Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1882-04-06
Aai,,astet flltelligence1.
THURSDAY EvEN'a, APRIL 9, 1889
The State Reports.


For many years the legal profession of
this state suffered an onerous burden in
the excessive price charged them for the
reports of supreme cases. The reporters,
generally appointed by the governor with
a view to rewarding some personal favor
ite had monopoly in the copyright of the
reports and could charge for them just as
much of tax as the lawyers and libraries
who have to have them would stand.
1t was to his advantage, too, to get out
as many volumes as possible. AS the
total number Of these reports increases
yearly the tax upon young lawyers form
ing new libraries and taking the current
reports became very severe, and finally
legislation was secured to effect the same
system as prevails in New York and
some other states, the reporter to be
paid salary and the reports to be issued
under contract entered into by the re.
porter, secretary of the commonwealth,
and auditor general, with the person or
persons who shall agree to publish and
sell the said reports on terms the most
advantageous to the public, and at the
lowest price," Under the old system
the state reporters office was coming to
he worth about $4,000 year, and State
Senator A. Wilson Norris was the last
person to enjoy this fat place.
The books cost $3.50 a volume, while
under the new plan it was expect
ed that they could be furnished for S1.5O
at the most. Reporter Outerbridge's
first volume of reports coming to hand
costs the old price, $3.50, and Danville
lawyer who writes to the Press inquir-
ing about this imposition is answered
thus:
Unfortunately the law puts no limit on
the price, and the publishers, with the
concurrence OF the three officials indicated
adhere to the old charge, taking them
selves the profit or excess of So, 600, which
formerly fell to the reporter. Under the
new law these reports cannot be copy
righted, and any enterprisiDg publisher
could, if he chose, reprint them and sell
them to the bar of the state at a just and
reasonable charge.
The Press is somewhat mistaken in its
facts. In accordance with the law of
1878, contract has been entered into
with New York parties to publish the
state reports at Sl.l7 per volume and
furnish them to the profession ut that
price for a period Of ten years. That
contract begins with and refers to
the term of the present state reporter,
Mr.. Outerbridge, which began at the
May term, 1881. lie was appointed for
and filled a few months of the unexpired
term of A. Wilson Norris from January
to May 1881, and it is for that term that
his present volume of reports is issued,
which does not come under the new law.
Meantime Norris has three more
volumes of his own to issue at the old
price, with the appearance of which he
is inexcusably slow. Hereafter, we are
assured, the regular Outerbridge reports
will be published at Sl.17 per volume,
and should there be any deficiency about
them the profession will have the remedy
in their own hands, as the publisher has
henceforth no copyright privileges in
them, and the reporter cannot get his
last quart er's salary until his reports for
the year are published.