Evening journal., 1914-09-18
FRIDAY SEPT. le. 1914
nnIErrs r0 HAsTY C0nE LEGISLATION.


MTE have received from prominent Market street
w business man the following communication
TO the Editor Of THE EVENING JOURNAL;
sir-I understand that special session of the Leg
slaure is TO be called to the new Code OF fuDhe
General Laws which has been drafted by the Revised
Code Commission appointed for that purpose
understand further that the Legislature VIII pass
the new code in a merely perluncory manner relying
almost entirely upon the commission and upon leg
slative committee.
should be permitting the members OF our leg
slaure TO attempt to eyade their responsibility ~ sucn
This new code rcpeals every general law in exs-
tence, and enacts entirely new set Of laws. lhese
laws supposed to be the same as the Ola laws
and doubtless But when II comes to so serious
natter as the enactment OF an entirely new body OF
aw with all It's possible ramthcations and effects.
then II certainly should be subjected TO the light OF
day and the closest scrutiny.
In sptcof the fact that the Revised Code Commission
not only has fully merits, the entire confidence
Of the community, there yet remains the objection hat
We would NOT be willing to delegate the law-malng
power a commission of two or three men, no matter
believe the report Of the commission is not even to
be printed it is simply TO be submitted to the leg
islature In typewriter form and enacted into law
How is il possible to know fhether changes are made
the bill itself after its introduction In the legsla-
turo? Such things have happened before and tho in
erests at stake In a revision OF entire code arc so
tremendous, that 1t is not unreasonable to be appre
The legislature should not he permitted to evade its
responsibty. The new code should be read section
by section, chapter by chapter and passed In detail
tremendous undertaking; or better STILL the special
of the Legislature should receive the report o
Tho commission order Il printed. pay the commission
its services and il should be paid literally and
then the final enactment of the code to the next
session of the Legislature. thus afordng ample op-
portunity for everyone to scrutnize the new body OF
laws.
The latter proposal may arouse objection on ac-
of the expense OF printing the report. This,
however. should not be great The code will have to
be printed after Il has been enacted. The report
could just well be set up in the manner and style
in which the code is finally to be printed and then
when the code is enacted the same type or plates
will TO print the laws themselves.
Meanwhile copies OF the report might be sold at
cost thereabouts, and have no doubt that enough
people them to defray the extra expense Incl
dent to the printing of the report
But If It should be more expensive, the ex-
pendture would be fully justified.
Star chamber legislation is bad enough when ap
piled to single law but when applied to the entire
body Of general laws. it is monstrous.
Very truly yours,
KY 2.
There is in the above food for thought for The mem
bers Of the Legislature No doubt it will assist in
bringing about policy of deberaton that will lea,
our legislators to convince themselves before the.
pass the code that errors have been made in III
preparation. The work 20 be done at the special
sion is exceedingly important and it should be handles
I,ll,