The Providence news. (Providence [R.I.]) 1891-1906, 1892-12-13

that body will think itself overworked.
To be sure the pay isn't very big and the
members have TO give up good deal OF
time which they might devote to private
business. but they don't refuse TO accept
Office under the roof of the old state
house and won't under that OF the new
one when Rhode Island gets such
structure.
The members have Sundays and Mon
DAYS and SATURDAYS of. however, ~nich is
more than some people have ana they
are only in session from ii to2 on ordinA-
nv occasions, although when there is big
question up they get more hours and
more fun, too.
The legislation for this session may or
may not be as voluminous as it was at
the last one. Just what is coming up is
hard to say, but some of the things which
are coming up are sure enough.
The people at the election last fall
voted In favor of the corporation act.
which makes IL the duty of the General
Assembly to pass an act which shall
regulate the method of granting char
ters TO corporations. 1t Is presu med that
the act which they pass, IL any, will
leave the power of granting charters to
the secretary OF state or to commission
or some such body. In most states the
business is done through the secretary of
states Office.
Rhode Island is conservative and such
reforms as the corporation act, which will
take away from the General Assembly
the necessity for dealing with the
enormous volume Of corporation charte RS
which come to IL at every session, may
meet with some opposition, but as the
people nave said that they favor 1t il
will in all probability be passed and be.
come law. The Democrats will probab-
lx find some excuse for trying 60 oppose
At.b - nnlx afttF
them.
The Judiciary Bill.
Another thing which will come up and
which is Of much more Importance than
the corporation act is the matter OF re-
vision of the judiciary Everybody re-
members that commission composed OF
William G. Roelker, Joseph G. Ely and
Henry w. Hayes WAS appointed year or
two ago TO revise the laws OF the State
relating to the judiciary. The matter has
been before two sessions OF the General
Assembly and has been put over vsthout
action.
At the last session of the assembly the
commission reported certain acts aud the
Senate took the n up and discussed them
by section. Senator Champlin, he of
Block Island, led the opposition TO them,
but most of the clauses, If not all were
reported.
manner In which the cases before the
judges would be handled, and made som o
spasmodic shrieks about fees or some
thing of that sort.
The subject is big one, and after
much DISCUSSION it was, on motion OF
Senator Woods of Providence, laid over
until the next session.
The committee has some further acts
To present for the approval or disappro
val of the assembly at the session, which
will commence on the last day Of Jan
nary, 1893 OF course the authority os
establishing the laws on the basis recon-
meaded by the commission lies entirely
with the assembly, aud that body will
probably either adopt the reports OF the
committee, or amend and adopt them at
the coming session.
Mr. Rocker said to NEWS reporter
yesterday that the commission expected
TO make recommendations on corpora
tions, insolvency, etc, at the next ses-
sion. He intimaLed that the Assembly
had been slow about the matter and said
that practically no action had been taken
on the recommendations already made.
Few people who are not lawyers have
ever thoroughly understood the subject
of the revision OF the judiciary, aud in
fact lawyers are the only ones who are
likely to fully comprehend It's scope-A
gentleman VINO is not a lawyer sald TO
News reporter recently that he thought a
single abe lawyer could do more towards
revising the laws than commission or
any other body, but there seems to be no
reason why three good lawyers are not
better than one.
Rhode Island is conservative. That Is
the trouble when changes are suggested
IN laws or anything else, aud while few
people see any harm in proper couserva-
ism, such as blocks the wheels OF re-
orm and progress Is not desirable.
What Mr.. Hayes Says.
Mr.. Hayes said this forenoon that the
commissioners had been hard at work on
the revision since the General Assembly
returned the judiciary bill to them
That bill would be returned To the as
sembly at the coming session, he said,
with the amendments made by the as
sembly incorporated. The work OF the
commission included thorough revi-
sion OF the laws Of the State, and the ju.
dietary bill was only single part OF The
work.
Mr.. Hayes was OF the opinion that the
judiciary bill would be presented sepa-
rately. so that action might be taken on
IL alone. IL the bill was approved 10y the
assembly the whole work would. be
thought, be completed at the 1898 session,
but II the bill was rejected IL would re-
quire more work TO make the remainder
OF the laws correspond with the state Of
the judiciary. What he meant by that
was that the laws would be revised on
the supposition that the revision OF the
judiciary would stand, and IL it did not
the other laws would have to be made 70
agree with some new system of judiciary
or with the present one, IL no other is
adopted.
One part Of the bill was approved when
the number Of judges was Increased and
Judge Douglas took his place on the SUI
preme bench, but that il not part OF the
bill, IL was separated.
The Democrats opposed that part be-
cause they wanted a chance to get Judge
themselves in case they by any insane
neglect OF the people were allowed TO get
control OF the General Assembly. Then
they opposed he remainder on general
principles.
The complete revision Of the laws il