Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1886-11-11

he done. There have been various modes,
n, ore or ,ess violent and effective, recon-
handed from tine 10 time In The public
Journals. What shall he done, with The rs.
distance az the counsel and experience OF
:, Oh able tinanciers as Ruilln. Maryc, and
ers n Is for the wisdom, discretion,
ard trmuess Of the General Assembly TO
decide and 10 execute.
The General Assembly 81 lsS3-'Si wisely
enacted that the Code OF the Common wealth
.hould be submitted Ia three OF Tue mosi
,min,nt l,wyers OF the STATE for reco iiilct
lion. Notwithstanding the Code OF Mr..
y,fF, rsop. Mr.. PondlctoD, and Mr. Wythe
had been arranged and enlarged with the
suhseoueut legislation by Mr.. II. W. Leigh.
in 1919, vet the changes made Oy the Con-
s,itutlon Of 1920 in 1916 induced the
LEGISLATURE TO have the civil laws ~ the
-tafe committed TO the reyisal OF john VI
Patton ana CONWAY Robinson, who should
entirely and completely recodiIy them. with
change II the yerbisgc. with view 70
ordrrsstlon and breylty, cmbodyinS The
rec, nj legislation and decision, " the COnr.
of kcuesls; and the General Assembly,
meeting IN extra session at tue iu1ui'r
White sulphur springs, 30 which they were
driven by the appearance OF cholera IN
Richmond, passed upon the report OF The
committee OF revision and r enacted every
chatter aud section ~ the Cole, and ~
lille LVII.. chapter PIG, repealed all acts o.
a general nature then III force, ana thus we
baye the last general Coce OF the state, the
code Of 1919. A. mfny changes were mld"
necessary by the adoption Of the COnsiitu-
lion Of lS5C-5I, Hon. George Wythe Nun.
ford prepared a second edition in 1850, and
after the radical changes made 10y the re-
suit OF the war and the additional lcgi,la-
tiCn required thereby he prepared third
edition in 1873, which, while they were or.
dered to be published by the Legislature.
were not rccnacted by them. A. In lSI9,an
the authority Of the laws published in them
depcnd> upon the acts cited in the margin
such being the ease, nulnbeilcss errors
necessarily crcpt into these two editions.
Laws inconsistent with Others appear not
mfrequontly. and, therefore, it is often
no, essay to refer back TO the Sessions Acts
and compare them to understand the trile
tate OF the law, and now the many changes
occasioned by the legislation OF the past
ihIftccn years have made a recoditcation
and r,enactmCnt Of the Code absolutely in
di.pcnSsblc. and we presume that the work
4 Tie rcyiscTs is now nearly ready for the
enactment Of the Legislature. II Is farbet-
ter IN the lull and quiet which has occurred
since The late congressional election for the
Democratic party, in extra session, to take
IN and complete the work projected and
Almost completed 10y it. The opposite
raIty has already IN their address TO
ihc people In the gubernatorill canvas,
denounced this undertaken work A.
A. unnecessary bestoval Of a fat JOB upon
Judges they have ovcrthrOwn and pOiii-
cal partisan, and that The whole measure
was useless and improper. should achlngc
in Public sentiment, or the indifference oil
;he people TO participate in the elections. a.
has recently happened IN the late congress
sionnl election. put this party. which has
already announced itself uniriondly to the
rcyisal, into power in the next General
Assembly. they may do everything To en-
TREY illustrate the work, or else rccOmmt
the rcyi-, 10 some political iayoricS II
their own who may not be equal to the able
lawyers who are by Us appointed for this
purpose, and thus involve the state in al
ditiOnal and unnecessary expense. The con-
test for the next Legislature seems to pro-
mise 10 be very sharp and desperate
struggle, and whichever party prevails thu
hour Of triumph is net the time for tn. ma
ture consideration Of the general laws,
upon which 50 much the Priyat, interest,
aud the general prosperity Of the people
deutnd. WILLIAM POPE DABNEY.
November &, 1856.