Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1897-08-18
THE REPORT is READY.
Committee on Revision Ready to |
Submit the Revised Statutes
to the Legislature.

Madison, Wis, Aug. 14.-[Special /
The Legislature last winter figured pref
ty closely on the length of time it would
take the committee on revision of the
statutes to complete it's work. 1t was
only finished Wednesday, less than a
week before the date fixed for the OPEN
ing Of the adjourned session, and while
the committee naturally kept this date in
mind, it has not wasted any time in, per-
forming It's work, which has been both
arduous and monOtonous. There have
been few, If any, days when some men,
Ders OF the committee have not been at
the task, and in the dog-days a large
part of 1T has been done in the cool Of the
evening.
The revision of the statutes means the
compilation and condensation of all the
laws which have been passed since 1878.
Wnen the last statutes were published,
this including the laws passed last win
ter. Few people outside the members of
the committee have any idea of the
amount OF labor this requires, except the
lawyers, who have occasion to learn by
experience the number of different laws
on the same subject which are to be
found on the statute books, many of
them containing provisions which con-
hlct with each other, while still larger
number are duplicates. The wedding out
of these, and their condensation into one
law, has been large part of the COM
mittee's work. When it is stated that
after this labor of condensation is com
pleted there are more than $500 sections.
or different provisions of law in the re-
vision, some idea is gathered of the
work necessary to be done
Not all of this work has been done by
the committee this summer. however. At
the previous session of the Legislature, in
1898, Messrs. A. l.. Sanborn and J. r.
Bergman, who under authorization of a
previous Legislature, compiled the an
nOtated statutes, were directed to report
on revision and their report. made to the
Legislature last winter. has been the basis
of the committees work in which they
nave had the assistance of these gentle
men.
1t is possible for the committee to make
IN its report material changes in the exist
ing laws, but this must be done by amend
ment, and the only case in which it is pro-
posed TO do this is in the fees for filing
articles OF incorporation of companies, the
committee having, in response to the urg-
ing of Gov. Scoield, agreed to report an
amendment increasing these fees largely.
The length of the session, outside of the
question whether or not new business
shall be taken up, depends very largely
on the manner in which the committees
revision of the statutes is adopted. If it
is taken up section by section it will ae a
lengthy job. The simplest method would
be to adopt the committees report in toto,
but this is not probable. 1t is likely that,
after the committees report is received,
opportunity will be given members to Of
fer amendments to the report, which
would mean changes III some of the pre-
visions of the laws. If the bars are let
down even thus far a considerable
amount of discussion will result and if
the work is accomplished in the three
days now talked of, it will have TO be
done much more eXpeditiously than the