Edgefield advertiser. [volume] (Edgefield, S.C.) 1836-current, 1841-09-16

wan, Of arrangement, revision, and digest, DO
far from answering the practical purpose OF
them tha, have such frequent use for the Mill
TIA Laws. To say tia. j, IS nos necessary TO
resort to the original Acts and aB aaas IS .ss.tai
may be found in works on the Militia Laws OF
South Carolina, is no; sufficient answer to
these oSjec,ioas; there have been three publiea-
Of this kiad; The frst by Lieatsnan. Colonel
Miller about 1917, which is in the condition
,ha, is called on, Of priss; in many districts
copy canna, be- found, and If there were twenty
thousand copies exian,, they wou!d now be Of
listie use. as subsequent legislation hasrePealed
the greater part Of what was Militia Law then:
,ie same remarks may be applied with little
limitation, resulting from its having been work
ormcre recen, date } to the second aud similar
production, Digest Of The Laws OF the United
States and the State Of South Carolina, rela,-
log to the Militia. by Lieutenant Colonel Con.
dy in 1880: these. publications. were useful in
iheir day and generation, but since then, de-
luse oflegislaiion has swept over the State, hu-
rying the apcien, landmarks of the law beneath
its auyion: nor does the third work. so careful
ly compiled by Messrs. Elliot Sc strobel m 1888.
benefcicn, as j, has been, and auxiliary Us II
il, enable Us to supply the defects OF the Preeed
ing publications. or to remove the difficulties OF
ascer,aining the Militia Law, Us i, contains none
of the numerous, and impor,au, acis, resolu-
tious, and regulations, adopted since 1884, and
which n, present constitute such considerable
part Of it: shortly after its publication, the en-
barrassmen, resulting from subsequent acts was
anticipated and attempted to be prevented by
printing separately, and distributing each sue.
eessive military net to The officers: bu, expert
ence has demonstrated the utter iasufhciency
and inadequacy Of such publications. single
act makes small pamphlet tha, 10 easily lost,
mislaid or destroyed-there is no penalty for
no, preserving, or transmitting i,-ihey are oi.
len lent and scarcely ever resurned-and 'he
absence Of ono Ae,, breaks the chain and leaves
US in dark dilemma, neither knowing what
f,as been repealed, or what. additionally, has
heen enacted These laws have become 30 .nu-
merous. scattered and complicated, that although
they may be diligently sought, they are harder
to be found, and less understood than any other
par, Of our Statutes, and have thus become
grievous bur;hen 10 public officers, whether le-
sisla,ve Judicial, executive or military, and an
iutolerable inconvenience to the people, so that
there is no reasonable man who has examined,
or reflected upon the subject, but will declare
that Digestcd Act, containing oil the Militia
Laws Of the State, is 4 desideraium no longer 10
be delayed, but onght promptly to be adopted.
When it is remembered that they contain pro.
bably more pains and penalties than all the
other Acts, why should tlieybe permitted Tore
main involved in such inexplieahle intricacies 7
Shall we permit the laws themselves TO set a
snare to the unwury, so unworthy ofihe State,
and SO unjust to its citizens lie, it no, be said
as ground for further posiponemen;-t that
some competent person may undertake to d.
ges, these acts, and supply the public desnlnd :
we are far from being book making peoples ]
although we project much .;,s write little and
print less. -lsan any other equally intelligent
population on eartI--give South Carolina sl.s
tresile board, and she can draft deSigns, tgatl
will take the whole world, ages TO execute; bn,
il is time tina, she should come down from her
castle building to the common place concerns Of
life; ir obedience DC due 10 the laws, il is hut
reasonable requison lha, they should be made
90 as to be understood: i, is tine that The useful
ore should be extracted from the useless droSs,
tha, has been collecting from the lava Of lesis.
laiion for nearly half century.
Nor 10 the proposal TO revise the Militia Laws
without prccedeus--in 1925 the Road Laws
were reduced into one actin 1889 the duties
Of Ordinary, Sheriff. Clerk, Magistrate, Coro.
ner and Constable, were condensed into sua
ble ac,s--lhs Patrol act was passed ut the same
session: and in ls40 another specimen Of sirni-
lar legislation occurred in the net to ascertain
and define The powers, duties and linbiEties Of
Masters Commissioners and Registers in Equ-
". These examples can be safely initiated,
and public expectation will be disappointed, If
the Legislature does no, adop, some course to
collect, arrange. reform and publish the Militia
Laws of this State. Such an act will be Of in
calculable value; il will dissipaie doubt pre-
veh, litigation, establish the law, disseminate
information, strengthen the State. and while
producing unanini;y and harmony at hctne, j,
will reaec, responsibility il not renowu upon
us, from abroad.
Let the work be begun with sincere desire
to its completion, and il will ever find friends
ready to help in SO useful undertaking: to
effect this, Military Bill; oush, 10 be brough,
before the Legislature at the beginning Of the
session, upon which the minds Of the members
can be concentrated; and there is no doubt but
such an act can be framed and adopted thai
will reduce the Militia Law 10 simplicity and
system instead Of permitting il to remain in a
condition in which il viii soon become mock.
cry 80 lis enemies, and modification TO its
friends. c.