The Washington herald., 1909-04-19

word. Yet when the courts coma 70 in
terpret these statutes. there construction
Is so different that IN a few years there
IS line Of decisions in each State which
makes the effect OF the laws OF the sew
eral states as di6ereDt as II there had
been no original uniformity. The Ameri-
can Bar Association is laboring as ASST
ouously 70 solve this problem as the
commission on uniform laws is labor
ing for uniformity Of legislation.
Legislatures are often imposed upon.
and there is scarcely a session OF any
legislative body which does not allow
some 'Joker" 10 steal through. Aaron
Burr was one OF the first men TO try to
pass on 'joker" on an American leSis-
lative assembly. He wanted TO establish
banking business In New York, and
the legislature refused him the charter
he desired Finally an apparently harm
less bill with reference TO the New York
water supply was introduced and PASSED.
It was afterward found TO contain the
very bank charter Burr had been seek
ing. In 1905. the New York legislature
was again near victim Of even a more
dangerous Joker than the one Burr had
onered granting certain power CORPORA
ton time 70 commence work and other
wise 1t was afterward found that the
bill extended to the power company had
the right Of eminent domain IN every city
and county OF the State. the same 10 be
irrevocable and in perpetuity, the free
use OF every public street and highway.
and use OF the waters OF Niagara Falls.
To overcome The dangers OF such "jok-
ers most legislative assem- bIes have en-
ployed high-solar.ed men 10 wise ali bills
and 70 put them IN shape for legislative
enactment The number OF efforts to mt
Jokers' into law has been on the de-
cline sihce the great moral awakening
Of the present decade and even in Con-
gress. where the food Of bills is the
worst in the world. there are few "jok-
ers' put into the laws. and they are usu-
ally Insignificant.
Perhaps the most widely advertised ef
fort for uniformity OF legislation relates
TO the divorce question. There are almost
as many kinds OF law on this subject as
there are States in the Union. and some
OF them are so framed as TO permit the
divorce laws Of other States virtually
70 be set aside. In some States the Pc
riod Of residence required is so brief and
the doctrine OF what constitutes resi-
dence so liberal that almost anyone can
get his case into the courts OF that State,
and the grounds for divorce are so nu-
merOus that the divorce comes more on
the ground Of ability to pay for the pro-
ceedi1gs than from any real cause. II is
true that the Supreme Court declared
not long ago that New York did not
have TO recognize a Connecticut divorce
decree in a case where the latter State
did not acquire jurisdictional control over
the defendant; but none Of the States
has sought 70 overturn the az -ion OF the
divorce courts Of other States because Of
this decisOn. The model divorce law
which was drawn upon lines laid down
by the national divorce congress has
not been meeting with the appreciation
OF state legislatures that was expected.
New Jersey and Delaware are the only
States which have as yet enacted It into
law
Copyright 1900 b. Frsiers, J. Haskinl
To-mOrrow-New Laws in Effect.