The Daily Ardmoreite. [volume] (Ardmore, Okla.) 1893-current, 1910-01-17
WORK OF CODE
COMMISSION
TWO REPORTS WILL BE SUB.
MlTTED TO THE STATE-CODl.
FlCATION OF STATUTES.

under IL glsldtlNe act, one OF winch /.
Icing prepared by Chairman Sam
Harris Of oklahoma city and Jean .
=. Day of Poteau, a minority of the .
body, is to be presented to the gov /
erpor next week. The other three
members of the commission, Judges
Thomas. Brownlec and Hayes, will
probably not make q majority report
until the end OF the year, or in time
To be submitted to the legislature in
regular session.
According to statements made to-
, day the Harris Day report Is a reyis-
! ion and cOdincation of the statutes,
pre- pared for two volumes without,
/ however. annexation or index. The
work is classified and provided with
cross references, and proper head
notes. which was accomplished,
Chairman Harris says, after the laws
had been put through an ironing pro
CESS, relieved of their ambiguity
and made TO fit the basic scheme of
state government.
The report will be in form of
recommendation to the legislature
for adoption or rejection. 1t will in
clude n multitude of suggestions in
volving the change of verbiage to rem
der the acts clear and to conform
to the recent decision of the appellate
courts. Under the minority report,
nnnotation and indexng will be car.
ried on as the work is printed. pro
viding the legislature makes proyis-
ions for publishing.
Under the legislative act creating
the commission, the work was to
have been completed by Dec. l. for
which a limited Appropriation was
made. According TO Chairman Harris
the idea of himself and Day is to
terminate the assignment within the
allotted time. while other members
favor prolonging the work. Other
members of the commission insist
that the work can not be done under
many months more, during which
time it will be necessary to print the
revised code, and present to the leg
, islature in such form.
1t Is estimated that five months
, time will be required to place the
, code in book form. In revising it
has been necessary to search all of
the statutes enacted under three
separate forms of government. dur.
ing the last twenty years, and by
S comparison. to eliminate dead mat
ter as well as revise the laws for
| intellgible consideration. Where il
1 has been suited the law has been
D practically rewritten for adoption,
[ of course, by the legislature. The
p commission has found that laws re
9 pealed fifteen years ago We're still
: being enforced, and certain forms oi
y administration were being carried on
without any law whatever. The most
p. recently compiled revised statutes OF
Oklahoma, for which the state paid
, $1,000 contained "A multitude of laws
which have either been repealed or
amended
When asked If he would submit
the minority's report during the spe
cial session of the legislature, Gov
ernor Haskell said that he knew OF
no report coming to him and declin
, ed to further discuss the matter Fol
some time, however, it has been
known that differences existed be
tween members of the commission
: resulting, it is understood, in Chair
= man Harris and Day concluding tC
r mack an independent report
: According to views here. the legis
e lature will have no authority to re
@ wise the laws, repeal or amend them
u when submitted by the commission
s. The report will be either for adop
II tiou or rejection, and if adopted vii
L carry with it only such reforms a
sion. The general procedure is u
n apportion the work in either brand
a of the legislature among committees
'e each dealing with particular clas
e. of laws. and reporting its recommen
dations TO the general Legislative
body, in the same course that a pre-
posed bill takes. This would -
IS dite the consideration.
IT The view that the legislature /
st limited to adoption or rejection OF tn
commissions report is not shared b.
many members of the legislator