The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1872-02-08
Turns Himself Loose on the Bar. :
He admit has '.lel,tsio,.7 about 'st1e vir-
taes Of The Learned Profession r
He a. down On 1he Circulation OF
the Code as "a -<CheaP Lit
eraIure."
HE DESCEND5 TO THE ~HECATOMS''
fAS HE STYLES THEM) AND
QUOTES DOG LATIN
HE IS IMMENSE on FIGURES.
A RARE TREAT OF Fun FANCY
AND FOOLISHEESS.!
10 tie House Of Represe..tati;res !:

GENTLEMEN II herewith return TO You
House joint Resolution No. 6. entitled
Joint resolution authorizing the Secretary
OF State to sell copies of the Revised Code of
1871. at six dollars per copy, and for other
purposes.
It has failed to meet my approval for the
following reasons; The price already fixed
upon the Code is not eXtravagant. This
bill would reduce the receipts of the treasu
ry twelve thousand dollars, in disregard to
the public interest. And it is unjust TO
those who have already purchased copies of
the Code, in that il makes no provisions for
returning to them the amount they have
paid in excess Of six dollars.
Just prior u tneconyening Of the present.
Legislature. in the conscientious discharge
of duty assigned by law TO the Governor.
| fixed the price at which the Revised Code
OF ISL should be sold at ten dollars per
copy. This, did after fully informing my
selfupon the cost of the volume, and salts
flying myself that no hardship or public in
convenience would result from my action.
six thousand copies only of the Code
We're authorized To be published. One half
of this number was ser apart for gratuitous
distribution, principally among the officers
of the state. HE remaining copies | had
good reason to believe would be required
by the Bar. From my knowledge OF the
pride and independence which so emf
uently characterize the gentlemen OF the
| legal profession. / concluded they wouhl
| hesitate to receive from the State ION the
| impoverished and ruined conditions of
which they had 80 often and so lately dWelt
with emotions OF genuine sorrow so valu
able book rs the Revised Code at a less
price than it cost. Indeed, Judging from
their asseverations of friendship and desire
! to uphold the credit OF the State. | was led
10 believe that they would gladly embrace
20 favorable an opportunity of testify in"
10 the genuineness of their often repeated
declarations OF patriotism bV coming
promptly forward and depoSitiu@ each ten
dollars in the ample bat empty vaults pre-
sided over by his Honor, Major Nasser.
My expectations were being realized until
in an evil hour the bill before me was in
troduced before your honorable body. Its
advent had the effect to dampcn the ardor
of the bar; stopped the sale of the book.
aud dispelled the deluSion under which
had exalted the virtues OF the learned pro-
fessi0n.
Placing the question strictly upon its
merits. the State cannot afford To- sell the
Revised Code for less than ten dollars per
copy, as the following exhibit will show.
COST OF THE CODE.
Salary of three Code Commissioners,
$1,000 each Sl2,O 900
Publishing Commissioners Code for
the use of the Legislature ..-.---- $500
Commissioner for experimenting and
indeXing .-.-- $1,000 1000
Publishing 5000 copies, bound vol
uneS 0I.lZU
Total. .s54, 22O
Cost per volume without including
any of the expenses of the Legi>la
ture that enacted it, or incidentals
for delivery. etc-.- 50 "
Under this statement of facts the bill be-
fore me certainly has no claims rs meas
ure OF economy. The policy. under the cir
cumstances. of reducing the price OF the
Code to six dollars is simply "A proposition TO
tax the whole people for the benefit Of the
bar in al amount equal to twelve thousand
dollars.
This the memb ers of the learned profess
sion do not ask. So modest a proposition
would not for a moment be entertained by
one of them. They know too well how to
take liberal toll to stand on the small amount
of Il few dollars, especially when the money
is to be devoted to so charitable an object as
the State Treasury.
The clamor for a reduction in the price of
the new Code, as far as | have beeu able to
observe. has proceeded but from one source,
and that the most unreliable in the State.
1t neither represents the public sentiment
or public interest. The tone of its utter
ances, like a wall from the hecatoms assimu-
lates more the bray from dolt of the gehus
eg1ltS dsiHAS than it does the PERCEPTION of
mind from any superior link in the success
sion established by Darwin. If the Legia-
ture has been influenced by it in the pas
sage of this Act, | trust you will be more
circumSpect in the reconsiderationwhen all
the facts are before you.
TO say that the Code is not worth what it
cost is to east i reflection upon the Commits
sioners who composed, and the Legislature
which enacted il.
If it is worth but six dollars, then / have
wronged the gentlemen who have purchased
it under the price fixed by me, out of four
dollars each.
An ordinary law book, octave volume
costs from seven to ten dollars. A
royal octave volume like the Revised
Code of 1871, can nowhere be bought from
regular dealers for a less amount than ten
dollars.
These facts fully sustain the grounds on
which | have refused to approve II. X. No.
g. and | therefore return it for your recon-
sideratiOn, with the further remark that. if
cheap literature is to be circulated among
the Bar of the State, it must be done under
executive protest.
r. {. POWERS. Governor.