The Washington times., 1906-03-12
WILL REVISE LAWS
IN THIS CONGRESS
COdificatiOn of National
Acts Now Ready.
HAS BEEN LARGE TASK
commission Engaged Nine Years and
House Will Have to Sit Nights
to Review Lab0rS.

The House Committee on Revision Of
the Laws. Of which Representative
Moon OF Pennsylvania is chairman. early
this week viii bring up IN the House
for consideration and passage the first
installment of this vast work which
has been under way since 1897
BY the time the penal code is passed,
the committee VIII have the judiciary
title ready for consideration. Follow
ing this in sequence viii come about
twenty subdivisions of the entire code.
and it is expected that the new Revised
Statutes. including between 5000 and 5000
sections OF law, Will be passed during
the present session OF Congress.
VIII Hold Nighr Sessions.
Prompted 10y the urgent demand from
bench and bar and others Interested
throughout the country that this work
he completed as promptly as possible
Speaker Cannon has consented that
night sessions Of the House be held
and these will be begun as soon as the
first instalIment reaches the House
Each subdivision. as passed. will carry
a repeal clause and VIII Immediately
sUpersede all United States laws OF SIM
liar purport-
The present revision is the first since
1871 The commission which revised and
codlhed the statutes a S they now stand
spent seven years on the work. Nine
years viii have passed between the be-
ginning and the approaching completion
OF the present session.
Congress. in 1897. began the work by
providing for a commission for revision
Of the criminal code. In 1898. revision Of
the judiciary code was added. and in
successive acts the commission was fl
nallv empowered to revise and codify
all existing United States laws, with the
further power Of supplying omissions
necessary to complete 81 systematic and
coherent scheme Of Codihcation.
President Urged Speed.
The original commission had made no.
table progress on its enormous task
when. u,ged by the President that the
revision he hastened to completion, Con
gress. at the present session, placed up
on its own Committee for the Revision
OF the Laws the responsibility Of COM
plerine the work and presenting it TO
Congress.
Speaker Cannon chose the leading
legal authorities OF the House for the
committee With fatterinE comment on
his statesmauIike and legal abilities, the
Speaker named Reuben O Moon. DIS
tinsuished Philadelphia lawyer, rs
chairman. and these members, Charles
r DunweU New York. Martin l.
SmyssT. Ohio. lockwood HOar. Massa-
chusetts Charles B. Law, New York:
Newton ". Gilbert. Indian, Joseph 4.
Bennett. Kentucky. Frank =. Klepper,
Missouri. Robert Bruce Macon. Arkan-
Sas. Swager Sherlev, Kentucky. Edward
". POu. North Carolina; John 7. Wat
nf-T. NfrW -sHTQ
The committee began with n resolve
to secure the adoption Of the Revised
Statutes in the present session. II tlaS
met daily. often throughout the day
and into the night. On January %. the
penal code. containing 500 sections. was
introduced and referred back TO the
committee. thus giving practical ey-
idence OF the progress Of its work in
two months after the opening Of Con
Eress. on February Is, the judiciary
title including $50 sections Of law.
was introduced. On February 90. r
subdivision % 1.OSS sections, includ-
ing laws relating TO Congress, the eN-
utive departments of the Government
and the civil service. was submitted 10
the House and referred. and on Feb
Tllarv DO another subdivision of 80
army. militia, ordnance, and fOrtih-
cations. was submitted
IN the same order. the committee will
put the finishing touches 10 these cod
ihCations. and, with the reports one
after the other these will go on
the House calendar. the first of them.
the penal code. being now ready except
for completing and having printed the
committee report TO accompany IT.
Laws Greatly Changed.
In The thirty years intervening be
tween the last revision and this one,
p large number OF laws has been en-
acted, and the task Of seeking. cIassi-
fyiuE studying revising. and assem-
bling them has been of monumental
proportions. Important laws have been
found in legislation Of all descriptions,
and appropriation bills have been nota-
ble for the number of statutes their
study has yielded. That provision OF
United States law, for instance, which
entities parties IN interest TO testify.
an enactment which revolutiOnized
former practice in this regard was
among others, tagged on 70 an appTopri-
alton bill.
The committee has exhausted every
field OF search IN its revision. and its
members fully believe that the com
pIeted code viii be q monument 20 each
one who had part In IL.
The Speakers decision TO call night
sessions for consideration OF the sue
cessive sections is the result Of the
keen personal interest taken by the
President IN this legislation. as well as
the ambition of Mr.. Cannon to have the
revision become law during his regime
1S speaker.
cAchnIouc C00CE HpIIEIIY