Evening star., 1900-05-10
NECESSITY FOR A CODE
DISTRICT SHOULD HAVE PROPER
MODES OF LEGAL PROCEDURE.
Members of the House Give Express
sion to Their Views on the
Important Question.

General interest is manifested by mem
bers of the House in the pendency OF the
District code. and numerous inquiries are
made by lawyers in the body as to the
probability of the passage of the bill at this
session
1t is safe to say that every lawyer of
prominence in the House has had his at
tention directed to the necessity for the
enactment Of code for the District of Co.
lumbia, and If the bill is permitted to come
up it will receive careful and intelligent
consideration.
Chairman Babcock is still unable to fore
cast the probable action upon the bill, as
he is thus far at loss to account for the
opposition which has succeeded in prevent
Ing consideration of the measure. Members
of the District committee. of course are
irrttated over the delay. as the bill was re-
ported after careful deliberation. and car
rfes, with one possible exception the unan-
lmous approval of the committee.
Should He Passed.
The code should be passed." said Rep
resentative Jenkins, a member OF the Dis
trict committee, to a Star reporter today
If We do not make a perfect code at this
time subsequent Congress can remedy the
detects. But 1t surely devolves upon u.s.
however, to do our share to put into opera
ton as soon as possible the code which the
Bar Association and citizens of the Dis
trfct have prepared"
1t may be stated in this connection that
Mr.. Jenkins, who is also a member of the
judiciary committee and a lawyer of dis
tinction, has spent great deal of time
upon the code. He is said to have re-
marked in an executive session of the
committee the other day that he would
not have done as much work for private
Individual for 5000 as he has done upon
this code.
Present Difficulties.
Representative White, member of the
District committee, is also in favor of the
passage of the code.
Il am practicing attorney myself" said
Mr. White today, land have an office in
this city. / am therefore in a position to
realize the difficulties under which the peo-
pie of this District labor in aScertaining
the law that controls them. The code rep
resents long and patient research upon the
part of the Bar Association and of Judge
Cox. and does great credit to those who
framed it.
The consensus of opinion of the District
is to pass the code l believe, however.
that it will not be passed if there is insist
ence upon utilizing the code to create or
abolish Offices
Mr.. Whites attention was called to the
fact that the paragraph abolishing the Of
fee of register of wills had been stricken
gathered that the Bar Association still
wanted to retain that provision. He
thought. however, that with this eliminated
there would be no specific objection to the
passage of the code.
Ought to Have a Code.
Representative Mercer, a member of the
committee, was vigorous in his expression
of belief that the code should be enacted.
II think the District ought to have a code
of laws he said. and they can't get it too
soon. 1t is about time the District of Co.
| lumbia was placed on a level with the
United States with respect to modes of legal
procedure.
There at least ought to be consideration
| of the code. If amendments are necessary
| they can be made when the bill is brought
before the House. For myself, / hope there
will be no further delay in passing the bill -
Represent tative Tayler of Ohio who holds
| high rank among the lawyers of the House
and who was chairman of the special COM
mittee that Investigated the Roberts case
| said that he was aware of the difficulties
| and embarrassments attending the deter
| mination of the status of the law in the Dis
| trfct OF Columbia, and he was convinced
| that an adequate code should be enacted
Mr.. Tayler was surprised that there should
| be any delay at this stage of the proceed
ings. after the citizens of the District and
| the committee Of the House had agreed
| upon bill.