The weekly clarion. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1863-1882, 1876-02-23
what the People Expect Of tIle
Legislature
OsYKA, PIKE COUNTY, MISS q.

OsYKA, PIKE COUNTY MIss.,}
Feb. llth. 1876. (
EDITORS CLARION As it seems to .be i'm
order for every man to have his say regard
ing the work expected and required at the
hands of our Legislature, / propose to give
you the views we entertain in this ITO use
a Napoleonic phrase) remote part Of the
universe. There is but one sentiment amOnU
the intelligent people Of this section. on the
impeachment question, and that is, that the
business should be iuaugurated with the
least possible delay. Let Amos and his
Lieutenant, and CardoZO, be impeached and
tried.
Then, the cry is emphatic for retrench-
ment and reform in every department Of
the Government, State, counties and towns
Ana we think something should be done to
restore our statute laws from their present
state OF chaos, to some sort of order and
mprebensitility. After i'm peachment re-
Crenchncnt and reform, we look upon the
codlflcation OF the laws as OF prime neces-
sity.
1t is acknowledged on all hands that orr
present Code was detective from the begin
nlng Who IS responsible for the fact This
writer does not pretend to say, nor indeed 10
know, but it is certain that it never met the
approval of the bar, the most comDetent
Judges, nor of the public. II proof 81 this
Is wanted, it will be found in the numerous
repeats, amendments, and re-amendmentz
which abound in the proceedings of every
Legislature subsequent 20 its adoption
patched up" until it is in the con-
dltlon OF your average darkey's panta-
loons-more OF the amended material than
OF the original garment-and from appear
ances, by the time the present Legislature
Is done with it, it will be a mere concern Of
'shreds and patches"
How can it be expected that the masses
should know and obey the law, when II
WouId puzzle the proverbial PhiladelDhia
lawyer To tell what the law in a given caee
really is. Our statutory laws Are fro@-
mehtary; they exist In detached parts. arc
spread through the pam hlet acts of a con
SIDERABLE series of legislative sessions. and
are not unfrequently found under inannro-
pirate Titles, so that the closest students
among legal practitioners are often at fault
III referring to laws with which they arc
iamlllar IN practice, and know TO esist
somewhere IN the great heterogeneous con-
Slonerauon OF statutory enactments II
TemlnGs one Of Shakspeare's three ,,roi,s
OF wheat in pile of mustv chair. Nor
only are the laws hard to find, but go manv
5cCs nave been repealed, and so MANY re-
ehactIhents made, that none but a lawyer
n constant practice can hardly know what
laWs are actually in force; aud on some
SUBJECTS there have been so many enoct
ments, that lawyers differ as TO the lav, b,
t whlch the questions involved are to be de-
Take, for example, what is known a. tho
agricultural lien law, which invol yae ,,o,.
maps as great Interests touching the orora
ti' ~ the TWO great leading industries oC
o oH6 2laee, agriculture and commerce, as any
oIheI AaW IN the statutes, and we find fbnt
some 5o eminent lawyers hold that the art or
loo' Is stu in force; others whose opinioHs
AZ. are entitled 20 equal respect confidcntIS
IN * tlaE act repealed blythe adoption ~
Of course when lawyers DISAGREE tho G..
p n Court is to decide; but then, II is .
-bns ,d oeulous and expensive affair to GET
5l las decision. Hence it were well for IT,
he Iaa nIoweHeT judicial it might be to
% piain and accessible that NO dis I,lato
Se;r ar1se, either as to their existence op
therefore il is surely the duty o. the Ieo-
It an earIv ~ ~ session, to take such steps,
= CLASSIFY aud simplify the laws as re- b,rin 80
I 51I as 'ar as possible, within the knoIlis
rs TX, arg n comprehension of those who have
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