The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1903-10-13
CODIFYING STATE LAWS
VAST AMOUNT OF PRELIMINARY
WORK FOUND TO BE NECESSARY.
The Commission Authorized by the
Last General Assembly Bringing
Order Out of Chaos.

The Codification Commission, since its or
ganization April 10. 1903, has been laborious-
ly engaged in trying to carry out the pur-
pose of it's creation. Much time, in the be-
ginning, was given to the adoption of a
plan Of work. The work to be done was in
dictated by the Legislature. but the plan by
which 1t was to be carried out had to be de-
termined by the commission and was not
easy.
The law Of Indiana as now on the statute
books, is the work of the revisers of 1881,
Judge Frazer, Senator Turpie and Mr.. Stot-
senberg and of the twelve Legislatures that
have sat In the State capital since that date.
But aside from this the courts have over
and over again construed, distinguished and
declared void very much of this legislative
work. The result, the commission found,
was mass Of statutes from which ii was
not easy to draw out clear, consecutive
statement of Indiana's statutes Of 1881 and
all the laws since enacted have been care
fully examined by the commission, COM
pared and the annotations entered on the
margins of the several volumes. 1t has
been found that Notwithstanding the care
taken by the able men who constituted the
revision commission of 1881 many laws held
by the courts to be still in force were omit
ted on purpose or else overlooked by that
learned body. That the present commission
might, IL possible. not overlook any enact
ment by the Legislature since 1881 variety
of expedients has been resorted to. A list
has been drawn of the titles of all the ses-
sion laws and a typewriter copy of this
list placed In the hands of each OF the COM
missioners From this list an alphabetical
index OF subjects has been made up, re-
ferring by volume and page TO every
amendment or change on each subject OF
legislation since 1881 and copy OF this in
dex fs also given to each commissioner. The
different applications and repetitions, as
well as notifications and amendments OF
the. statutes may therefore be readily ex-
amined and II is the intention OF the COM
mission that no legislative measure, how
ever minute, shall be overlooked The re-
visers have been of opinion that not only
the laws of this State, but also those OF sis
ter States should be examined and the most
important provisions carefully collated SO
that whatever should be thought most val
liable in the legislation of other States
might be adopted in Indiana. Extensive alb
stracfs have accordingly been made from
the statutes Of other States.
ALL THE WORK PRELIMINARY.
All the work is preliminary in its nature.
and the actual work expected Of the COM
mission is to follow. The lines Of labor have
been marked, and the materials In some
measure prepared. but the work itself is to
build up along those lines and out OF this
material However, much Of the real work
itself is under way. The first draft Of the
several statutes must be subject to revision
before the finished product IL made ready
for the eye of the next Legislature
Early In the period Of their labors the
members Of the commission, knowing that
one mind and one hand must first take up
q given subject. TO be afterwards submitted
to the review Of the full body, fixed on reg
which the work Of the previous month Is
gone over and the plans for the future
marked out. In this way the commission
has the advantages OF individual initiative
tive review. revision or amendment. a. may
be found best The plan OF procedure seems
to be working to advantage and IL IL be-
reached.
The commission has been notably aided BY
NEST valuable suggestions from memtsxs 81