Bismarck weekly tribune. [volume] (Bismarck, Dakota [N.D.]) 1884-1943, 1895-11-22
THB REVISED CODES
y, q VI !. ,sa -
Laws Of the State Will Be Contained
in Single Volume After
January 1st, Next.
The Delivery of the Printed Codes Soon
tobe Completed to the Sec
retaryof State.
Some Interesting Facts Relative to the
Codes Of Dakota, in Terri
tory and State.
The New Codes.

Cuo pEOclduldLlOu OF q governor Will De
SO timed as to bring the new codes into
etfect.at that time, the laws Of the state
will be contained withinlone volume
the revised codes Of North dakota.
The new-codes comprise something over
100 pages and are seven in number:
the political, civil, civil procedure, jus
tees, penal, criminal procedure, and
probate. Several hundred volumes of
the new codes have been completed and
delivered to the secretary of state, and
the $500 volumes which are required by
the state, will soon have been finished
and delivered.
The new codes are prefaced with an
explanatory introduction from the re-
vising committee under whose supervis-
ion the work of preparing and
printing them vas done, Messrs. Geo.
w. Newton, of Bismarck, G. F. Amfdon
of Fargo, and Burke Corbet of Grand
Forks. This preface recites some of the
experiences Of the state with codifica-
ton in the past, and details briefly, the
work done in this line in the early days
of the territory. A code of civil proceed
ure wal adopted at the first legislative
session in 1862, and repealed in 1868,
when another was substituted. A code
of criminal procedure was adopted at
the first session, repealed in 1869, and
re-amended and re-enacted in 1875. A
Justices code was adopted in go, re-
pealed in 1863, a new code adopted, this
repealed in 1866, and another complete
code enacted. A penal code was
adopted at the second session of the
legislative in 1868, repealed in 1865, and
a new one adopted. A probate code
was adopted in 1865 and a civil code
in the same year. The terri.
tory of Dakota is stated by the revising
commissioners to have been the first
English speaking community to adopt a
codification of it's substantive law, Cali
fornia, which is generally supposed to
have been the first, not having adopted
it's civil code until 1872.
In 1875 an act was passed providing
for a commission to revise the codes and
statutes of the the territory, and P. G..
Shannon, and G. G. Bennett, justices of
the supreme court of the territory, and
Bartlett Trip, were appointed as com
mssioners. They prepared the revision
of 1877. In 1887, another COM
mission, E. w. Caldwell and Chas.
H Price, was appointed, and they
prepared the compilation of 1887, the
volume which is now in use. Upon the
admission of the state of North Dakota,
the necessity for the revision and har-
nomination of the statutes was felt, and
in 1891 a law was passed for the appoint
ment of a commission. P. H. Rourke,
j. G. Hamilton. and R. M. Pollock were
appointed and they prepared their work,
but nothing was done in the session OF
1898, owing to a %protracted senatorial
contest. The same session the present
commission was provided for and ap.
pointed in March, shortly after which
they organized, appointed c. j. Fisk
secretary, and began upon their work,
Assignments of the different codes were
made, the probate and Justices codes
to Mr.. Corbet, the penal code and code
of criminal procedure to Mr.. Newton.
and the civil code and code of civil pro.
cedure to Mr.. Amidon, the political
code being reserved for the action of the
entire commission. In 1895, the com:
mission reported to the Legislative as
sembly seven bills, providing for the
seven codes, and these were enacted
after having been changed and revised
by a special joint committee. Numer.
GUS changes were made by the commit,
tee, the mostimportant being an entirely
new system.of revenue and taxation in
the political code.
It would be impossible here to give a
comprehensive review Of the changes
made by the new codes, the new pro.
visions which have been adopted, and
the differences which will be found in
the form Of existing laws. There is a
new system of taxation, a new time and
method for the making of tax sales,
provisions regulating anew the salaries
of certain county officials, a new law for
the deposit Of state funds, a provision
for the holding Of supreme court at
Bismarck alone, one for the establish.
ment of municipal courts in certain
cities, important changes in the Justices
code, various changes in the form Of
legal procedure now in vogue, and i'm,
portant and interesting changes toe
numerous. for enumeration, which car
be understood completely only by a
thorough study of the revision as printed
The completion and delivery Of all
the codes will probably be arrived'at
in about ten days., and the governor
is to the delivery and his &C.
ceptance thereof for thirty days, after
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