The comet. [volume] (Jackson, Miss.) 1877-1882, 1879-11-08

To the Editor OF the Comet:

a long term or short If they will re-
fer it (the Revised Code) to joint Sc
lect committee, composed of the bes
lawyers in both Houses, Editorial,
Comet, Oct. %, ult., it will just have
passed from the hands of Judge Camp
bell and hence cannot fail to be y.
K. as far as "forms of law" is concern
ed. Then what else can "best lawyers
do with it Why not refer it to COM
mittee of common sense farmers who
have observed how laws promulgated
by "best lawyers" corner upon the
rights, duties, privileges, and RESPONSE
biliaies of common sense members of
society. You cannot fail to know that
40 multitudenous and adverse are the
interpretations placed upon these laws
framed by "best lawyers" that half the
laws upon our statutes and in our He
vised Code, have more the appearance
of those given by Calligula than OF
plain "rules OF action" for the dlrec-
ton of common sense men. 1t is this
justification what gives employment
and training to second "best lawyers. y
Why, sir, many OF the simplest laws,
as they now stand and have stood for
decades upon our revise and revised
codes by ''best lawyers" are so obscure
in their completely that they never have
and never can be interpreted by them
selves-that is by their own Language;
and hence "best lawyers" must dig
musty records from the days of Coke
and Blackstone down to the close OF the
18th century to find rules for the inter
probation of these rules of action given
by ''best lawyers" of Mississippi, for
the guidance of her people in the COM
monest transactions of every day life.
Turn, for instance, to the Road law,
and see if Judge Campbell, with all his
learning, can perform the very first
duty OF Overseer Of road Who
is to swear the parties Now, If it be
true that an officer must first comply
with the forms of law before he can en-
force obedience, you cannot fail to See
that our Road laws are dead letter.
Again, the laws regulating ear-marki
upon hogs and COWS Whoever heard
the point made in trial for theft, that
the ear-marks were pertinent" to the
trial ? And yet the following circum
stance transpired in Kinds county, with
in the last two years, to-wit:
A. had eight or ten brood-sows, bed
ding upon his own land, and with then
were two shoats, say six months ole
that A. had neglected to mark, b. and
G. went for these shoats, making NJ
shadow Of claim for them, except tina
they were unmarked, In killing thest
two shoats, b. and G. stampeded abou
fifty young pigs in the snow, and theJ
were an entire loss Tho writer pre-
sented these facts with ample proof Il
Kinds county grand jury, itp Distric
Attorney with it Mississippi mis-
prius Court, and was informed thai
owing to the eccentricities OF thes,
laws, codified and re-codihed by "bes
lawyers" A. had no remedy; that he
had best post his lands and keep of
trespnssers.
One more allusion and 1 am done. /
is well known that so eccentric are thu
laws OF Mississippi framed and formu
lated by ''best lawyers" that ID. ma!
go armed capable to the presence o
even house of E., with such demOnstra
tons as will entirely justify E. in taking
d. life, and yet d. commits no offenc'
against the peace of society, no viola
ton of Mississippi laws framed b.
'best lawyers" Els only remedy is Il
kill D., or make oath that he (E.) is
coward and afraid Of d.
But pardon me, / only cite a few o
the many examples which might be re
ferred to. TO show the Importance o
referring these matters to "best law
yers. Since it is so important to soeie
ty that these schools in which the art
of mistifying is so well learned by use
cond ''best lawyers that they soon be
come adopts in ''dsrkening counsel b,
words without knowledge" or ''bes
lawyers" should be fostered with ON
greatest care. Get the ''best lawyers
in the next Legislature 70 tell what the,
know and then stop speaking, and yor
greatly shorten the work.
P.H.
Terry, Miss, Nov. 3, 1879.