The Washington times., 1906-04-14
NO END Of WORK
FOR THE CONGRESS
Biggest Job Ever Under
taken Yet to Be Done.
REVISION OF FEDERAL LAWS
Vast Amount of Labor in Legislation
it Is Proposed to Enact at
This Session.

People who talk about Congress ad-
tourning by June Il perhaps don't know
that Congress is going to undertake
passing, at this session. the greatest
volume OF laws that ever were enacted
at a single session of Congress or prob
ably of any other legislative body. 1t
will have TO work nights, probably for
several weeks. The mere reading of
the immense bills will represent some
DAYS of continuous sessions, to say moth
ing of the discussion and consideration
they will demand. And all this is in ad-
dition 10 the extraordinary amount of
the regular business of the session.
For 1t has been determined by the
managers of the legislation program
that the Federal statutes shall be re-
vised at this session. For about eight
years commission has been working
on revision and codification of these
laws. Its report has been substantially
completed, much of it has been printed
in the form of immense bills. and these
have been considered In much detail by
the House Committee on the Revision
of the Laws, headed by Judge Moon of
Pennsylvania. How immense is the
task before the reading clerks and the
two Houses may be judged from the
statement that just one of the bills into
divided. covers 399 pages printed in the
usual form of House bills
The last revision of the Federal laws
was made. according to the exhaustive
and able report which Judge Moon
has filed in connection with the intro
ducion of the revised penal code title.
In 1878 And" he adds, lit Is stated
that more laws of a permanent nature
have been passed since that time than
from the time of the adoption of the
Constitution down to that time"
Statutes in Chaotic Shape.
Not only is the new revision, then,
the most bulky piece of legislation ever
undertaken, but it is to be the most
complete. thorough. and satisfactory re-
vision and codification of Federal law
ever made. That there is pressing de-
mand for such a revision is made clear
by the condition of chaos which pre-
walls as to the Federal statutes
There are scattered through nearly
twenty volumes of the statutes at
large" says Judge Moon. "commingled
with voluminous mass OF temporary
enactments. and are frequently found
embodied In appropriation bills, the title
or context Of which would give no In
olcaion OF their purport: and the very
existence OF which is discovered only by
student
The committee determined to present
a
whole. because the aggregate of about
s,OOl sections OF the Federal laws would
make such an Immense task that 20 con-
slider and enact ii at one session would
preclude proper deliberation II indeed II
would not be utterly Impossible So un-
der the arrangement by titles il will be
possible 10 enact a single title at one
time and later take up another title
In presenting the new criminal title.
Judge Moon gives most interesting
and instructive history of the develop
of hia faIe n =
the beginning 1t Was assumed by courts
and lawyers that Federal courts had
common-law jurisdiction over crimes
against the United States and could
prescribe proper fines and Imprisonment
when there was no law specifically de-
termining the degree of punishment
But as matter of fact. no act can be
punished as crime against the United
States unless Congress has defined IL as
a crime and designated A Jurisdiction
in which IL can be tried As result
the protection of the Federal laws is
not guaranteed to territory acquired 10
July Z, 1S9S-including the entire acqui-
sition that resulted from the Spanish
war.
New Sections and Definitions.
The revision commission construed its
powers to include recommendation of
new legislation palpably needed, and
proceeded TO prepare a Federal criminal
code as complete as those of the most
advanced States, and to include more
comprehensive definitions of many
crimes.
Then, finally, the committee has
recommended enactment of about TWEEN
ty-five new sections covering such Of
fenseS as:
Falsely certifying records.
Destroying evidence.
Fabricating evidence.
Witness accepting bribe.
Connecting parts of different coins or
pieces Of currency.
Postal clerk failing to deliver mail.
Mailing poisons and explosives.
Inducing prosecution or false claims
The committee has adopted this defini-
tion of felOnies: "All oftClses which
may be punished by death or an i'm
prisonment exceeding one year shall be
deemed felonies, and all other offenses
defined In this title shall be deemed
misdemeanors."
No More Minimum Penalties.