Grant County herald. [volume] (Lancaster, W.T. [i.e. Wis.]) 1843-1844, 1844-07-06

! BEAUTIES OF LAWN the House
of Lords on the 18th May, LolA
Brougham moved the second reading
of his bill for the consolidation Of the
criminal laws. His Lordship stated
that the object ofthe bill was to con-
dense and digest the enormous mass of
criminal statute laws, reducing it to
written principles and distinct code,
easily accessible, ineligible, and capa-
bic Of being carried into execution with
facility. He then commented on the
universal concurrence in opinion as to
the disturbances of this among phi
losophers, lawyers and the most en-
/ Heightened judges and statesmen; and
then gave an amusing account of the
voluminous records in which English
law is preserved.
In the course of his remarks he said
Scan any thing equal the absurdity
OF continuing your code ofcriminal law
in your statutory or written law, and
leaving out all that is contained in your
common law--when you reflect for
one moment what must be the language
which the lawgiver holds upon thissub-
jectto those he callsuponto obey, under
the scverest penalties? Hetellsthem,
'Disobey at your peril; here is the law,
written so plain that he who runs may
read But asks the subject, lis this
all the laws?' very far from it, re-
plies the Legislator; st is not above
one-fourth or one -fif,h Of the law you
have to obey, but where you are TO
find the rest is more than can tell
This is the language which the law
giver holds--'Obey me at your peril,
but cannot tell you what is the law;
obey me at your peril, but l cannot
tell you what you are to obey. The
written law you have, but for the re-
naming part you must find it out for
yourself in the best way you are able,
but cannot tell you where it is to be
found. 1t is TO be found in the quar-
TO volumes Of statute law, in the $50,
600 closely printed pages of reports
and if you want an index it is con-
tanned in 5000 pages, bat more am
bound not to tell you. Nevertheless
disobey me at your peril"
The speaker then adverted to host
Of enactments, absurd and contradic-
tory in themselves, which still remain
unrepealed upon the statutes, unknown
to all save those deeply versed in legal
lore, and liable TO be revived at any
moment for purposes Of oppression and
tyranny.
"Such acts" concluded his lordship,
"are justly termed by Lord Coke
snares TO entangle unwary subject;
thoy lie in wait TO be drawn forth. at
some unexpected moment, they are
vipers which, though frozen, are not
dead; and which the heat Of party, or
the maignlty ofprivate revenge, may
warm into life TO sting the innocent
victim. AS an example of this, will
remind your Lordships that by the act
Of Queen Elizabeth, Of glorious mem
DRY, whoever refuses TO go to Church
for three successive Sundays shall pay
a shilling. 1t must be TO his own Par
ish Church; aud am sure, though all
Of us 60 twice on Sundy to Cuhrch, it
is very generally not to our own Par
ish Church. "a laugh Three years
ago | presented a petition from three
men confined at that time in Lancaster
Prison by the sentence Of the Justices,
for e9, lbs. damages and cost. An
information was laid against them, not
for absenting themselves from Church,
but for what the Agricultural and the
Judicial mind holds a much more
grievous offence than any absence from
the Church, mean poaching. The
information, however, failed, and the
Justice, learned in the law, would
have been compelled to dismiss the
prisoners, had he not hethought him
self of asking them. But were you at
Church last Sunday oh, MOP COR
the Sunday before?' 'Oh MOI Or
the Sunday before that" ooh MOI
Then I'll convict you all in the fine Of
Is, They were imprisoned eleven
weeks"