Richmond dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1884-1903, 1894-04-14
prb,ica+ion of Virginia Laws.

Tho Clifton Forge Review. at the head
Of which publshing-company Is Delegate
Withrow. wants to know why we should
not have the laws Of every session OF
the State Legislature printed In certain
number of the leading papers Of the
State-"say one in every county, that
having the largest proved circulation. or
where the circulation of two or more
papers In a county should be about equal
the Secretary of State might select the one
IN which the laws should be published
the journals so publishing the statutes TO
receive proper compensation therefor 1t
saws that 'ff 500 were allowed each
Journal for such publication, the charge
upon the State Treasury for the service
thus rendered would amount to but slo,wo
h,ennially: and the advantage to be de-
rived would, we think, more than COM
pensate for the expense incurred"
The Dispatch would suggest to the Re
view that any paper that undertook TO
set up and publish the Acts of Assembly
for 500 rer session would fail OF reim-
bursement for the cost of composition
even. However. the thing might be done
through syndicate" for a sum not very
much larger than $4,000 per session. Some
one office at Richmond. or elsewhere.
would have to set up all the matter-do
all the type-setting-and furnish to all
the other papers selected as publishers OF
the laws stereotype plates thereof.
We have not figured the matter out, but
we feel sure that in no other possible way
could our State laws be published so
cheaply, or for anything like $4,000 per
session.
That virgina's present Anticipated sys-
tenn of acquainting the people with the
laws passed. within a reasonable time af-
ter their passage, is failure we have
daily evidence Of. Every day this paper
receives a letter from some person In the
country asking that this. that or the
other recently-enacted law be published
AS far as possible we comply with these
requests; but We should not be able to do
so II the Keeper Of the Rolls. Colonel
John Bell Bigger. We're not one OF the
most patient and accommodating public
'AhNtic INC Lin We
have TO get the information asked for
So we say that the question raised by
the Review is an important one, and the
syndicating scheme would work well we
think. Few. il any, daily papers could
afford to give up the required space for
the small sum that would be allowed them
for publication, but many weeklies would
be glad to avail themselves of the eppor.
tunity Of putting before their people a
complete transcript of the Acts of AS
sembly-at least OF those acts which are
truly entitled to be called general laws"
The Dispatch has published az news,
and. OF course, free Of charge to the pub
lie, many Of the laws passed at the last
session OF the General Assembly, but
many other laws, which We regarded as
not Of particular interest to any con-
siderable portion Of the public, have been
repeatedly inquired for. Some OF these
We have lately published in full. or else
made good synopses of. AS a general
thing, however. the enquirer wishes the
law printed in extenso, and this we can
not always give the necessary room for.
All or this, we submit. goes to show that
the public. especially the country people.
really do want greater and prompter light
as to new State laws.