The Plymouth tribune. (Plymouth, Ind.) 1901-1911, 1902-01-30
TANGLED LAWS
Remnants md Rawlings Of Many Acts
Obscure the Law.

speaking 10 the INDIANA ASSOCIATION
of township trustees the other day at
Indianapolis Acknowledgement Taylor
took occasion to remark upon the
great confusion in which successive
legislatures have left the statutory
laws on some important subjects.
The matter is of the utmost interest
to all the people and Mr.. Taylor IS
suggestions should be needed.
The utter confusion now prevailing
between the road laws of Indiana,
said, he, renders it practically impos-
Sible in the few minutes allotted. to
even digest the road laws of the state.
The remnants, more or less obscure
and obsolete. of fully fifty road laws
constitute Heterogeneous mass of
frills, Rawlings and worn out bodies of
road laws, scattered all along from
1852 to the present time. Each
legislature adds to the confusion by
enacting whole group of laws either
amendatory, supplemental or original.
1t is no wonder, therefore, that town.
ship officers and county officers, when
they get into the maze of road laws,
become confused and do not know
which way to turn. The fact is that
the changing of the road laws have
come to be so frequent that they do
not stand long enough for a kokak op-
orator to get snap shot at them be-
fore they are revealed.
What ought to be done is to have
one road law covering every question
connected with the laying out, con-
struction, maintenance and repair of
all township, county and state roads,
gravel, macadamized, turnpike or dirt:
covering also the construction, repair
and maintenance of bridges: and then
repeal all of the fifty existing laws,
and for once have plain statute that
anybody can read and understand, and
let it stand long enough so that the
people of the state can get used to it..
About the time that the farmers of
the state begin to understand law.
it is repealed and new scheme is
foisted on the people.
Look at the fish law. Two years
ago an act was passed encouraging the
purchase of seineS by licensing them.
They were to be one hundred feet in
length and were used practically every
where in the state. During the two
years after the passage of the law l.
33S seines were sold, pursuant t.
statute. and were licensed, and the
state obtained the fee, and toe pur-
chasers of the seines paid for their ex-
pensive seines.
At the very next session of the
legislature this law was repealed, and.
by statute, not only the use, but the
ownership, or having in possession of
any one of these thousands of seines
that the state had just licensed two
years before. was made penal Of
Tense. for the violation of which law a
fine Of $500 and Imprisonment for six
ty days in the county Jail could be
affixed.
The road laws i'm Indiana have met
with DO less sudden reyerses. Two
years ago the statute provided for a
board OF turnpike directors. to consist
of the members Of the board of county
commissioners. BY that law the road
supervisors were to have entire charge
of the repair of all the roads in their
respective road districts, under the
direction of the board of turnpike
directors. The road supervisors were
TO buy the material necessary for such
repairs and to oversee and Superintend
the work and employ the laborers, and
to pay 1925 day for a man and 3d. 80
day for man with a team. The
road supervisor was to receive 81. a
day. But the legislature of 1901 re-
pealS that law by implication and
oh 1,a xxrl< 10, oh <.ff 4
law so far as it affectsall gravel, macad-
am and free turnpike roads in the
state.
The act of March IL, 1891, is the
latest general law on the subject Of
the location, construction and main
tenance of free gravel, stone. macadam
or turnpike roads. This law attempt
ed to simplify, and does very greatly
simplify, the laws on the subject of
the construction and maintenance of
roads. The author was doubtless
afraid to repeal all of the laws and
make general law on the subject.
lest it should fail of passage.
This much may be said, however,
for this new law, that it is unsafe to
attempt to construct any free gravel,
stone or macadamized road or turn
pike in Indiana on which bonds are to
be issued without taking into account
this law. The limit of 4 per cent of