The record-union. [volume] (Sacramento, Calif.) 1891-1903, 1899-08-01
CODE COMMISSION REPORTS
THE OLD BOARD CLOSES ITS
WORK AND QUITS.
It Renders an Account Of It's Do
ings for the Past Two
Years.

The Code Commissioners We're in ses-
sion all day yesterday, during which
they completed their two years work
and turned over to Secretary OF state
Curry a wheelbarrow load of type
written manuscript and a report &C
| companying their work. They also ar
ranged to turn the office over to their
successors, whose term began at mid
night.
Their report on the work done with
the Civil Code is dismissed in these
words:
I'VE have the honor to tranmit a
supplemental report of the Commits
sion for the Revision and Reform of
the Law, being the CIVIL Code, as
heretofore revised by US, amended and
corrected so as to include the statutes
and amendments relating to said code
and adopted by the legislative session
of 1899.
LAS shown therein such changes are
few, and for that reason said report
has not been rewritten. but the com
mission has filed a corrected copy Of
said report as heretofore printed
"A detailed report of the commits
sion will be found accompanying the
Revised Penal Code, this day also
filed"
The full text of the report accom-
panying the voluminous transcripts is
as follows:
Office of the Commission for the Re
vision and Reform of the Law. Sac
ramento, Cal, July 81, 1899.
Hon. C. F. Curry, Secretary of State
Dear Sir: We have the honor to sub
nit herewith Volume III. of the report
of the Commissioners for the Revision
and Reform of the Law, being the re-
vised Penal Code of California.
A glance at the law under which the
commission has acted will determine
that the main reason for it's enact
ment was founded on the long felt
want of legislators and State, county
and other officers generally, as we'll as
the Judiciary and members of the bar,
to obtain, not so much new legislation
as a revision and codification of exist
ing laws.
This want was no doubt based on
the indiscrimiate passage of statutes,
rather than amendments to Codes, on
| the subjects contained in the latter
since their adoption.
This practice had grown to such an
extent that fully one-third of the Po-
! litical Code was obsolete; the Civil Code
/ touching on many subjects lacked many
of the laws affecting them, especially
as to corporations; the Penal Code was
minus a considerable portion of the
penal enactments in force, and the Civil
Procedure, though less affected, vas
also in need of revision.
Deeming this feature of more imme-
| date Importance than recommenda-
lions for the passage of new laws, we
determined to prosecute our work in
three divisions:
l. A revision and codification of all
existing law properly belonging in any
! of the Codes.
2. The compilation of all laws not
forming part of either of said codes
in volume, or volumes, entitled I'm
| codified Statutes of California"
8. The preparation of list OF
statutes to be expressly repealed; and
the submission of separate bills con-
tanning suggestions for amendments TO
the codes, and for changes in the stat
| utes.
not the purpose of the commission to
suggest new laws on any subject form
! ing a part of either of said codes, or OF
said uncodified statutes. but to use ex-
listing laws only, giving citation Of
| the acts in proper notes following each
section amended, or each article, or
chapter incorporated, in either of said
volumes. as authority for the insertion
! thereof.
The only changes adopted We're such
as were required in changing statute
standing alone into a section, article or
chapter. forming a component part OF
a codified system on the subject to
/ which it related, and such as might ne
necessary to remove portions thereof
which had been repealed, or We're de-
clared unconstitutional by the courts
Conflicting provisions were harmonized,
and existing laws containing uncer-
tain and incongruous provisions, which
had been the subject of CONSIDERATION
by the Supreme Court, were corrected
in accordance with the opinion OF that
tribunal.
| In preparing the second division, the
commission would have considered all
laws not made part of either OF the
codes.
The third division would have COM
/ prised suggestions from the Judiciary
members of the bar, and citizens gen
orally.
In pursuance of this intention, we
have requested recommendations from
! all sources willing to submit them, es-
hpecially including State and county Of
ficers and members of commissions
concerning the laws governing their
respective departments.
We realized that the first was the
most important in the sense that its ac-
| complishment was the moving cause
for the passage of the law establishing
| the commission.
We, therefore, directed our first ef-
forts to the preparation of the first dl-
vision, and the work accomplished on
/ this system is as follows:
(a) The Revised Civil Code.
OBJ The Revised Political Code; and,
! (c) The Revised Penal Code.
] Investigations have been carried on
| by members of the commission, and
material gathered which would have
permitted us to complete the entire
work of the first division by the 1st of
October 1899.
The Civil Code was transmitted to the