Wheeling register. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1878-1935, 1879-01-31
THE REVISED STATU'
Judge Browns Position Ha nd
somely Overturned.


In your issue this morning find the
argument OF Senator Brown against the
hill to purchase for the use 9f the exec
utivc offices Of the State, few copies of
the Revised Statutes Of West Virginia,
Just published by W. ]. Gilbert, which
is, to say the least, unjust and conspicu-
ously incXact.
learn that that bill was the volunta.
~ action of the Judiciary Committee of
the Senate, in recognition Of the merits
Of the book and 10 supply Il want gen
orally felt.
The Senator'S argument Is that, whilst
hc considered all the merits and adysn.
tagc. claimed for the book, and regard.
cd the author with great respect and
consideration, and that ho intended to
purchase the book himself, yet the
State should not buy books for the
lawyers.
This objection is unjust and ina'cu-
rate, aud did not lie against that meas
urr, because the hill did not provide tO
purchase for lawyers, but for the use Ot
the executive offices of the State--ior
the Courts and the clerk offices Of these
Courts, and not for the individuals who
may occupy them. ETcqtio .f1Li om-
Hi,m ultima.
That till provided To 10 just what
was done with yuur Code Of 1868, which
cost the State about fifty dollars per
volume, Just what is done with your
session acts, and that which Is provided
for in Sec |, Chap. IL, ui tho Code, IN
relation tu your State laws, and this
book only contains your State laws. II
provided what the state Of OHIO did
when il purchased from Judge Swami
hisCumpilcl statutes uf Ohio, rather than
spend hundred thousand dollars III
making one Ot their own. IL provided
Just what the States uf Tennessee and
Missouri did when each purchased
about five thousand copies Ot their State
laws published by the same Publisher,
and largely compiled and annotated 10y
the same author, aud IN the latter state
the book was made prime iacie evidences.
II provided 90 furnish Ia few oi the
state Offices book containing all the
law. now in force carfully arranged, com
piled and annotated; just what the Sen
atur voted to furnish to himself by Joint
resolution, namely, the Code and all the
session acts since; With only this differ
cncr. that In the former the Code and
all the session acts are IN one book with
all the decisions constituting the law,
whilst ia the latter the laws are scattered
through seven books.
kelly's Revised Statutes Of this state
contains the Code and all the laws
passed since It's adoption, With notes
showing all the changes IN the Law, trac.
iug il Ia its origin, with the decisions OF
the courts constituting that law, ~ that
any one can see the lsw at glance,
whereas the state books are the Code
and Fix volumes ot session acts 50 con
fused and interpolated, that few know
what the state law really l.. Any com
pilatlun, index or memorandum show
Ing the repealed and oyerhsuled laws II
a State enterprise, and valuable to our
peop,e and a necessity 10 every state
officer.
The publisher has distributed testimO-
nials oi the highest character from the
best lawyers in the State, and ] learn
that the Governor. Judge Camden,
Charles James Faulkner and other
eminent gentlemen praise the book
highly. and regard it false economy for
the state not to purchase. Ia
the estimation II these emf
ent gentlemen the people Of our
state would save great deal Of
money by knowing the Law, A. the book
will sh0W them, before they commence
litigation, and the state officers, notably
clerks oi courts and prosecuting att0r-
news. learning from the decisions Of the
courts in the hook what steps 10 take in
the conduct Of their duties.
West Virginia or Virginia never had
such a good statutory book Tor typo
aTaPhy, leArning AMI information, and,
although criticism has been inyitud, no
one has dispsraged it, merit The
state Of West Virginia cannot do with
out this book; it Is only question Of
time when it will seek IL. aud the
| issue is thus presented. Will the state
buy this book At a small price or make
/ one Of their OwE a. the expense III q hun
/ dred thousand doliars- II ! we're the
publisher, not 4 copy should be sold un-
| der twenty dollars. An ATTORNEY.