The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1900-02-09
IS A FINE vOLUME
New Book of City Ordinances
Ready for Distribution.
WORK CREDITABLY DONE
Attorney Keenan, Makes 1t a
Work of Easy Reference.
WORK CREDITABLY DON.

The printing and binding of the book
! Of revised city ordinances has been COM
pleted, and yesterday the books were dis
trfbuted to the various city officials At
ordinances has accomplished a most sys-
tematic and creditable piece Of work He
| has exercised the necessary care in going
| over all ordinances from No. l to No.
| 1880, and in the arrangement Of details,
| such as a table of contents to each or
dinance. headlines to each section, alb
number from 1 to 1880, has been accom-
plished in a scientific and logical man
ner throughout the book.
The compiler's preface to the work, ex-
planning a, great many of the details, is
as follows:
1.-THE work Of revising and compiling
the ordinances for the city of Wichita
has been more arduous and difficult than
was at first anticipated. At last the work
is done, and a few words of preface and
explanation are proper.
Ordinances not published are: Ordi-
nances % making appropriations; (2)
making tax levies, annual and special; 90
repeating prior ordinances; "a authoriz-
ing the issue of improvement and re-
funding bonds; % granting franchises
which have not been accepted or have
been abandoned; (6) all street railway
franchises repealed by ordinance No.
1856; and % ordinances which, by their
own terms, indicate temporary, and
not a general, purpose such as authoriz-
ing sidewalks upon petition therefor.
"The ordinances published have been
grouped with an effort at systematic ar
rangement 1t is probably impossible to
arrange ordinance law into anything like
complete scientific order. Ordinances on
kindred subjects are not usually passed
with view to any system. The work
would be difficult, at best, but when it
is considered that councilmen, as a rule,
are not lawyers, meet but twice IN a
month, for a few hours at most, and
present matters with view to existing
necessities, rather than conformity with
pre-existing enactments, or with the
niceties of scientific arrangement, lack of
scientific order Is not to be wondered at.
Wherefore the author of revised city Or
dinances who set sout with a view of
conforming his work to logical legal form,
WILL for years to come, find himself face
to face with difficulties which he will not
be able to solve to his entire satisfaction.
The critic may find matter at hand to
complain of in the completed work-so
will the author. The sober-minded should
set himself this test: What arrangement
1.-THE chief objects sought to be accom-
plished in this revision are: d The bring
ing together of the various criminal and
penal ordinances, and re-ancting them In
revised form, under the general head of
public offenses; 60 the grouping together
of ordinances on the general subject of
streets, under such sub-heads as extern
sions, vacations, grades, sidewalks, etc.;
81 fire epartment-fremen, fire limits,
explosives, etc, form a fairly complete
subject; a. franchises have been grouped,
and sub-topics arranged with view to
logical order 90 topics which have not
admitted of more complete arrangement
have been arranged next to each other,
as police department and public offenses.
City officers, health, parks, licenses, build
ings, animals, city limits, sewers and
plumbing have been so arranged as to in
dictate the evolution of a more systematic
arrangement. to come in the future.
at is hoped the work will be found rea-
sonably free from errors. The work is
submitted, confident that the kind and
courteous treatment the author has re-
ceived from the mayor, councifmen and
city officials generally, indicates that it
will be accepted in a spirit which will
overlook mere shortcomings"
The book makes a pretty and substan-
tial volume, similar to all the law books.
1t is bound substantially in sheep, with
title in gilt letters on the back. The ty-
biographical and press work is excellent.
Those who have seen the ordinances say
the volume is undoubtedly one of the
best and neatest books of its kind in the
state, and Mr.. keenan, deserves great
credit