Abilene weekly reflector. [volume] (Abilene, Kan.) 1888-1935, 1908-01-30
BRYCE'S ADVICE
British Ambassador Il Alarmed a
Increase IN the Volume Of
Legislation.
TOLD NEW YORK LAWYERS
Those Who Demand More Laws d
Not Know Evil They Desire
to Cure Nor the Proper
Remedy.

New York, Jan. 25.--British Ambas-
sador Bryce delivered an address be-
fore the State Bar association at Car
negie hall Friday night In which he
calls attention to the vast increase in
the volume Of legislation in the last
half century and in his address takes
occasion to seriously reflect upon the
capacity Of the American people for
self government He told his audience
that with Q faith in the power Of law
to bless mankind which few historians
and philosophers share; the demand
for profusion of legislation was in
evitable, and that Of those demanding
legislation few know what evil they
desire to cure or what is the proper
remedy and suggests thatsevery legis-
lative body should have some person
or persons to supervise legislation.
''The immense increase in the vol
ume Of legislation during the last half
century is one Of the salient features
Of our times" said Mr.. Bryce, TN
no country is the output so large as
In the United States, where, beside
congress, 46 state legislatures is busily
at work turning out laws on all
imaginable service, with q faith in the
powers Of law to bless mankind which
few historians or philosophers, and
few experienced lawyers will be
found to share. The current Is at
least for the moment irresistible, as
appears from the fact that It prevails
alike in Western Europe, In England,
in the British colonies and in the
United States. The demand for pro
fusion Of legislation is inevitable. The
difficulty Of having 1t good consists in
three things: First, Of those who de-
mand legislation many do not under
stand exactly what is the evil they de-
sire to cure, the good they seek to at
tain. Secondly, when they do under
stand the evils, they seldom know
what is the proper remedy. Thirdly,
the number of measures, remedial and
constructive, called for, is SO large that
1t is very hard to select out Of them
those urgently needed.
Mr.. Bryce said conditions made 1t
desirable to have some organized sys
tenn for the gathering and examination
Of Materials for legislation and espe-
cially for collecting the laws passed in
other countries on subject Of current
Importance. To secure the pushing
forward Of measures needed in the
public interest there should be In
every legislature arrangements by
which some definite person or body Of
persons become responsible for the
conduct of legislation. To secure SUI.
ficient time for the consideration OF
measures of general and permanent
applicability, such matters as those
relating to the details of administra,
ton or in the nature Of executive or
ders should be left to be dealt with
by the administrative department Of
government, under delegated power,
possibly with a right to disapprove
reserved to the legislature. Similarly
the more detailed rules of legal pro-
cedure ought to be left to the judi
cial department or somebody commits
stoned by it, instead of being regulated
by statute. Bills Of local or person
al nature ought to be separated from
bills of general applicability and dealt
with in a different and Quasi-judicial
way.
In order to enable both the legis.
lature and the people to learn what
the statute law in force actually is,
and thereby to facilitate good legisla'
ton the statute law ought to be peri
odically revised, and SO far as pos.
sible SO consolidated as to be brought
into a compact, consistent and intel
Ilgible shape.