Evening journal. [volume] (Wilmington, Del.) 1888-1932, 1911-02-23
STATE CODE
REVISION
Commission Reports to LeGiS-
Iature Of Work ACCOmpll-
shed Until This Time
DOUBT CONSTITUTIONALITY
OF SeME STATE STATUTES

rising the heNlseu AOue NolhAiiooi''i
f Delaware. have sent their report TO
he Legislature.
The report follows:
To the General Assembly OF Del
aware.
The undersigned, constitution the
Revised Code Commission, report
as follows;
That under and pursuant to Chap
ter 253. Volume 25, Laws of Della
ware entitled, Joint Resolution Re-
lating 10 the appointment OF a COM
mission to revise the public laws or
this State and cOdify and arrange
The same under appropriate titles,
the Chancellor, the Chief Justice ana
the four Associate Judges OF the
state appointed. OH the twenty
eighth dav OF July, 1903, Honorable
Charles =. Lore, the Honorable Her
bert II. Ward. and Walter II. Hayes
to constitute said Revised Code
Commission, which commission inn
mediatelv proceeded TO procure the
necessary volumes of the Laws OF
Delaware to enable it to perform
the duties imposed on II. After
many difficulties and considerable
labor. the commission procured two
copies of the Revised Code of 1881
and three copies of each of the fol-
lowing of the Laws Of Delaware,
viz: II. 12, 13. a, Is, 16, II, Is,
10. 20, 2l %, %, "A and Of part one
of Volume %. The commission then
rented a room for its Office in the
Equitable Building at Ninth and
Market streets, i'm the city of VIII
mingtOn, it having determined that
il was impossible to do its work,
except at separate room or office
under it's exclusive control. The
commission determined that under
said Chapter 253, Volume %, Laws
Of Delaware, the revision Of the
general statute laws Of the State,
known as the Code of 1852, would be
the proper foundation upon which
TO "revise and cOdify, in a systematic
and condensed form, ali the Statute
Laws of the State of Delaware OF "a
public and general nature in pre-
pairing for such revision and cOdiii-
cation the commission examined
page by page including the Code of
1852, II ,094 pages of laws as com
taiRed IN said. Codr Of 1852 and the
before mentioned Volumes of the
Laws of Delaware. examined s.42S
Acts Of the Legislature and after
such examination. selected 1900
acts, which, together with said pro-
visions of the Code Of 1852, arc TO be
revised and cOdiiied in a systematic
and condensed form 10 produce said
revision of the general statute laws
of the State of Delaware. This in
vOlved the thorough examination OF
all the Laws passed at the ses-
sions of 1858. 1855, 1857, 1859, 1861,
1862, 1863, 1854 1868, 1866, 1867,
1869, 1881, 1883, 1853, 1887, 1883,
1891, 1893, 1895, 1897. 1899, 1901,
1903, 1905, 1907 and 1909 and will in
volve an examination into those Of
1911, the present session, making
thirty-four sessions. commencing
with the Legislature Of 1853 and
ending with that OF 1911. covering
period of tifty-eight years. In eX-
amining these laws the commission
carefully read every act of the Leg
islature commencing with the ses-
sion of 1853 and ending with the
session OF 1909-iirst by going
through the volumes of Delaware
laws. commencing with Volume II,
and ending with Volume 25. page by
page and act by act, marking at
that time the acts which appeared
20 be of a general nature. Then
the commission pasted the Code of
1862, page by page upon separate
sheets Of paper is by "a inches and
on these same sheets and extra
sheets of similar character. pasted
the above selected acts cut from
the volumes Of Delaware law
above mentioned, collecting those
relating to the same subject matter
as the page of the Revised Code
of 1852, together, under their re-
spective titles This has made SIX
large sheet volumes, not counting
the Constitution of the State OF
Delaware. Of 101S pages, which will
average four and one-half printed
pages to pasting page. making
ABOUT 1900 printed pages of the
size OF the ordinary law book This
work the commission has complet.
cd and Is now condensing and codi.
fying the above 4.5OO pages into as
small a number of printed pages a,
possible, consistent with its au.
ihority aud the purpose for which
II was appointed.
Nv b"hAA'otiNH Hiuft lsO..
There has been no codihcation Of
me general laws of Delaware since
l6oz. The code of that year. how
ever winch was adopted the sam,
as any other act Of the Legislature
sectlon by section, was amended In
1873 and lSsj by simply adding new
statutes and emitting the laws re-
pealed by new enactments. Tn,
compllers Of the so-called code o.
1874 and 1893. were not authorize
nor directed to codify and condens,
me general laws, and thew care
tully and faithfully performed tb,
duties imposed upon them in NAL,
Ing such compilation.
IL Is evident, that since 1879
many laws, not only amending ex
lslng laws, but also many relatin,
10 entirely new subject matter
have been enacted by the LeeisIa
ture. The commission deems /
wise that the revision and codifica
uon about to be made should in
clude the laws passed at the pres
ent session Of the General Assem-
bly,. thus completing such revisio,
70 the end Of Volume 25, Laws o
Delaware.
Ihis work on which the commits
sion is now engaged, Is very ex