of residence, and greatly increase the list of taxpayers in some at the expense of others. The great legislative problem of the day is that of a just system of taxation. The Gordian knot of litigation is cut by the statutory sword in twenty-three separate acts legalizing the various oversights and neglects of legislators and administrative officers. The losses and inconveniences of individuals, if any there were, are disregarded, except in some instances where the not very equitable distinction is shown of saving rights which happen to have been made the subject of litigation. It is enacted that if any railway, corporation or other company in the State shall authorize, allow or permit any of its agents to "black-list" any discharged employee, or any employee voluntarily leaving service, or attempt by words, writing, or otherwise, to prevent any such employee from obtaining other employment, the aggrieved person may have a civil action for damages against the corporation or company. Legislation in favor of the laboring classes is often either through negligence or design very loosely framed. What is "black-listing?" Is the keeping of a list of employees with memoranda respecting their merits, obviously a useful and proper precaution of large employers of labor, a black-list? Or is the exhibition of such a list to other corporations seeking a knowledge of the qualifications of applicants for work an attempt to prevent employ A moderate indulgence is extended to publishers of newspapers by requiring notice to be served before the bringing of any action for a libel specifying A full rethe defamatory matter complained of. traction protects the defendant publisher against punitory damages. Such legislation seems of very doubtful expediency. The law of libel built up by the wisdom of jurists upon close consideration of all the forms in which reputation is liable to be assailed, is not likely to be improved by legislative action, especially such as is sought for by the modern newspaper press. A piece of well designed legislation, although somewhat obscure-perhaps necessarily so-is found in an act prohibiting the printing or bringing into the State of "any paper, book or periodical the chief feature or characteristic of which is the record of the commission of crime, or to display by cut or illustration crimes committed, or the acts or pictures of criminal, desperadoes, or of men or women in lewd or unbecoming positions or improper dress." Another act, passed probably in view of the Chicago strike, organizes with apparent care and thoroughness the military force of the State in a manner calculated to make it efficient in the repression of disorder and violence. In the interest of humanity and labor an act was passed requiring electric street railroads to provide closed cabs for the protection of motor-men against inclement weather. Another act was passed requiring a license for the sale of goods made by convicts of other States, and compelling such goods to be stamped "convict made," and with marks showing the name of the prison or penitentiary in which they were made. An attempt is made to prevent the miserable and mischievous results of the scramble for partisan spoils, so far as the charitable and reformatory institutions of the State are concerned, by removing the present heads of those institutions and providing for the appointment of eighteen persons, “all of whom shall be men of good moral character and good business qualifications, and not more than nine of whom shall belong to the same political party," and are elsewhere described as men of known fitness, probity and high character." Each of the institutions, which are six in number, are to be governed by boards of control composed each of three out of the eighteen trustees just mentioned, and are to be designated by the governor, and no more than two of the same political stripe are to be designated for one board. Three of the institutions will thus be under the control of one political party and three of the other, and the scramble for the spoils thus sought to be prevented by equally dividing them. The unseemly contest will thus be avoided, exeept such as may occur in the executive chamber over the appointments of trustees; but will the character of the corps of attendants at the institution be improved? It is to be feared that the prescribed qualifications for these partisan trustees of "fitness, probity and high character," will hardly suffice to prevent the awarding by them of places as political rewards, a system which never has secured, and never will secure, the best, or, in the long run, even good service. Another experiment is added towards the solution of the liquor problem. Liquors at retail can be sold only on a ground floor exposed to the public, and without screens, and no other business to be carried on in the same place except the sale of tobacco and cigars; no musical or other appliances for attraction are allowed; no one is allowed to enter the place during the time when the sale of liquor is forbidden, and no licenses can be granted in any township or ward against the remonstrances of a majority of the voters thereof. This is a keenly devised scheme; but, where is the incorruptible constabulary, or, in its place, the numerous body of ready, willing, indefatigable public-spirited citizens who will stand constantly on the watch to enforce it? The State has magnanimously permitted itself to be sued upon any money demand in one of its courts designated by the State. The legislators of Indiana are not without the sense of humor. A curious doubt seems to have arisen as to whether the State had a State seal; but it is now to be resolved, under a concurrent resolution authorizing R. S. Hatcher, the reading clerk of the Senate, to investigate the matter and report to the Senate. It required many reasons set forth by way of recital under an appropriate number of whereases to induce the passage of this resolution; among them these, that the constitution of the State required a State seal; that the legislature had never actually provided a design for one, or other wise established one; that seals purporting to be State Seals had, notwithstanding, been used for a period of eighty years (thus even before Indiana was a State) all of them exhibiting in some form the significant emblems of the setting sun, the buffalo and the woodman felling the tree, but differing in the arrangement of these symbols; that it was demanded by the public business of the State, that Indiana should have a well defined seal in order, among other things, that she might be fully abreast with the other States of the Union, and lastly, that Hon. R. S. Hatcher, the reading