The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1874-06-30
Tn. Revision OF In. Laws.

The best act of the Congress which recently
least praised We mean the new code Of the
laws Of the United States, which has been
finally adopted, and is now being printed in
two volumes at the Government Printing
Office Every citizen Of this country will
shortly be able to possess the whole body Of
our statute law, showing the rights, liabilities
and duties of the people, for sum not exceed
ing five dollars.
This great and benefcent work. which re-
duces to lucid and compact form the vast
and complicated chaos of statutes which cover
eighty-fve years Of time and fill seventeen
bulky octave volumes, has been completed by
the labors of half dozen men during the last
eight years. The complete revision of the
laws of the Republic, running from 1888
to 1874, eliminating all the obsolete or re-
pealed statutes and recording only the law as
it is, in carefully digested form, was an en-
terprise worthy Of the most sagacious legal
minds. To the late Charles Sumner the coun-
try is largely indebted for the inception and
fostering of this useful and liberal enterprise.
The first Commission for the Revision and
Consolidation Of the Statute Laws of the
United States was created by act Of
Congress approved June ~, 1866, and
the appointees, who were to be three men
learned in the law, were Caleb Gushing, of
Massachusetts William Johnston, of Ohio,
and Charles P. James, of the District Of
Cn1 NJ c,,H
stantial work on the commission, being alb
sorbed in the labors of his extensive and lucra-
tive practice as lawyer and diplomatist.
Judge Johnston remained in the commission
only three years, during which he codifed the
patent laws and illuminated the general sub
ject of codifcation with frequent and copious
dissertations. Judge James, who was the
working man of the first commission, brought
his powers of acumen and keen analysis to
the work But its progress was SO slow that
Congress appears to have tired of it, and at
the end OF the three years term of Office of
the first commission it was not renewed.
After year or two Of precious time had
thus been wasted Congress passed an act, in
May, 1870, reviving the Commission for the
Revision of the Laws for three years longer.
President Grant appointed as members OF the
new commission Charles P. James, Ben
jamin v. Abbott, of New York, and
" NJ Barringer, OF North Carolina. The
experiences of Mr.. Abbott in digesting and
editing legal works is widely known, while
Mr.. Barringer's attainments in jurisprudence
if not conspicuous. were highly respectable
These commissioners brought their labors
nearly to conclusion in March, 1873, when
Congress placed the results they had accom-
plished. being revision of the United States
Statutes at Large, reduced from seventeen to
two printed volumes, in the hands of its own
committees on the revision of the laws.
These committees then employed Mr.. Thomas
j. Durant Of Washington, to revise and cor
rect the whole work, collating it with the orr
ginal statutes and reporting the result. This
session of Congress. Mr.. Durant's revision,
printed in one large volume, was then taken
up by special order in q series of evening ses-
sions in the House OF Representatives. Here
the work, which had previously undergone
careful scrutiny by the Committee on the Re-
vision OF the Laws, of which Judge Poland, of
Vermont, is the efficient chairman, was pro-
ceeded with and amended. Members
of the Bar in the House who took
special interest in this important matter
(among whom were Judge Hoar, Of
Massachusetts,, Judge Lawrence. of Ohio,
Mr.. Knapp, Of Illinois; Mr.. Sayler, Of
Ohio; Mr.. Pendleton, of Rhode sland) and
others lent their aid to harmonize and perfect
the code by amendment in its progress through
the House. It should be carefully borne in
mind that the only possible method OF
securing the success of the revision and its
adoption by Congress was to confne it to an
exact reproduction Of the existing law, with
out amendment or alteration save to har-
monte its provisions. Any attempt to
change the law on any subject whatever. much
more to create new code of laws for the gov.
eminent of the United States, would not only
have jeopardized the whole measure, but, from
the amount Of time and discussion involved,
would have insured its certain defeat. Those
familiar with the subject well know how many
admirable Codes aiming at radical legal
reforms, have been lost, after great amount OF
time, labor and money had been expended upon
them, through the disagreement OF Legislative
bodies. That we now have the existing law
of the United States arranged and codiied in
clearly :ntellsihle and 6s S:.os forini l. dul
to the wise persistency Of few men in Con.
gress. Among these is to be reckoned Senate,
Conkling, Of this State, chairman Of the
Senate Committee on the Revision Of the
Laws, whose prudence and judgment saved il
from becoming the subject of protracted
wrangling in the Senate.
At length, two weeks before the close Of the
late session Of Congress, the act formally
adopting and legalizing the new revision Of
the lava had been paased throuob both