The Republican journal. [volume] (Belfast, Me.) 1829-current, 1883-08-30

Maine Matters.


has been substantially rewritten in the belief
that direct and terse English is better than cir
cumlocution and tautology in legal as in any
other literature. This is the fourth revision Of
our laws. In the three former, the revisers
We're content TO make faithful compilation of
Inc laws. the old and in many instances. cum
Drous methods of expression being mainly re-
tanned. The present is a verbal as well as Il
statutory revision. Useless eXpetives and re-
dundant adVerbs have been vigorously pruned
away and substantive and predicate brought
into their proper positions to pithilv and di-
rectly express the law of the and-so thai the
waytaring man though not lawyer may not
err therein. Such long drawn out expressions
as IF found guilty of the offence charged in he
indictments 'he shall be deemed to have violat-
ed the provisions Of" the aw,-which frequent
ly occur III former editions, will henceforh be
more lacOnically put in the wortls-''if convict
ed,' and 'he violates the law
BY this vigorous compression and elimination
Of useless verbiage, which has required not only
good Judgment and verbal skill, but also much
courage and great industry on the part of Judge
Goddard the commissioner and the committee
which has had the supervision of the work, the
statutes have been kept within one volume of
reasonable size. About one thousand pages of
pubic laws have been enacted since the last re-
vision of 1871, and yet the text of the present
revision will contain but sixty pages more than
the last. This Is in part owing 70 the form of
the type which, though clear, is tritle cleaner
than Of the last edition. and the printed page
is three lines longer and an IN" and half
wider.
We notice some very effective condensation
III the liquor law. 1t is Shrunk from twenty
pages to fifteen. Sixty words are eXpunged
from section % with great Improvement not
only to the clearness but the force of the lam
guage. An extreme instance of compression is
that Of the first clause, Ninth Specification of
Section 40 Chapter revision of 1871. Its thir-
ty-tive words find in the present revision aGc-
quate expression in ~ren.
A method of revision so radical and critical
must have cost much labor and the closest at
tentiOn of the committee, 10 see that the change
of structure did not alter, however slightly, the
intended meaning of the law.
The propriety of many Of these changes must
be determined, doubtless, by Judicial criticism,
but lawyers will see nothing to complain of and
everything to approve in the direct and COM
mon sense form into which many involved and
confused sentences have been revised.
The expense of such work is necessarily
large, but it is said that such has been the econ
omy OF management by the legislature and lis
committee, that the present revision will prob
ably cost less than any of its predecessors not
wthstanding the State will have 1000 copies
more than it ever has had of Il former edition.
The work expended on the revision has been
much greater, and the book i'll ts make UP j.
far superior. The whole cost a. estimated will
be les, thAn S26, 900.
IL contains many features not heretofore in
cluded. The insertion of the Declaration of In
dependence, as the bed rock of our Laws: his
toric notes to the Constitution of the United
States; Il reference chronology to the various
liquor and game laws living and dead and re-
ference and index tables BY which any law pas
Sed since 1871 and all included in the revision
of that year. can be traced, whether revised or
dropped. The chapter-indexeS and notes to
sections have been rewritten and the references
to cases greatly enlarged, while the cross re-
terences to analogous statutes or sections bear
ing upon the same subject or principle are re-
full. All these show the pan>taking
care of the reyiscr>. and it is work that will be
by all who are obliged to consult
statutes.
The revision of 1910 occupied about four
years i'll its preparation was enacted by spec
lal session of the legislature after Il t0rty-siN
days sitting, and cost, including the expense of
the extra session, about $4,000 the State taking
but 1000 copies.
That Of 1871 occupied three Years and he 100
copie, taken by the State cost not far from SO
900 The revision of 1871 was said to have
been very expensive owing to the reprnting of
a large portion of the work. The State took
2000 copies. 1t is very generally bcievtdit it did
not cost less than $4,000.
The legislature Very patrioticaIIy voted TO adj
lourn over to Aug. 10Th inst, instead of adj
journing to be called together in Extra session
by the governor, for the enactment Of the re-
' lNlOu, alllOuSu DN IHus dCilOuInlnS, the nlCll
berS subject themselves to the expense of the
session, this being but a part OF the regular Ses-
sion, for which, they can receive lfD additional
travel nor allowance for attendance.
