Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1857-12-02
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.

housekeeping here, who desire to subscribe 70
the Star, are requested to notify rs by mail or
otherwise in writing, in preference to sending
verbal messages to the Office, which are too fire.
quently unavailing to secure the prompt de-
livery Of a newspaper. ~
The Star is now in the fifth year Of its ex-
istence, and can boast double the circulation
of any other newspaper published anywhere in
the world in city of the population of the
Federal Metropolis. 1t also has already &C.
quired an advertising patronage second to that
of no other journal in the District of Columbia;
not even excepting our veteran and so uniyer-
sally respected contemporary, the Iutelligencsr.
We owe many thanks for the Stars unprece-
.dented success to the kind favor of our fellow
citizens, without distinction of party. While
every other similar enterprise-that of q news
paper OF universal NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS. here
within the last six or seven years has proved
iamentable failure pecuniarily, swallowing up
In each case from ten to twenty thousand dol
lars, the Star has fourished and paid expenses
from the beginning; and has alone survived,
adhering to its position as q penny paper.
Every similar newspaper enterprise has neces-
sarily been abandoned for want of patronage
on the part of the people of the District. We
have labOred assiduously, as the Stars col
umns testify, to deserve the signal popular
confidence that has been bestowed on our Jour-
nal, and shall hereafter aim, if possible, to re-
double our exertions to that end.
The REVISED CoDE.-The first and great
advantage resulting from the adoption of the
Code will be, that all the statutory law which
is to govern us can be held in mans hand
AT present, that law is chiefly to be found in
the old English and Maryland statutes To
the great mass of the people that law is a sealed
book. Many of the legal profession, even, do
not know what portions Of that law are appli-
cable and in force, and what portions are not
The people do not know what it is, or where to
find it. They are subjected to a preliminary
expense in first finding out what the law is
and when it is found out, they have the grand
satisfaction Of knowing that it does not suit
their case. They find out the law to be defec-
tive, and have paid out their money for getting
knowledge of that fact They lose all round
Even admitting the new Code to be defective
and the present law to be all it should be, it is
grave question whether it is not better to
have bad law and know it, than to have good
law and not know it.
We hold that it is the duty of the governing
body anywhere, to give as far as possible to the
great mass of the people the means of finding
out, without cost, what is the law which gov.
ems them. 1t is the most vicious of all prin-
ciples to conceal or keep concealed from the
people the ordinary rules of law which govern
man in his relations with his fellow man. 1t
is almost as bad, to cover it up, with jargon.
The Codes which have been adopted recently
in the United States, and upon which we un-
derstand the Revised Code in its plan has been
based, are written in plain, common sense Ian.
guage, In order to bring the subjects that are
treated of within the comprehension of an un-
professional man. The trainers of the Revised
Code were required in the original law which
appointed them, to write down the law in such
plain language that an unprofessonal man NAV
understand it. The Code shows how far they
have succeeded in this. Its provisions can be
understood by any intelligent man-there is no
necessity that man should in every emergency
run to lawyer for the purpose of ascertaining
what the law is. The party can take up the
book and read for himself If he does not
know where to find the law he is searching for
let him turn to the full and well-arranged In
dex, and that will help him. The whole of the
statutory law, too, will be contained in one
book, and not in dozens Of them, as it is now
1t is the clear and undoubted right of the
people that they should know what are the
laws which govern them. They can practi-
cally only enjoy that right when the law is put
Ia Iair
cradle ard unnecessary jareon which, in for
mer days, disfgured it. Accordingly, ia order
TO accomplish this result Of making the people
at large acquainted with their laws. most of
the States in the Union have gathered together.
in one or twovOlumes, their statutory law, writ
ten in plain language. These various codes are
very similar in general plan and detail. The
Revised Code is modelled upon the plan of its
predecessors. The trainers assure US. in their
preliminary note, that wherever there has
been departure from existing law they have
only followed the well established precedents
Of the different States. We have every reason
to believe that the legislation of the various
States which has been Incorporated in the Re-
viscd Code has proved to be eminen;ly bene-
fetal, and it has for us the additional recon-
mendNtion of being clothed in such language,
and presented in such a form as to be readily
found out and understood by those who are to
be the subjects of it.
CALroRSIA.-The mail received yesterday
from the Pacific side, flooded US with letters
from California, and other subscribers in that
quarter, many Of them embracing illusions to
and dispositions on public affairs and questions
Of interest and Importance to the Government
here, and Congress. To-day we take occasion
to publish important extracts from a few of
them. The letters from which we quote arc
from leading men-men of note, influence, and
character, second to hardly any others on either
side Of the Isthmus-men in whose views and
statements We place great confidence indeed
The first treats Of the condition Of California.
commercial affairs, and the excitement in Cali
fornia with reference to the loss of the steamer
Central Americans follows
SAN FRANCISCO, Nov. I, 1857
IL anHIrf nfE FEAr Ktns.a