The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1907-02-04
BILL TO END ALL
COURTS PROFITS
NEW MEASURE IN THE ILLINOIS
LEGISLATURE PUTS STOP
TO SALE or REPORTS.
FOR STATE COPYRIGHT
lrstead Of Having Power Vested in
Private Corporation--Plan Law
to Regulate Bond Invest
ment Companies.

Springfield. H., Feb 3,--Iawyer
all over Illinois and In neighborins
states as. we'll are interested for fnah
cial reasons and otherwise in tw,
bills that were introduced in th
house this week by Representative
Walter M Pr1yine of Christian, coun
ty. In brief, these bills provide for The
publication under state copywright Of
he supreme and appellate court re
ports and fix the selling price at SIS.
volume.
Should these bills pass-and Mr.
Proyine says he is confident that il
will take the hardest kind of fight to
defeat them this session-the thou
sands of lawyers who purchase these
volumes each year will save rs cents
volume on the present price of su.
preme court reports and 81 volume
n the opinions Of the appellate court
Two years ago similar bills were be,
fore the house committee on judicial
department and practice but they
tound their way TO the chairman 3
table when Mr.. Proyine was not look
ing.
Should these bills pass the clerk of
the supreme court, who draws $6090
year, would lose a good side profit.
The reports of the Illionis supreme
court are now published by its re-
porter, l. N Phillips, in whose name
hey are sold and copyrighted, and for
he them he charges the maximum
lrice allowed by law, which is $2.25 a
volume. AS several thousand Of these
eports are Disposed of every year,
the profit is good
Private Firm Has Copyright.
Under the present law no provision
is made for the publication or dis
tIibut on of the opinions of the ap-
ellate court. A private corporation in
Chicago owns the copyrights Of all
the volumes of these reports that
have been published up TO the present
lime and this corporation sells these
reports at $3.50 volume
The appellate court reports are
edited by Keene H. Addngton and
Walter Cyle Jones, the latter the
newly elected state senator from the
fifth senatorial district Of Cook
county,
Laws seeking to remedy these con
ditlons have been befoEs-s the state
lsgsiature for several sessions. but
apparently We're not seriously pressed
Tor considers ion until two years ago,
nd Invariably have failed of passage. |
This year. however, Mr., Provine says
he is receiving the support of lawyers
all over the state
Before drafting the measures Mr.. |
Provne had an extended correspond |
once with clerks Of courts and secre
taries OF state in a dozen or more Z
states regarding the method of publi- /
cation of reports of the higher cour,s .
and the price al which the volumes
were sold.
Prices in other States.
The results were somewhat inter
esting if not altogether surprising for
they showed that attorneys in Illinois
were paying more than three times
as much for the reports OF the SUI
preme court Of this state than is
charged for the reports of the New
Yorl, sta court of appeals In New
Yorl. these reports. published by the
state under state copyright, are sold
at 6S cents a volume.
The fixed price of court reports in
other states follows: Iowa. sl,0S;
wisconsin. $l.3o; Michigan. sl.35;
Missouri. $1.3G; Indiana, $1.50. In all
of these state. the copyright of the
reports is sted in the secretary of
state, the volumes are published un
der contract and the price is fixed by
law. This brings 10 the state consider
able profit. even at the comparatively
,ow price fixed.
This plan Is ought in Mr. PnOvino's
bills. The reports of the supreme and
appellate luurts to be printed and
issued under contract let By the
state TO the lowest responsible bidder,
each volume 10 lie sold at $50. The
copyright is To yest in the secretary
IF state for the benefit of the people
If the state and the reporter Of the
court is % have no pecunia-y irteTe
n the publ N. but he is required
70 furnish free to the secretary the
eports and opinions. the salary Of q
e h clerks Of the supreme and appel }
late courts TO BE- fixed at $4,000. II
Not only will the point be raised n {
pressing these billst that exorbitan {
prices are charged for the court re- @
por but that a private monopoly Of c
nattels taat by all right should be ,
public properly is repugnaut 10 the q
spirit Of TIE constitution. II
To Control Bond Companies. o
4 bill prepared by Secretary Of s