The Weekly Kansas chief. [volume] (Troy, Kan.) 1872-1918, 1878-12-26
PubIishiug the Laws.

number of papers are advocating the prop
osition of publishing the laws enacted by the
Legislature, in one paper in every Comfy in
the State. The entire laws have been codi6ed
by Commission authorized by the last Legis-
lature, and they will report code at the COM
ing session. If they are adopted, as they prob
ably will be in some shape or other, there will
be an entirely new code of laws for the State;
for IL is said that the changes suggested are
radical. How are these laws TO be placed be-
fore the peoplei Not one in thousand owns
volume of State laws, has access to them
Publication ia the newspapers Is the only prac-
ticable way to make them generally known.
Yet, when the proposition comes up, it will be
vehementIy opposed, principally on the ground
or az peuse. and by no class harder than the law
vera. When a man violates Law, the lawyers pros
ecute him with all the zeal in their power; and
q fSvorite quotation with them is, that 'every
man is supposed to know the law" He is sup
posed to know it, when the means Of knowing
IL are not within his reach. The cos. OF publish
ing general laws in the newspapers will not be
90 great a. some imagine; but however great,
the benefit to the people will be greater than
the cost. Even law of so general interest as
the game law is not understood by q large ma
jority of the people, and we have numerous re-
quests to publish it. The same may be said OF
every law Of general interest.
1t has seemed to Us, for some time past, that
the lawyers were arrogating to themselves too
exclusive control of all things connected with
the laws. They hardl, concede to other persons
the right to an opinion concerning the laws or
their administration. They want the whole say
about it, while the people who are interested
are allowed nothing but to pay the expenses.
We have understood that the Codifying COM
mission have abolished the publica tion OF tax
lists, saying that people know they owe taxes,
and il is not necessary to notify them; but that
delinquent lands shall be sold without notice.
Instances In every County have run up TO the
thousands, in which, by some oversight, mistake,
or even dishonesty of officers, lands have been
advertised for sale as delinquent, when the
owners had receipts for taxes in full. Tho only
way in which they discovered that they stood
on the books as delinquent, was by the publica-
tion of their lands in the delinquent tax lists
But by this snap judgement process, mAn's
land may 70 to saie and the title pass ont Of bis
hands, without his knowledge, aud when he has
receipts for the taxes. At all events, it will
lead to tedious and expensive litigation. We
understand, also, that the Commission have
abolished certain notices by publication to non
residents, when suit is brought against them
It will be happy time, when the lawyers have
the rights of the people in their own hands, aud
can bring suits. take Judgements, and sell prop
erty, ali in the dark, and the ones most inrerest
ed know nothing about it, except when some
friend happens to find it out, and informs han
This is q question that it behooves the people to
look to. 1t not only interests the printers, but
the people still more. We do not think that the
people have yet arrived at that coniding stag
where they are content to go to sleep, and lei
the lawyers manage their affairs. But if it il
necessary to reduce or abolish fees, let il com
mence with the wholesale system of robbery
known rs lawyers fees, that is regulated onl,
by what The lawyer sees fit to charge-in man,
instances amounting to more in q single case thar
printer makes by whole years labor