The Kalida venture. [volume] (Kalida, Ohio) 1841-1865, 1851-04-11
From tho Cincinnati Enquirer.
JUDICIAL REFORM.

A great deal ofspace in the English
papers is devoted TO the discussion oflaw
reform, the New York code bring the
model Of the proposed changes. That
is singular item Of The times, and shows
the influence which the bold, practical,
common sense reforms Of the American
Democracy are exeriing on scme Of the
old established institutions Of Europe
While many at home here, whose dstrus
Of the intelligence and honesty Of the
people, and whose veneralion for prece.
dents makes them act as clogs on the
wheels Of progress, are retardng the de-
volopmeni and advancement Of popular
reforms, tho enlightened and philanthro-
pic of The Old World, though reared
among sbuses which they have been
taught to vanerate, are making use Of our
new and vigorous thoughts and practical
measures to improve the condition Of
their own country. What rebuke to
those who think the world is getting along
too iast-who think thai the decisions Of
courts should control The action Of the
People in fashioning for themselves new
government--who think that First Feters'
is far more mighty and respectable
authority that FIRST People!"
The London News has some pointed
remarks on the subject, portion ofwhich
we copy. The whole is forcible, and
readers hereabou,s will be struck with
The marked truth OF the closing lines:
4 RADICAL Reform IN THE LAw-LrcHT
FROM THE WEsT.-While we have been
grumblng at law abuses, and nibbling
here and there at some Of their more pro-
minent evils, our relatives over the water
have gone quietly and manfully TO work,
aud out Of the old chaos of English Com
mon Law and Equity, they have created
for themselves rational, simple, intelli
gible, and uniform Judicial system, by
means Of which any man who has a
claim against another, may obtain sub.
stantial justice, quickly, cheaply, and Sc
curely.
This sounds like Utopia, but it may
be found a, New York, The citizens OF
that State used to have their law-couris
with all their pdraphernalia Of diversity
of action, intricacy Of special pleading,
demurrer, error, &c, &c, just like our
own. They had inherited these things
while English subjects, and they had
long retained them. So, too, they had
her Courts Of Cbancery, like The Eng
lsh, totally distinct from The Common
Law tribunals with their tedious and
costly procedures and unsatisfactory
mode of taking testimony on deposilons
composed in private, and not from the
lips of witnesses and in public. In New
York as in England, the people groaned
under the costliness, the tardiness, and
the uncertainty of the law. But the
New Yorkers went 10 work more boldly
and more wisely Than we do. They did
moi wait for the lawyers TO reform the law
for the spiders TO clear away the webs;
they met in convention as their Consliru'
ton authorizes them 10 meet, and they
ordered that their law should be thor
ghly reformed; that their Courts Of
Chancery should be abolished; and thai
simple uniform mode for obtaining red.
ress for civil wrongs, should be provided,
throughout which substantial Justice
should be the paramount object, aud tina,
all forms and iechniculiiies which could
stand in its way Should be exterminated.
Three commissioners were appointed TO
draw up Code in that spirit, and a
Code so prepared was ratified by the Hou.
ses Of Legislature, and became the law
Of that Slate early in lS4S.
We consider this subject so important,
and we find in that Code so admirable a
model for our own guidance, thai we in
tend TO lay the principal portions oft be-
fore our readers: we mean those portions
by which the distinction between Law
and Equity is abolished, which give a
single from of action, which, abolish spe.
cial pleading, and which provide for the
trials of issues in fact, and Of issues of
law. There are also very valuable pro-
visions respecting costs and The right Of
examining The hostile parties IN the case,
which we shall also extract in erteaso.
We earnestly beg the attention of our
readers to this Code, because il shows US
exactly what we want. There we have
ii, not in vague suggestions, or crude fan
cics, but in definite black and white, and
in full and careful de,ail. II comes also
to US recommended by The test of actual
experience. !! has now worked for nearly
Two years in New York, and has now
worked TO the thorough satisfaction of all
parties there, except some ofths bench and
bar, pho there, as everywhere else, dislike
all change, are incapable of all philosopl..
ical comprehension, and cling like rust to
the old fashioned institutions in which
they were born and bred.
THE ELECTRO MAGNETIC LOCOMOTIVE.
The National Inselligencer of Saturday
says that preliminary trial of Professor