p. 9 | SINISTER LEGISLATION by William Nelson Glenn

Pacific Press Publishing Company · Oakland, California · Mar 15, 1899

FromSigns of the Times, Vol. 25, No. 11.

SINISTER LEGISLATION.

By William Nelson Glenn

SENATE Bill No. 699, of which the following is a copy, is now before the Legislature of California:—

"SECTION 1. Every bill, placard, poster, pamphlet, or other printed matter having reference to an election, or to any candidate, shall bear upon the face thereof the name and address of the printer and publisher thereof, and no payment therefor shall be made or allowed unless such address is so printed. Any violation of this act shall be a misdemeanor."

"SEC. 2. This act shall take effect immediately."

The purpose of such a law is apparent, tho evidently designed to be obscure. The purpose is to compel all candidates for office to patronize a certain class of printers; or, if they do not do so, to have the combined political influence of that class set against them. Under such a law, a man could not have printed a simple card announcing his candidacy without stating on the card where it was printed. If he should do so, he would be adjudged a criminal, and either fined or imprisoned, or both fined and imprisoned. It may do in politics (which has become almost a synonym of corrupt practise) to watch and make even every proper act of a candidate an object of vicious attack; but to compel the officers of the law to become a party to such espionage and unwarranted prosecution or persecution, would be, to say the least, disgraceful legislation. The law already prohibits under penalty the publication of libelous or otherwise injurious matter, and it is certainly a sinister purpose that would make it a penal offense to publish otherwise proper matter without telling the public who did the printing. Have we indeed come to that point where a man's right to run for office or to do a legitimate business is dependent upon the dictation of some confederacy? And have we come to the time when it is deemed the legitimate province of the State to enforce such a condition by law?

W. N. G.

Capitol at Washington, D. C., East Front.