Republican vindicator. [volume] (Staunton, Va.) 1849-1857, 1849-06-18
Publishing the Laws.

The Legislature of Virginia is now in session,
actively engaged in completing code of laws
for the government of the people That such a.
work is needed, no one will deny Not only will
the labors Of the legal profession be lightened, )!
but the magistrates who administer the law, and
the people who suffer when error is committed,
will thereby be enabled to obtain clear concep-
ton OF what the law really is in relation to the
various difficulties that arise in the transaction
OF business. That there has been heretofore in
many instances, particularly among the justices
OF the peace who are presumed to know the law,
but frequently do not from the fact that its study
would take too much time from their usual avo-
| cations, great Inconvenience occasioned from
the multiplicity and uncertainty of our statutes,
IS fact that of itself is sufficient argument to
establish the wisdom Of the act by which provis-
ion was made for revisal of the Criminal Code.
We presume this revisal will be nothing else than
collection of all the statutes Of the State now
IN force, after repeating all ola superfuous char
acter, and supplying omissions where necessary;
and the whole printed and bound so as to be most
convenient for public use
This new code will be subject of interest and
inquiry among all classes of our citizens for the
interest OF all are concerned and it is the duty
OF the Legislature to place the means of i1foEma.
ton within reach of every nhabiant of this
commonwealth this has not heretofore been the
case-the acts of our Legislature has been seal
Ell book to the great mass OF the people-that
very mass from whom the Lawmakers derive
their power, and who are most interested in
knowing the law. Yes, strange as it may SEEM
in a government of the people, that very govern
ing power is prevented by any possibility from
knowing the principles Of its government Tho
the law establishes as a maxim that stignoranes
| Of the tac ercuses no man," yet our Legislature
seem determined that the people shall remain as
ignorant as possible, for they confne all knowl-
edge on the subject to favored few, by their
own act rendering it impossible for the citizens
to know that, the ignorance of which, it is de-
cared; shall not excuse. What stupendous fol-
ly-what rank injustice. Draco in his code of
blood, approached to nothing like it-Calgua
would have been ashamed of it. We say that
it is the duty of the Legislature to give to the
,rhole people the means of knowing the law
Now how can this desideratum be obtained To
furnish every citizen with a printed and bound
copy OF the Code of Laws would be too expen-
sive and burdensome The only agent through
which this information can be generally and
cheaply diflused, is the public press The Con-
gress OF the United States, witha proper appre
citation OF lis duty in this respect, causes all acts
passed of public and general nature to be pub
lished in two newspapers of each State If the
laws of Congress are of such importance that
their publication in more than fifty newspapers
is deemed necessary, how much more important
is it that the State laws should be known and
understood by the people. Let our Legislature,
therefore, so soon as the Civil Code is finished,
direct its publication, together with the Criminal
Code; or the most important parts of both, in one
newspaper in each county of the State (where
any exists and they will have done no more than
an act Of simple justice to the people, and no
more than their duty.
We respectfully invite the attention Of our le-
gislators, and our brethren of the press, through
out the State, to this subject-Monongala