The Union and eastern journal. [volume] (Biddeford [Me.]) 1854-1858, 1857-05-29

without regaru eVen W ~ o"u
safsty, Is oftsn wounding itself and is
friends, a. its foss. In its anxiety to End
,ome cause for complaint against the repub-
leans. 1t disregards and ignores all ideas Of
Justice, and proceeds, apparently. upon the
presumption that 4 lie we'll stuck to will
answer Is good or better purpose than the
truth. A notable instance Of its reckless
ness Of statement 10 found in an article which
appeared in it Daily of the 18th inst, do
preciating the doings Of the last Legislature,
In which the allusion il made to the revision
Of the Statutes, and the lsbors Of the Legis-
lature thereon. After saying that the Leg
islature oil 1885 appointed throe commission.
err TO revise the laws and report 70 the next
Legislature. it proceeds thus
The Commissioners were lawyers and com.
petsAt, doubles, to form an opinion Of
some value upon legal point which they
had carefully studied, but they could hard
" claim to have made themselves masters Of
any considerable part Of the extended do
main Of the law. They undertook the work
and made oGmorous report 70 the Lessla-
s, ,e . o. Jss,,i,a ,Sas o .v.r ,S.ir noIitie
friends were ashamed Of it, and the whole
matter was referred BY that Legislature to
e1.Chief Justice shspley for revision. Inc
wisdom =, sesSn LOT sue nh VII .II ,S S hon
ors. m preference to comparative noviess
who had not, and it was uncertain IL they
ever would oee9me alsungusne1 IN LIN. an. ~
anil.
Instead of q prolix dubious mass of pro.
visions like the previous report, this one gave
the gist of the law in language remarkable
aiise ior eleafness' c1nc'ssne anu M o0.,"3
from ! s,r"n, S;..,;m;n, ting Logical mind.
which had devoted lifetime to the careful
study of legal principles. A single instance
will 'uthos to indicate the difference between
.ne TWO ,sPIr A.. Ss. sIaP Ss. M, ~ msnv
sec,;ans hv fnyyy as were contained in
that of the previous commissioners; and yet
1t contains all the law, with such amend,
mems enclosed IN Srackeu, - . 'uo No. iea' ,na
II |. On ,hs .nh;sc. more DsrG Of How much
Of perplc1ity and litigation were omitted
with city sections ofverbiage, every lawyer
~i1.apP5ecnie. -. o,.h.1.,;.,,.,,o If
W cons;.tsJ in snactius that report-tbo
work of a few DAYS ut most. The crown.
ing merit, however, Of that illustrious body
land a great one 1t was we eoniess,) Sonss!
,sas Sn %a,I dou: a ~ nd H,;ns IL virtually
without amendment.
There II n looseness of statement in the
above that shows its author to be entirely
unacouaintsd with the facts in the matter.
In ;n;ust;ee n the first commissioners, who
wero gentlemen of legal ability, perfectly
competent to perform the task assigned
them. Is not its only fault. We happen to
know that Judge Shepley, with the candor
,bot hs,oncs 70 nm honorable man. and that
honesty and impartiality which was shir-
,eteri,tic when on the Bench, privately as
we'll n. nublielv. bears willing testimony to
the ability and fidelity with which the first
commission performed its duties His pub.
liz a,tssta,ion to its truth is to DO found in
hi, rsport to The Legislature, on tho ninth
no,e where he avs. spsakipr of the first re-
vision.
.b,v;u be uuder,tOOd of course, tla, this
,.r;,;on could NOT hare been eompl,ted a, soon
a, u IA, been without N. verv area, benefit,
and od,onto,,, If "a, fr,t rsvi,;onn
Had the report of the first commission
han .,ooss ,;cketv and defective" go
nrol;, dubiou, mass Of provisious." Judge
Sbsnlsv would never have said that the
..vsr, ,rea, benefits and advantages of the
brst revision enabled him to finish his work
IN q brief period of time. Judge Shcplsy
has some preiudices. as all men have, Of q