Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1893-10-19
THE LAWS COMPILED.
The Task of the Commission About
Completed.
Mr.. ABERF'S ACCOUNT OF IT.
How They Have Been Arranged in
Chapters,
A GREAT UNDERTAKING

As stated in The Star several days ago,
the compilation Of the laws of the District
will. 1t is expected, be ready for submis-
sion to the Supreme Court of the District
not later than the 1st Of December next.
The compilation, it will be remembered, was
authorized by Congress March 2, 1885, The
get empowered and directed the District
Supreme Court to appoint two commission
ers learned in the law to compile, arrange
and classify. with a proper index, all Stat
utes and parts of statutes in force in the
said District, including the acts of the Sec
ond session of the F'iftieth Congress, and
relating to all such matters as would
properly come within the scope Of a civil
and criminal code'
shortly after the passage of the act the
court appointed VIM. Stone Albert and
Benz. G. Lovejoy, two members of the Dis
trict bar. as the two commissioners au-
thorized by the act. and in June 1889, the
work was begun. Mr.. Lovejoy soon after
ward died, however, and Mr.. Reginald Fen
dali was appointed in his stead Mr.. Fen
dali finding that his professional duties
would not permit him to give his exclusive
time to the work 1t was mutually ar
ranged that Mr. Albert should proceed with
IT, ana In consequence the work has so far
oeVolVed almost entirely on him.
Talk with Mr.. Albert.
In conversation with Star reporter to-
Gay MI. Albert stated that the task i'm
posed upon the commissioners was one of
the greatest magnitude and one even ex-
ceeding the conception Of the profession,
he had soon realized that it was one far
beyond anything he had imagined, but hay-
ing accepted the appointment he had de-
termined. despite the loss of time and mon
ey' 10 finish his part of the work. and he
was now in a position to view its practi-
cally early completion. AS slightly indica-
i've Oh the amount of laborious research
necessary, MIR. Albert explained that he was
compelled to search through the British
statutes In force in Maryland at the time
OF The cession by Maryland OF the terri
tory to the United States; the MARYLAND
statutes from l7O4 to 1901; the Revised Stat
utes OF the United States. relating to the
Distrlct; the acts of the legislative assem-
bly, OF the District from June 2, 1871 to June
70 1873; the Revised Statutes of the United
States exclusively in force in the District,
and all statutes of the Uuited States In
which the District is specifically mentioned.
1t was at first thought that the Ordinances
of the corporations of Washington George
town and the Levy court. should also oc-
court decided that they were not statutes
IN the meaning of the act, and consequent
~, stated Mr. Albert, they will not appear
Congregational Action Needed.
1t had been thought by many, remarked
MIR. Albert, that the compilation when an
proved by the District Supreme Court
would be the law of the District, but such
would not be the case unless Congress
made the compilation the law by special
enactment. The approval of the compila-
non by the court merely authorized the
pupiication by the government printing Of
nee OF 1000 copies of the work, a volume
size the Revised Statutes of the United
states The compilers and revsers of the
United states Statutes, further explained Mr.
Apert' We're authorized to omit obsolete
laws narmoniZe inconsistent ones and to
generally revise the statutes, but in the
compilation of the District laws no such
authority was given the commissioners.
anu nence all laws not absolutely and un-
questonaoly repealed were required to be
inserted. Then, too. stated Mr. Albert, the
commissioners appointed to revise the
Cniteu states statutes were authorized to
SUBMIT So ,t the revision in part, when SO much
VI tNeif work was made the law Of the la nd
by special enactment of Congress. the same
course being pursued when the remaining
parts We're reported so that when the WORK
, was ,iaaly completed Congress expressly
repeated all laws inconsistent with or an
tagonlstlc to the statutes as revised,
The Value of the Work,
But said Mr.. Albert, while Congress had
rot so provided in the matter of the COM
pilation OF the District laws, the work
would nevertheless prove Of great value as
showing what laws were In force within
the District; and especially would it prove
or value in the compiling Of a District code.
should one ever be authorized.
up to the present time, said Mr. Ahart'
.ne compilation embraced seventies pht
chapters. of which seventy-one had bean
completed, revised and indexed, while the
remaining seven had vet TO he reviso,s go
lndexed. Before the work was ready for
submission more chapters might be found
necessary. but at the present time tho
seventy-eight chapters Of the Compilation
were as follows:
Compiled CHAPTERS.
i. Abatement 10 T,.t;. a.