clerk of the Senate, has given the subject of heraldry years of study and investigation, and has thorough infor mation upon all seals and coats-of-arms thereof of the different States of the United States, as well as the seals of States and coats-of-arms of foreign countries." Let us hope that all this will result in the establishment of a well defined and appropriate seal for our great sister State of Indiana; but that the familiar emblems of the setting sun, the buffalo and the woodman with his axe, will not under the influence of Mr. Hatcher's antiquarian proclivities be replaced by some device borrowed from the effete despotisms of Europe. KANSAS. The legislative activity of Kansas is marked by the passage of three hundred and sixty-eight acts, occupying a neatly printed volume of 574 pages. The regular and orderly administration of government in this State seems to have suffered somewhat in prior years by the ascendency of certain views on social questions called " crazes " by those dissenting from them, and much of the legislation of the past year is aimed at an amelioration of the supposed ill conditions thus produced. Impartial observers would probably agree that a large improvement has been effected. Official carelessness and neglect are evidenced and remedied by twenty legalizing statutes. The judicial establishment has been largely amended, but by methods, the character of which is so accomodated to special conditions in the State as not to be particularly interesting or instructive to other communities. Sternly repressive laws are enacted against gambling in all its form. A board of irrigation has been established, and scientific and practical tests of the effectiveness of measures to that end provided The completion and opening of the important institution of the State Reformatory has been provided for. 8 A somewhat novel policy, open to much discussion, has been adopted by a law providing that in the case of insurances on lives for the benefit of persons other than the life insured, but who have an interest in such life, moneys paid to the beneficiary shall be exempted from any present or future claims of the person assured, or his representatives, and from the claims of the person effecting the insurance or his representatives, and even from all taxes large opportunity for placing property beyond the reach of the law. Other acts of doubtful validity or wisdom have received legislative sanction; among them one compelling railroad companies to furnish free passes to shippers of certain descriptions of property, and another taxing fire insurance companies a certain per cent. of their earning for the support of fire departments in all towns and cities where as much as $1,000 is invested in fire equipments. The justice of forbidding persons to insure against fire, unless they at the same time contribute sured is not obvious. The appearance of a new terror to the farmer is evidenced by a statute designed to arrest the spread of the Canadian or Russian thistle. MAINE. The work of the last session of the Legislature of Maine contains, in comparison with its bulk, but little matter of general interest. The general public legislation consists mainly of amendments of existing laws. The special and private enactments far outnumber the former, and embrace numerous acts for the creation of corporate bodies a purpose now effected, and probably better effected, in most States, under general laws. Prodigious attention is given to the brute creation. Numerous acts, both general and local, were passed for the purpose of preserving beasts, birds and fish of various kinds. ishing estates in dower and courtesy as such, and giving to the widow or widower, as the case may be, one-third of the intestate's land, and, if no issue, one-half. Maine, after years of effort, seems not yet satisfied that she has discovered the true method of preventing those who love intoxicating drinks from obtaining them. A new and elaborate statute amends her existing legislation, and will prove the ingenuity, or the folly, of those who think that laws can prevent the gratification of the intense desires of men when such gratification does not, of itself, create an interest to enforce the laws. MASSACHUSETTS. The ancient Commonwealth of Massachusetts displays her legislative industry in six hundred and thirty-six enactments, including one hundred and twenty-seven of what are styled "resolves." They embrace much interesting matter. Among the more noteworthy acts is one designed to make the Among the new general laws is one for the pre-election laws more perfect; others prohibiting the vention of cruelty to animals, and another, quite elaborate, providing for the establishment of a board for the registration of persons authorized to practice medicine and surgery. All must be registered. Certain classes already entitled to practice their art are recognized as entitled to immediate registration. Others must exhibit qualifications to be ascertained by examination. No unregistered person is permitted to practice. But the legislators do not presume to deny the existence of those mysterious agencies for healing which, confessedly transcending human science, appeal in civilized as well as barbarous times to human credulity; for, while they still permit the unfortunate diseased to seek cure or comfort from the apostles of "hypnotism," 66 ""mind cure," magnetic healing," sage, ""Christian science," or any other" method of healing," they put their foot down upon one point, the professors of these occult arts must not attempt to administer dangerous drugs, nor affix the significant M. D. to their names. mas The State has, like so many others, imposed rigorously-drawn prohibitions against lotteries in whatever form. display of foreign flags on public buildings and providing for the display of the national flag on school-houses of which legislation instances are presented this year in many other States and indicate a concerted effort; another authorizing judges of Probate Courts to grant leave to executors and administrators to mortgage the real property of decedents to pay debts and legacies; another, and one, it would seem of doubtful expediency not to say validity, by which real estate subject to a vested remainder may be authorized to be sold by trustees appointed by the Probate Court upon the petition either of the party holding the particular estate in possession, or of the remainderman : an energetic act for suppression of what are sometimes called opium joints; an act permitting, but not requiring, Saturdays, not legal holidays, to be treated as dies non so far as concerns the presentation and acceptance of negotiable paper and permitting such