The citizen. [volume] (Berea, Ky.) 1899-1958, 1920-07-22
Ing the responsibility Of supervisino
and directing the development work.


Ing the responsibility OF supervisin8
and directing the development work.
All Laws In One Book.
The largest single law book ever
printed Is now In process OF prep
aration under the direction Of Con-
gresham Little Of Kansas. II will
contain all the laws ever enacted By
congress from the first signed By
George Washington down to the last
signed BY Woodrow Wilson. II will
not be complete until some time In
1921.
When all the laws have been assem-
bled within one volume, Mr.. Little will
present them TO the senate and house
OF representatives for re-enactment-
proceeding entirely perfunctory. and
likely not to excite more Shan passing
mention.
At present. II one wishes to ascer-
tain what the federal law Is on a given
question, an examination must be
made Of 30 great volumes In order to
be strictly accurate. Much OF the law
is hidden in appropriation acts. and II
IL as difficult 20 find as the proverbial
needle In the haystack. As the laws
are now compiled. lawyers conn lain
that II sometimes Is hard to determine
whether certain statute Is still In
existence. whether II has been repealed
or amended, and the only solution Is
laborious research through the differ
ent volumes of compiled statutes and
the statutes at large.
With congress enactlng about 500
new laws year, these difficulties are
ever increasing. and with the new vol
ume 1t is planned that even layman
can find out what is the law. Judges
and lawyers, in urging the new codi-
fication, declare that the new volume.
II properly prepared, will save liti-
gants thousands of dollars, relieve
judges of much worry and anxiety in
cident TO decision Of cases. and be a
handy reference for all practicing law
yers.
Only Once Before.
Only once before In the history of
'ht chiitu SidutS nus OilClhi tlOrt
been made toward the codification Of
the federal laws, and that was more
than forty years ago. Since that first
cOdiflcatiOn, laws Of each congress
have been published n separate vol
umes, designated as statutes at large.
The first codifcation was begun in
1874. a second edition Of the volume
appearing in 1878. A start at codifica-
ton also was made 20 years ago, but
never completed.
Since then more new laws have been
enacted by congress than In all Of the
preceding century. and the new volume
will use the old codlfication as a basis
| Congressional clerks are now laboring
over the new volume, with judges and
lawyers generally assisting them.
while the house committee on revision
Of the laws is sitting as a final court
of approval of the work.
The effort of the committee, and its
assistants, is not to Improve" the law.
not to change the law, but simply to
reproduce 1t as II now is, and was
made by the congress Of the United
States. The great code. when COM
pleted, will consist of more than 10000
sections and constitute the culminat-
ing assembly of a code that began
when Washington signed the first act
passed by congress 131 years ago.
Although bringing no new wrinkles
into the law, the new code will extend
beyond a mere compilation and rear
rangement, the plan being that IT shall
proceed to the extent of harmonizing
apparent contradictions, emitting repe-
titions; I'm short, revision of things
substantive as well as those which con.
Germ only arrangement and form.
The task is regarded as huge by
Judges and lawyers. but they have
been urging the beginning Of the worh
for years. declaring that sooner OF
later II must be done. The revision OF
1878 u.s. of course, very old. Incomplete
and, In some respects, antiquated. BY
reason of amendments from time tt
time Of many Of its sections the old
code does not now present a safe reli
unct TOT tnOSt Cuiitu ulroh " hhdhs
use of II.
Court Officials Offer Aid.
Before undertaking the compilation
Of the new volume. Mr.. Little wrote Il
United States district attorneys ant
federal judges throughout the countr,
all of whom responded that their
was a dire necessity for the officia
compilation. Besides expressing tn,
need OF the work. these judges and at
torneys offered many suggestions as Il
the contents of the new volume. ant
some volunteered to aid the congress
sional workers In the preparation Of tn
new book. The index OF the new vol
ume, according TO the men now a
work on the compilation. is more difi
cult to frame than the volume Itself
The aim back of, the index will be Il
so phrase and compile II that any per
son can find. under the respective des
ignafed titles, the laws on each sub
ject on which he desires information
The men who led the revision worl
more than two score years ago wer
among the well known lawyers Of thei
day.