Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-03-19
Board Of Trade Recommends Adoption
by Congress.
REPORT OF The SPECIAL COMMITTEE
Action Taken Against Occupation
of Parks for Private Uses.
OTHER BUSINESS CONSIDERED

was called to order by Mr.. John Joy Ed
| son, the president of the board. The action
| taken by this body follows that of the Bar
| Association and places those two organ
izations in line in favor of the measure.
| The vote was unanimous one.
| After the minutes Of the previous meet
| ing had been read by the secretary, Mr..
| George II. Harries, and approved President
| Edison announced that the purpose of the
| meeting was to consider the report of the
| special committee the proposed code of
| laws of the District. He said that for mont his
| past this subject had been given careful
| attention by the members of the bench and
| bar and at recent meeting of the Bar
| Association the code had been approved
! 1t was now, he said before the board for
| its action and it was the hope that when
the code came before Congress that body
| would give 1t speedy consideration. He then
| called upon Mr.. r. Ross Perry, the chair
man of the special committee on the code
who read the report which in part was as
follows:
| Report of the Committee.
The report sketched the history of the
preparation and examination of the code
| and stated that 'for many years the
| necessity of a code of laws for the District
| of Columbia has been generally recognized
| by the courts, tine bar and the citizens of
| the District generally. From time to time
efforts have been made to supply the want
| but each in turn failed. Finally during
| the year 1896 the Bar Association of the
| District of Columbia and the board of
trade united in requesting Judge Walter
S. Cox, whose eminent ability and long
| experience both at the bar and upon the
bench of the Supreme Court of the Dis
| trict of Columbia especially qualified him
| for the work, to prepare such code Judge
| Cox kindly consented, and in the year 1898
| COMPLETED a DrODOSeQ code of laws for the
| District of Columbia, being aided by
| stenographer whose compensation was paid
| by the board and the Bar Association,
| jointly. The provisions of this code were
carefully considered by the judges of the
| Supreme Court of the District of Column
| bia and also by d special committee of its
| Bar Association. The most active inter-
| est was taken in ii by the former chairman
| of this special committee, the late A. T.
Britton, whose untimely death We all de-
Dlore.
THE 18th day of February. 1899, the
code, as revised by the committee on legis-
| lation of the Bar Association. in conjunc-
| ton with the justices of the Supreme Court
| of the District. including Judge Cox. was
Introduced in the Senate of the United
States as Senate bill No. $3.50 of the Fifty
fifth Congress third session. 1t should be
| mentioned that it was found impossible in
the time at command to thoroughly review
the second or municipal part of Judge Cox's
code. So that the code, submitted to
Congress. contained only the first or gen.
eral part of the code touching matters of
general Jurisprudence. 1t is very impor-
tant that Congress should take action
looking to proper revision of the second
or municipal part of the code: but, on the
part of the bar, must be deferred until
| suitable commission can be appointed by
| Congress to undertake that work. After
the code had been printed as Senate bill
$3.50 number of copies of the printed bill
were circulated among the judges, the men,
bers of the bar and members of the board
q lapi S1a i've Of
| the Bar Association has spared neither time
nor labor in carefully going over this bill.
Revised by Judges.
LAS final precaution a committee of
the judges of the Supreme Court of the
District. consisting of Judges Bradley. Cole
| and Barnard, sat with the legislative COM
! mittee of the Bar Association from day to
day and from half after 10 until half after
3 of each secular day in going over the
bill together and in considering carefully
and critically not only each of its pro-
visions, but every word in which the same
was expressed. In addition 10 this. this
joint committee of the court and bar had
before them suggestions from many men,
bers of this board, from members of the
bar, from justices of the peace and from
citizens generally, touching various provis
ions of the code.
"All of these were carefully considered
by the said joint committee The final re-
suit of their labors submitted to the
Bar Association of the District of Column
ba on Saturday. the 10th instant and was
unanimously approved by that association.
So that this proposed code comes before the
board of trade with the unanimous support
of the Supreme Court of the District and
of its bar. 1t has also received the unani-
nous approval of the special committee
upon the code of this board of trade.
at is obviously impossible in this report
to go into any detail with respect to the
codes provisions. The Bar Association of
the District of Columbia was content to ac-
cept them upon the faith of the joint COM
mittee of judges and lawyers. Ii may be
that there are snecia! provisions which
may be considered not favorable to Spe-
cial interests as those affected by said in
terests would desire. To ali such and to
the members of the board of trade general
ly this committee desires to recall the
words of benjamin Franklin spoken in Sep
TENDER, 1877. before the convention assem-
bled at Philadelphia to prepare Constitu-
ton for these United States.
Reasons for Adoption.
Upon moving the adoption of the Consti-
tuition as reported to the convention DIR.
Franklin, then eighty-one years of age,
spoke at some length. The speech was APP
pended to the report. In part it is as fol-
lows:
81 confess that there several parts
of this Constitution which 1 do not at pres
ent approve but / am not sure / shall never
have experienced many instances of being
obliged, by better Information fuller
consideration, to change opinions, even on
important subjects, which I once thought
right, but found to be otherwise. 1t is,
therefore, that the older l grow the more
apt to doubt my own judgment, and
to pay more respect to the Judgment of
others.
- agree to this Constitution. with all its
faults, If they are such, because / think a
general government necessary for us, and
is NO form Of hut hat
may be blessing to the people if well adj
ministered. doubt, too, whether any other
convention we can obtain may be able to
make better Constitution. Thus / con-
sent, sir, to this Constitution, because /
expect no better. and because / am not
sure that it Is not the best. The opinions
have had of its errors 1 sacrifice to the
public good.
On the whole sir. I cannot help express
ing a wish that every member of the con-
vention, who may still have objections to
it, would with me. on this occasion. doubt
little of his own infallibility. and. to
make manifest our unanimity, put his name
to this Instrument
Mr.. Perry stated that since writing the
report he had been informed that Mr..
Worthingteu had received a letter from