The legislature will pas the statutes and the
necessary appropriation bills therefor, after
which the general index Will be completed and
the work bound and made ready for The issue
by the time the laws are to take effect Jan. lst,
1854. II will therefore be known doubtless as
the revision of 1881. and will be Il monument to
the fidelity and ability of Judge Goddard as a
revser Of statutes. ICourier-Gazette.
"REMINISCENCES or 4 GRAINIAKIAN
The Lewiston Journal publishes the following
from Il correspondents. Il. S Several news
papers Of this state have contained notices and
descriptive accounts of Mr.. Charles Greeneaf.
Mr.. Grecneaf was the author of "Grcenlcaf'S
Grammar,' which was quite
extensively used ut one time many years ago.
He was also i teacher Of that science and the
many who have been under his instruction
doubtless will be pleased to read almost any
thing that may come from his BRAIN however
trii1ing, because Of his eccentrciieS. Mr.. G.
iOurishcd as Il teacher Of grammer throughout
Maine and other states years ago and gained
for himself an excellent reputation a> one
high in his profession. His death occurred at
the age Of upwards OF 50 in town in Waldo
Co some wears since
1t is thought by one who has been under his
instruction that the following letter Of his
which is given rriutem 4 Etet0tlDt, excepting in
case Of the proper names, would be Of Interest
to those who used to be his pupils ana those
especially who hoer HIM
WEST WINTERrORT, Nov. %, 1857
Mr. l. s., Dear Sir: Please send my ink
stand to Rev, A. As, where | am stopping.
Remember clearly of taking it out Of my
(crackers) over"oat pocket where | had some
biscuit (not India cracierS} and put it, think.
either on the bureau in the parlor, or over the
fireplace in the sitting room. | value it par
ticularly on account of the Stopple which | left
in it faying close as to prevent the least atom
of ink from getting out. | could carry the ink
stand in my pockets without danger Of spelling
my clothes by spiIlng the ink. Please send it
by Mr. b or any (one) trustful person who
will directly leave it ut Mr.. Ks.
Respectfully yours, Z. GREENLEAF."
MYSTERY or THE DEEP.
The Eastport Sentinel says: The mysterious
wreck on Herring Cove Beach of which many
of our readers have heard and read, has again
in sight. 1t has been buried beneath
sands for number of years and washed out
during one of the recent heavy rains. No ly-
ing person on the Island knows how if came
there, or what its mission was in the waters of
the Bay of Fundy. The wreck il known to
have been there more than one hundred years.
and it was Old then Those who saw it before
it became buried in the sand say it was of very
illptCi, lIltt w StldiStSt itultiIt WIS
the entire absence of iron in its fastenings.
They We're ali of oak, and its planking, ceiling
and timbcrS were of the same material Some
Of the oldest inhabitants think the vessel had
on board party Of French explorers, and that
she was wrecked there during Il storm and all
hands perished.
NO one living is there who saw
The vessel drift to dreaded fate,
When night hung black ON the surt-lined coast,
And the surges roarcd with Il voice of hate
WHAT MAY BE DONE IN MAINE.
The editor of the Eastern State recently visit
ed an old friend, $. d. Jennings, Esq. Of Gar
land and says of him. Mr.. Jennings is about
20 years of age, and has spent 40 years of his
life upon the farm where he now lives. When
he and his wife commenced there, they had no
capital of any amount, and had given Il note to
the late Benz. Shaw, of Newport for the whole
value of the farm, $500. In the course of time
they cleared the place Of the mort gage, have
now got good set of buildings and made i'm
provements from time to time until the farm is
one of the best in Garland In other words
they have got Il living, and laid up something.
What Mr.. and Mrs. Jennings have done, is Il
fair sample of what Il great many other in
dustriouS and well-managing farmers have
done, and their experience and success
may well be contemplated by the Young man
who thinks that Maine is Il State good for moth
ing but to be born in and run away from.
EXCURSION TO AKoOsTooK.
The Maine Central Railroad Company have
i