At present if
we pass laws nobody can tell whether they will amount to anything. That
has two bad effects. In the first place, the corporation becomes
indifferent to the lawmaking body; and in the next place, the lawmaking
body gets into that most pernicious custom of passing a law not with
reference to what will be done under it, but with reference to its
effects upon the opinions of the voters. That is a bad thing. When any
body of lawmakers passes a law, not simply with reference to whether
that law will do good or ill, but with the knowledge that not much will
come of it, and yet that perhaps the people as a whole will like to see
it on the statute books--it does not speak well for the lawmakers, and
it does not speak well for the people either. What I hope to see is
power given to the national legislature which shall make the control
real. It would be an excellent thing if you could have all the states
act on somewhat similar lines so that you would make it unnecessary for
the national government to act; but all of you know perfectly well that
the states will not act on similar lines.
Pages:
413
414
415
416
417
418
419
420
421
422
423
424
425
426
427
428
429
430
431
432
433
434
435
436
437