New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1872-11-28


General provision. 50 Debts tus by to the United
The ESsSuiys Power 90 Cons Coinage, and Money.
PrOysSas aRgS5s,'S TO 5 5y, I SSgl Tender
%eos s' hi''''' 81 T6s eaitoi' transfer PaS
5 The Department Of state. M Msess .
Z The Department OF TIE TreasiE Pablo D'oL :
the IN: fS5s os SsSaTin. q; Public aas Advertisements
IL ss TIE Ba' S S % II. @sn PSs"''
IA NE Department Of Justice ST. General proySCEs rs,rins
i The The i s@T 81 Regulation Of Merchant vessels
T. r. T Tss S Si, 50 Regulation sSV Of Sepea,
Is. Niltsg Post. aud for,dca-Iss The F'hsaes
90 DPo@ai, and Consular o. s. Merchant se.uea.
a. Provisions applicable to several IS light houses. Ship, Buoy
classes Of OEcsrs. ant Wreckng stations
TIE f ss o SoS ss1 Gin @ Pensions SS.' Bounty Lands
a. The sisies .. Hospitals. G'yun', and Gene
70 Civil Rights CO. Patents and Copyrights
q. Citizenship. g. BANKRUPTCY.
a. The Freedmen CO Rivers md HsToors.
90 The Indians 81 F Fsles,9sb.
"a NstarsiiEaton o. Kxirasi6u Ontsmatoual and
81 The Public Land, io Neu,rsir
IS Duties upon Imports a. Penalties and Torleiurss
g The collection ofInror Duies T. Instruction.
and regulation Of Imports and D. SHmes
81 Internal Revenue. &C. Smithsonian Institution
The Commissioners also drafted aud prepared the
titles: "The Army" The Navy" Public Printing"
Patents and Copyrights" and the Postal Service
This Iwas' all the progress that had been made when
their OF Office expired. Judge Charles ?. James,
and Messrs Benz. Vaughan Abbott, and Victor Bar
ringer then appointed to complete the work These
Commissioners have been employed for nearly three
years, and will very probably present their preliminary
report at the next session Of Congress-
The Importance OF the work be readily appreciated
by glance the titles gwen above. The statutes re-
late appointment, salaries dutiesand powers OF
nearly COOO officers control the administration OF JUS
tce in the Federal courts regulate the entire
OF country establish the sanctity of the national debt
and provide the by which annual revenue Of
millions Of dollars is collected 1t will be seen at once
that great and important interests dependent upon
this legislation Laws Of such importance ought TO be
plain unambiguous. and easily accessible yet 1t Is
notorious that the laws Of the United States
sadly deficient in three particulars They at present
consist of nearly 1900 sections, and are scattered
through II volumes. The worst feature Of this of
legislation that it is unsystematc When the policy
upon any particular topic changed, the old statutes
are rarely repealed expressly. The common practice ia
simply 20 pass a and repeal all laws inconsistent
Herewith. The question Of repeal is thus generally
question OF construction 4 fair specimen of this mode
of legislation may be found in the laws fixing the duties
upon imports. The foundation OF the present system OF
duties the act'of 1861. An additional act has been
passed nearly every year since that time, yet few
Of the sections of any Of this series Of acts have been re-
pealed by If any will take pencil and mark
the parts that have been repealed by implication merely
he will have moted series Of sheets and will wonder
how the officers Of the customs can determine what the
tax
Inconsistent legislation can, Of course, be settled by
construction and has only the disadvantage OF being
ambiguous. The Commissioners report. however, that
they have found difficulty a more serious in
relation the officers and employees in the departments.
not possible general permanent laws
esrs ni oe. Howl 10 be seisy and iTi eapioy'J TSers
%5 @ S As seoas E 57 Ss s. Si s
eS S nHoi he 5 IN tie msrs er Of the statute aogh he
'spiug changes oA4gase employed ron year 10 year alo Of
tempt be oGeia ps employed in the public bust
only would be Inappropriate o the II such statement
That e ne [s'o ne 6s5s, q TIE 0pTFy , Ias' Be-
DOT aeoHan.et BY Iepsa Gqi all ise TSn9a, AIS
Eds sot so as the srt OF pthor TIE revision Soud
be- AZ % hrs subject uorg v.ueess 1t would represent
in e Department. extended ueI I % an eIa,Sl 70 exhibit tas
service aetg 1lf ana aaoIs 70. ,ns PgigpsS lseJ
formally creating the hsts The BiaH'a Rser for 1874
81 as made fo salaries for The year 1911
These remarks show that the Commissioners. though
information beyond aud outside Of the statutes
revision laws the collection OF the customs
An act was passed m 1893 dividing the whole country
boundaries Of each district. Subsequent acts have
rStd nov districts and as usual the repeal OF prior
acts has been only by implication. or course the reyi-
sion must return 70 division by geographical boun-
enai inoTedse The lines Of each district he
traced upon map, aud sometimes the map may not De
minnie clOugh In its enumeration Of the minor places
map, moreover may not provide Tor changes III the
names OF places.
HOW TIE WORK HAS BEEN
Difficulties Of a similar character might be pointed out
in nearly every title but these remarks VIII suffice to
show that the labor Of revision is easy task. The
question in which the public IS most interested HOW is
in regard to the execution Of the work ald the feasb
ity Of the PLAN The Commissioner have labOred faith
fully and preliminary report OF nearly all the titles is
The pu1i H.
Congress IL be observed, in the first place, that
better men than those who have been employed could
not have been found. Tue non CdIeD Cusnlhg mas a
reputation that is national and he drew the scheme OF
classification Benz. Vaughan ABBOTT has also obtained
a national reputation IN such WorH. IL may De Saley
said that the of legal caSsncatOn he has no supe
riOr He also brings 20 the task knOWl-
edge OF the subjects involved gained in compiling
his National Digest aud other works. MI
pOntnent with distinction and success as cOdi-
her Of the laws OF North Carolina. .
which mere talent and ability alone cannot overcome.
All perfect work Of that kind done by who
are familiar with the details but glance at the titles
will convince any that the statutes cover such
great variety Of topics that there certainly not three
and perhaps not even one man IN the whole coun-
try who is cOnversant with all OF them. Some men are
familiar with the patent law; others with the bankrupt
law others with the internal revenue laws others with
fhe duty laws and others again with the laws relating
~ me practice in the Scarcely how
ever familiar with ALL Lawyers even would not ven
ure an opinion upon subjects taken az random without
fbe Federal laws differ from the laws OF tue various
States Every lawyer Is 10 be presumed 10 be fanat
with statutes OF his own state, but no such esup
ton can be made in regard 70 the Federal statutes
THE DISADVANTAGES or ANY CLASSIFICATION.
The plan adopted by the Commissioners, though the
best perhaps only possible under the crcum
stances has It's disadvantage and is OF course accom-
nanied with imperfectiOns scheme Of classification