St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1886-02-06
CHE Revision of the Laws.

The fact that q commission WAS APP
pointed by the last Legislature to revise
the entire body of our laws, civil and
criminal, does not seem to have attract
sa the attention the gravity of the sub
ject demands. No scheme OF i.egisla-
ton more nearly concerns the people OF
all classes than that involved in the
general revision of their laws. Up TO
this time we have seen little on no
newspaper comment, and the import
anee OF the subject seems to have e>-
capped the notice even of the legal fra
tcrnity. The performance OF the task
by the three persons designated by the
Legislature would be a matter OF gem
eral concern, il they were empowered
simply to classify and rearrange the
laws of the State, but when it Is consld-
cred that these codiiiers are, by the act
of the Legislature, given full authority
to change, eliminate and abroSate as
well as substitute provisions and stat
1lres of their own devising wherever
they see fit to do so, the great import
ance Of the matter will be seen at once.
1t isnot the first time in the history of
this State, that this same thing has been
attempted. Soon after the orsaniza-
ton of the State Government, the Leg
islature appointed Edward Livingston,
the great lawyer and .jurist, to frame a
code OF laws for the State. When MI.
Iivington's report was made to the
Legislature, it was so mercilessly criti-
cized, that it fell still-born, and the
project was abandoned. Without i'm
plying any disparagement Of the gen
tlemen selected for this Herculean task
by the last Legislature, We think it 10
assuming too much, that they will sue
eeed where the great Livingston failed.
The reason is simple. The subject il
too vast to be comprised by one, o,
even three midns. The attempt is i'm
practicable and impossible, except upon
the theory that the present Legislature
has discovered three superior beings
with whom wisdom was born and with
whom it will die when they
cease to exist. Under the Constitu-
ton of 1868 there was a revision OF the
laws, but simply for the purpose OF
adapting them to the organic changes
which followed reconstruction. The
immediate occasion of these remarks il
Il Geographic item from Baton Rouge
to the n. O. Picayune of recent date
containing statement that the Capito-
liam Advocate printing Office was bust
ly engaged printing the report of the
codefiers and that the work would be
finished in time for the Legislature al
its next session, to r0tJy.
We intend to recur to this subject
next week and repeatedly SO as to pre-
vent if possible SO great an innovation
being imposed upon the people without
the fullest, most exhaustive and dclb.
crate examination of the proposed
scheme of legislation. The idea sug.
gested by the Picayune correspondent
that the function Of the Legislature is
merely to meet and ratify at once thi,
scheme, is preposterous. 1t goes with
ont saying, that the new codes and re-
visions OF the statutes to DO prepared
should not be touched by the Legisla-
ture at it's next session, but that they
should be subjected to investigation by
the press, the public and the legal fra
ternity for at least two years, before
any steps are taken looking toward
their adoption.