Evening star., 1920-12-19
WORLDS BIGGEST
BILL Up Il||!|I)|jSE
1t Proposes to codify Y. s.
Statutes Into One Huge
Volume.

EHort Will be made IN the House To-
morrow by Representative Edward c.
Little of Kansas, chairman of the
House committee on revision of the
laws to get Immediate consideration
for the largest bill ever presented in
any legislative assembly in the history
of the world. This bill proposes to
codify into one volune all the federal
sta tutes. and the bill itself is in the
form in which the boand volume would
be printed
This would make law book of
1.251 pages exclusive of the index
and containing 10.7z7 sections.
The new codification is similar to
the Revised Statutes passed in 1874.
which are now out of date. In explain
ing the work of the committee Chair
man Little told the House:
This committee is given an annual
fund of $4,000 to revise the statutes.
Last spring You gave the committee
81. 900 more. The chairman, authorized
thereto by the committee, with those
funds and its clerk hire, employed re-
visers to assist him in this work. The
chairman had given nearly all OF his
time to it for year and half
Began Work In 1919.
Three great compiling concerns
Thompson. West, and that of Barnes,
three studious and scholarly reyisers
the legislative reference bureau of
the Congressional Library, the depart
ment most fnterested-if its aid can
be had-and the chairman of the re-
vision of laws committee. nine ex-
aminers. each acting alone. assures
the House after nearly eighteen
months OF unsparfng EFFORT. that this
bill is drawn from your official pnbli-
cations and expresses them In full
without any change of laws made by
Congress. In 1874 they lacked naany
t. n t. ~-I<
Yet for forty-six years the Revived
Statutes have been the creates. code
the world ever saw and had the re-
spect Of courts, Congresses. and people
unchal1enged. There Is every reason
to believe this code even more accurate.
After becoming chairman of this
committee gave some six weeks to
the study OF the history of our laws.
finally reaching the decision that .
bill should be prepared similar to that
of 1874, and that 1t could be COM
pleted for the third session of the
July 1, 1919. and on December II. 1920.
the first volume Of this profered legis-
lation finally received rs last stitch"
Representative r. Walton Moore of
Virginia. representing the democratic
membership OF the committee. In re-
ply to questions by his colleagues
further explained the purpose. as fol-
lows:
Would Sell Books at q.
THE publication of 1878 Is now out
Of date. and there has been but q lim-
tied distribution OF the annual publica-
tons. The, compilations issued by
various publishing companies and In
dividuals are unofficial. and they are
expensive. their present cost, az /
found this morning BY inquiry at
local book store. ranging from q maxi
mum of over 800 for an annotated
mil q tn 20 a Saf - nNA
$40 for the very cheapest compilation
now purchasable.
"rhe thought OF some Of the NOM
bers OF the committee. being one
Of that number, IL that when the
volume is printed. assuming that the
bill 10 enacted into law II win be
freely distributed among the agencies
and officials OF tho government and
perhaps also among the courts OF
record of the various states. and that
beyond that It will be available to
the public at q cost OF not more. than
s5. The bill is printed in such form.
not in the ordinary bill form, that
the typo or plates used in printing the
bill can be used to print as many
copies of the volume as arc desired
or-v,ay be directed by Congress.
''The demand for this official compiIa-
ton, which VIII be within reach Of the
public on very easy terms. has teen very
urgently made by. i think may say.
the general public and by the bench and
/! bar. as we'll as by officials Of tbs gov
| ernment In the executive branch. Every
! effort has been made by tho COMMITTEES,
as am In position to testify. to do the
work accurately. and believe It has
been done as accurately as Is possible
The committee does not. OF course.
4 claim to be infailiblc. but does believe
! it has produced codificaticn which Is
!, just as dependable as any that has eves
| been made"