Editorial Department.
NOTES. We do not believe that either publishers or readers have any desire for the establishment of a censorship of the postal press. This, however, is what is proposed by the bill introduced in the National House of Representatives by Mr. Hen derson of Iowa, on January 5; and more than that, it is proposed to concentrate this power in the hands of one man, the Postmaster-General. The following provision in the bill calls for serious reflection on the part of the American people : "And the Postmaster-General shall have full authority to declare what matter is non-mailable under this act, so far as the transportation in the mails is concerned : Provided, That nothing in this act shall authorize any person to open any letter or sealed matter of the first class not addressed to him self: And provided further, That upon the continued mailing of newspapers or periodicals containing ad vertisements or other articles or items forbidden by this act to be transmitted in the mails, the Post master-General is hereby authorized to declare said publication (including further issues thereof) non mailable." Such legislation hardly conforms to democratic notions of a true republican form of government for a free people. According to Lord Mansfield's definition, one of the attributes of a corporation is immortality. The Code of Iowa permits " single individuals" to incorporate, thus opening to them the door to perpetual existence. Whether it was the intent of the legislature to limit this precious boon to single individuals as contradistinguished from married persons, is an open question. If such was the purpose of the legislature, the law is a species of class legislation which should not be upheld by the courts.
The St. James's Gazette says : — The following resolutions were submitted to the English Council of Judges by one of the junior judges with a view to facilitating the progress of judicial business: — That judges shall commence business at the time appointed for the sitting of the court, or at least not more than fifteen minutes after such time. That a judge of the Court of Appeal shall not interrupt counsel more than six times in the space
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of five minutes; other judges not more than three times in the same space of time That judges, when they adjourn in the middle of the day lor a quarter of an hour, shall return into court at the end of the quarter of an hour, or at least not more than half an hour after that time That judges shall not sleep when 011 the bench for more than half an hour in the course of the day: aid when two judges are sitting together, they shall not both sleep at the same time.
A New Jersey court has rendered a decision that a rooster that leaves the jurisdiction of its owner does not thereby become a wild beast subject to capture. The comfort that this decision might carry to belated Jerseymen out alone on a dark night and apprehensive of meeting a rooster that had left the jurisdiction of its owner, is miti gated by the announcement that an appeal has been entered. The defendant in the New Jersey case declares he will carry the matter up- to the United States Supreme Court, and will maintain his contention that a wandering rooster becomes a wild beast, if it takes all summer.
The lawyer who drew up the following docu ment, which was put in evidence by the defend ant in a complaint for bigamy, acquired his lin guistic resources under the elms of New Haven, but they have evidently been stimulated by the pure ozone of Minnesota. It is no wonder that the poor woman, accused of bigamy, thought that she had an iron-clad bill of divorce. "Know all men by these presents : That we, Anna M. Paul, party of the first part, and Edward Paul, party of the second part, husband and wife, and both of Ramsey County in the State of Minne sota, for and in consideration of the mutual promises, covenants, and agreements hereinafter contained, have, and by these presents do hereby promise, covenant, and agree, each with the other, as follows to wit : The said Anna M. Paul, for and in consideration of the covenants, agreements, and undertakings here inafter contained and set forth, to be by the said Edward Paul kept and performed, hereby waives, surrenders, gives up, quitclaims, forfeits, and con veys to the said Edward Paul any and all right, title, interest, claim, and demand, either present or prospective, in possession or contingent, which she has or may have, either in law, conscience, morals, or equity (by reason of being the wife of said Edward