paper to be presented on the next business day; an act amending a prior act and regulating the manner in which prisoners supposed to have reformed may be released on parole before the expiration of the term of imprisonment; an act pro It has also made what seems to be a useful addi-viding that no oral or written misrepresentation by tion to the legislation against fraud by declaring that agreements in contracts of sale that the title to goods sold shall remain in the seller shall be absolutely void unless in writing signed by the party sought to be bound, and void against third parties unless recorded in the manner prescribed. The rules in respect to the devolution of the property of intestates are modified in some important respects. The tendency to equality as between husband and wife is yielded to, by provisions abol the assured in the negotiation of a contract of life insurance shall be deemed material unless made with intent to deceive; an act making the provisions of Massachusett's statutes imposing penalties and liabilities upon the officers and stockholders of domestic corporations for false and fraudulent statements and returns apply to the officers and stockholders of foreign corporations doing business in the State, and requiring corporations of the latter class to file certain statements and imposing penalties upon the officers failing to comply with the requirement-a provision in passing which the Legislature may have over-estimated its ability to make criminal law; an act providing for the construction of State highways; an act authorizing the holding of an immediate inquest by designated magistrates upon complaint made that any law relating to the registration qualifications or assessment of voters, or to voting lists or ballots, or to caucuses, conventions and elections, or any matters or things pertaining thereto have been violated and to hold for trial any persons appearing to be guilty; a stringent act for the abatement of the smoke nuisance in the city of Boston; an act requiring every city to make provision for the treatment of indigent persons suffering from contagious or infectious venereal diseases, additional rigorous enactments are made against gambling, lotteries, etc.; also rigorous prohibitions against secular business on the Lord's day, and against being present at any game, sport, play or public diversion on that day; a slight and perhaps innocuous amendment of the law of libel permitting the defendant to prove in mitigation that he published a prompt retraction. The charter of the city of Boston is amended, inter alia, by the creation of executive departments for the principal concerns. Discriminations on account of race or color in public places of amusement are prohibited; a commission called the Old Colony Commission is created for the investigation of spots of historic interest in the counties of Bristol, Barnstable, Plymouth, Norfolk and Nantucket, and the collection of historical information relating thereto; an act is passed for the establishment of textile schools in manufacturing cities; a hospital for epileptics is established; an elaborate act is passed extending the regulation of law to the proceedings of political caucuses; elaborate provision is made for the inspection of domestic cattle; an act for the preference of veterans in public employments was passed over the Governor's veto; a hospital for consumptives is established; in sentences of imprisonment to the State prison, other than for life, and in the case of habitual criminals, the court is not to fix the term, but to name a maximum and a minimum term, and after the expiration of the minimum, the prison commissioners may issue to the prisoner a permit for his liberty subject to such conditions as they may choose to impose, and subject to revocation and reimprisonment. superficial glance, such only as I have been able to give at this legislation of Massachusetts, without being impressed with its conspicuous features. It shows many of the traits of her early settlers still persistent, notwithstanding the abundant immigration from other and different peoples; a rigorous selfdiscipline, a belief in the efficacy of positive enactments, and an unhesitating readiness to assert the supremacy of the general good over individual interest. Nor can one fail to be impressed with the superior clearness and elegance which mark the framework and language of the laws, an evidence at once of the general cultivation of the people and of their discernment in the selection of their representatives. MICHIGAN. of the Legislature of Michigan, the only source of information accessible to me, exhibits, in divers Street railway companies are required to protect to inclement certain employes from exposure weather by having the platforms of cars enclosed. A general act makes provision for the incorporation of divisions and clubs of American Wheelman as Further enactments are they style themselves. made for the protection and welfare of children. The concerted movement for the display of the national flag on public school houses is favored by an enactment. Judges of Probate are permitted to authorize executors and administrators to mortgage the property of the deceased in order to raise money to pay his debts. Townships, cities and villages are permitted, if they so elect, to use Meyer's automatic ballot machine in all elections. Provision is made for the compulsory education of children, and the punishment of truancy. The protection and regulation of law are extended to political primary meetings in cities of not less than fifteen thousand inhabitants. Fire insurance companies are prohibited from limiting their liability. An attempt is made to render the law respecting acknowledgment of written instruments uniform with that of other States. It is made unlawful for delegates to any political convention to appear by proxy. A State Examining Board is established for the admission of lawyers to the bar. Juries are required in finding verdicts in suits for libel to separate their findings for injuries to feelings from those for actual damages. The Governor is authorized in certain cases to liberate convicts on parole. The capacity of packages for the shipment of fruit is required to be marked. The age at which females may marry without the consent of parents or guarNo one can fail to observe even in a cursory and dians is raised from sixteen years to eighteen. No further protection is extended to the codfish; but in lieu thereof one hundred dollars is to be expended in taking down, painting and resuspending the time-honored image of that useful denizen of the deep which has so long hung in the chamber of the House of Representatives. |