Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1827-01-23
From the Baltimore Gazette.
PUBLICATION OF THE LAWS.

MS is SUBJECT TO winch we nave ie' ~
our duty 10 call the attention of Congress and
our State Legislature, at-each annual session
for some years past; although those honoura-
bic bodies have no; yet thought proper TO re-
spond TO the call, we.entertaln hope that the
great importance of,he subject to their con
slituents, will induce our legislators 10 give
them an opportunity Of knowing what laws are
annually enacted at SO great an expense go the
nation. Our brother editors throughout the
Union, we believe, without single exception,
have displayed as much apathy on this subject
as our legislators; and yet the propriety, the
necessity, we may add, the justice OF placing
in the hands Of every citizen, those rules for
directing his conduct which it is his duty to
conform 70, and which he is punishable for dis
obeyihg, are too obvious to be disputed; and we
cannot but think every legislator censarable,
who neglects so important part OF his duty,
as that of e6ectually promulga,ing the laws, &
every editor Of newspape: as equally neglect
ing duty, which he owes to his fellow-citizens
who fails TO remind our representatives OF
wha: they owe to free people, knowledge OF
the laws which, as good citizens, they are
bound to obey. Ii is a fact, which We believe
is SO well known as to need no proof, that there
are not one hundred citizens in this State, 9TH
| err than officers Of the government and practis-
ing lawyers, who possess each copy OF the
laws Of this State or Of the United States-and
as to the laws of the United States, we believe,
that the assertion would apply, in proportion
to the population, to every state IN the Union
Hsw absurd, then, how unjus, is the rule,
which is applied with infexible severity in our
courts, that Ignorance o. the haw excuses nobody
The adoption Of general system, which
would place the laws at small expense in the
hands Of every citizen, in such form as might
admit Of convenient reference, easy research, x
permanent preservation, is an object OF such
general interest, that we shall be excused Tor
suggesting some hints, and offering some estl'
mates for the consideration Of our Legislators
now in session. believing il 10 be subject 10
which they will be disposed to pay some al
tention. We shall apply our remarks more
particularly to the laws Of the Union, their a
daptation 10 State System will be easy.
The Acts Of Congress should De divided IN
to two classes, public and private Acts, each
class 10 be numbered separately, IN progress
sise series for each Congress.
Of the private acts few copies only should
be printed, 500 al the most, would be sufficient;
ard the individuals interested in them should
pay a reasonable price, say so cents for copy.
The public acts and treaties ought TO be Ste
reotyped, and the plates placed in charge Of the
department Of s,ate-the same plates could then
be used for all future editions Of the laws,
which would give them permanent uniforms
| ~ that would in many respects be advantage
Gus: a new edition might be printed at any
time at compaia lively triains expense-,o
| those who possessed an old edition, or had par
chased and preserved the laws OF each session,
| an Index only would be wanting when a new
edition should be published, and having the
plates at all times ready 10 print from, 500 CO.
pies could be printed al the same rate, per CO.
py as $4,000, which would prevent an unneces.
sary expenditure. fsea4lfsss sat1t Dpy, nor even
7 siieet would become useless by age If preserv-
ed clean, as every sheet in the old edition Tex
cept the index would be the same as in the
new. TO prevent any unnecessary increase IN
size of the volumes of the laws, We would ex-
cude from them all which are not permanent
in their operations; such as those making an
nual appropriations, which ought to be print
ed with the private acts, or the sums appropri-
aed might be printed in figures in table for
each session, whish would occupy less room
aud be more useful.
The existing mode Of publishing the laws in
three newspapers in each State, is both partial
and inludicious, as the government thereby in
ours heavy expense without any adequate be-
peht to the citizens; very Few persons compa-
ralively, certainly not one tenth part Of the
subscribers for newspapers, preserve them,
and even il preserved and bound, they are Of
little use as repository of the laws, scattered
as those laws must be through large volume
Of politics, msceli.nies, advertisements and
news, without all index, or other aid TO find any
law sought for. The expense to the govern
ment Of publishing the laws in the newspapers,
now seyenty.fve in number, is about lo,5oo'
per annum, and this sum would pay for print
ing 10000 copies Of the laws Of each session
in the usual pamphlet form. If the govern
ment should, at its own expense, circulate that
number Of copies proportionably throughout
the Union, it would place the laws in useful
form, in the possession Of greater number Of
persons than now obtain them in the almost
useless mode by publishing in the newspapers;
and as to beneficial publication, the effect would
De tenfoid. But even this expense need not be
incurred, for every citizen who wishes TO pos
sess copy Of the laws, even those who sub
scribe for the newspapers in which they are
published would prefer paying twenty-five cents
for the laws OF each session in the pamphlet