The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-01-17
CONTINUED from yesterday

CONTINUED from yesterday
] have also received from the ON.
GERS Of the National Congress ON Uni
form Divorce Laws. copies OF It's adj
dress. resolutions. and It's proposed
act to make uniform the laws Of the
States relating to the annuIiment Of,
marriage and divorce and laws reIat-
ing to the return Of statistics con.
corning these matters The first SEES.
sion Of this congress- was held ut
washington in February Of this year,
and its final session at Philadelphia
in November. Having been invited
to do SO by Governor Pennypacker. OF
PENNSYLVANIA, who was selected chair
man of the congress, / appointed dele.
gates on behalf of this State to tho
meeting. These delegates participat.
ed actively in the proceedings, and
We're the Rev. John Weir, Of Buck.
harmon, Mr.. B. F. Meighen, lately de-
ceased, and Mr.. 3. d. Leach, OF
Moundsville. i have not had oppor-
tunity to examine critically the pro.
posed law recommended by the con.
gress. yet I have seen several com.
mandatory notices Of It in current
publications. shall be. glad to fur
nish TO the committee OF your honor.
able body to whom the matter may be
referred copies of the address, etc..
furnished to me.
have also received from Mr.. Fran.
els B. James, chairman of the COM
mittee on Commercial Law OF the
Commissioners on Uniform STATE
Laws in National Conference, copy
of proposed act ito make uniform
the law of Sales" and a copy of pro.
posed act ito make uniform the law
Of warehouse receipts" The uni
formity of law among the States, es.
pecially as regards commercial mat
tiers, being very desirable, these pro.
posed laws are commended to your
consideration. ~
Code Of 1906.
The last Legislature adopted john
resolution authorizing the Governor
to contract with some capable attor.
ney for 5000 copies Of the fifth edi-
ton of the code at the price of $500
per copy, aggregating $21 1000. Tho
books were to be delivered within
thirty months after the adjournment
OF the last session. No appropriation,
however, was made to pay this
amount. Before I had concluded to
act under the joint resolution, was
informed that the West Publishing
Company. Of ST. Paul, Minnesota, the
well known publishers of law boolss
and periodicals, proposed to get out a
new edition OF the code OF this state,
and would do so free of any cost to
the State, IL the State should not un.
dertake a new edition. They obiigat.
ed themselves TO sell to the State for
Its use copies of the new code at the
following prices: 500 to 900 copies
at $500 per copy; 1000 or more cop
les at $500 a copy; 200 or more cop
les at $500 per copy. The new code
was issued several months ago, and
is very satisfactory in every respect;
It has not cost the State penny. l
did not feel obligated to act under
the joint resolution because do not
think the Legislature can enact a Law
in this way. The Constitution pro.
lyides how laws shall be enacted
through what processes bill shall
pass before 1t becomes law. II the
Legislature can enact laws by The
passage of joint resolutions, which de
not have to go through the processes
required for the passage Of bill, then
the restrictions and safeguards placed
in the. Constitution concerning the
passage Of laws would be an absurd
ity. venture to say there heretofore
there has not been proper considera
ton of the restricted office of joint
resolution under our Constitution.
Joint resolutions in the Congress OF
the United States seem to have the
same force and effect as laws other.
wise passed: this is because there Is
no provision in the Federal Constitu-
ton similar to that in ours; and be.
sides all Joint resolutions passed by
Congress of a general nature are sub
mitted to the President for his ap.
proyal:
The Sale of Cocaine and Similar
Drugs.
In HIS last message to your body
Governor White called attention to
the need of legislation along these
lines, and said: 4
Stringent legislation regulating
and preventing the indiscriminate
safe of cocaine. dope and similar
drugs, should be enacted. Their use
has spread with fearful rapidly