Decorah public opinion. (Decorah, Winneshiek County [Iowa]) 1895-1928, 1923-01-24

10 tiie CASUAL DySldnuef, ike temp
est in ateapot. Nevertheless it is
quite vital to other folks than law
yers, vital to anyone to whom it f.
an advantage that the law of the
land may be definitely known and
promptly acted upon.
The whole body of the law OF
Iowa has not been gathered together
in one properly arranged group
| since 1897. For twenty-five years
We have been adding to the Iowa
code piecemeal.
Every legislative session since
1897 has dictated many changes in
the law. In that quarter century
/ legislators have repealed much of
the old law outright; they have re-
pealed some of it merely by infer.
ence; they have found many new
subjects to legislate about; they
have substituted new ideas for old.
As the years passed, the lawmakers
have changed their minds again and
again.
All the new laws passed between
1897 and 1913 has baen grouped in
one volume, the code supplement.
Laws passed by the legislatures of
1917, 10 and 81, all are separately
grouped, in three volumes of session
laws. The whole code, supplement
and session laws-fill a bookshelf
about a foot and half long. In
them the law is so thoroly confused
that even lawyers and judges can't
| find it for sure. Law upon one sub
! iect has unaccountably strayed from
! it's proper section and become buried
among laws wholly unrelated to it.
When code revision has been COM
pleted the foot and a-half bookshelf
| Of six volumes will have been con-
densed into one volume just little
bigger than the present code of 1877,
in which presumably everything. will
be up to date, and so arranged that
seekers can find readily the last leg
| islaAive mandate upon any subject.
The difference between six volumes
totalIing eighteen inches thick, and
one volume six inches thick, is the
/ measure of dead and superseded law
and REPETITION now clogging the state
statute books.
A code commission already has
done much of the heavy labor OF
condensation and Encouragement,
but all of that work is subject to
Legislative o. X. In one volume,
called the compiled code, the COM
mission has copied all of the law now
existing, rearranging it in logical
order, and cutting away REPETITION
and repealed law.
The commission has also prepared
legislative bills, suggesting rewmt-
ings of the law, by which related
legislation can be combined, conflicts
in the law can be cleared away, and
REPETITION further eliminated. There
are about 270 of these bills. They
propose what amounts to new legis-
lation upon every subject from dogs
to drainage.
The task of the legislature is first
to proof read the compiled code, to
see that no error crept in when the
law was transcribed, and second to
pass upon the 270 code commission
bills to determine if they are wise
and proper legislation. At the regular
session, according to recommends
ton of this assembly's own code re-
vision committee, pro badly about
eighty five of these bills Gall of then
measures upon which there is little
chance of fights developing) will b
acted upon, and all the others wal
be left for action until the specla
: session.
The result of all this labor, whel
: it has been gathered into one volume
: probably will be called the Code o
1923. If the governor calls specra
session it probably will begin earl;
! next October, and finish its worl
! within about sixty days
= When adjournment was taken owe
- last Sunday neither house had com
pleted action on any Legislative bill
= There had not even been a singh
bill. reported to either house fror
a committee. However, numerou
: bills had been introduced up to tina
time, important proposals havln
been made with respect to road law:
h primary elections, schools, and tan
alton.
Probably the most important roa
n bills so far to appear are measure
It proposing to allow counties I
abandon paving projects by popula
vote after two years from the init;
voting of the rejects, and to pei
init county boards of supervisors I
: use part of the primary road fund
for improvement and maintenanc
of secondary roads. Another mes
" sure, affecting both roads and take
y is the Caldwell bill, proposing 1
levy a tax on gasoline sold at N
$ tail, of two cents gallon, the fun
thus created to be used to pave abot
twenty cross state highways.
q Two proposals affecting prlmar
election have been introduced. Or
e would require changes of party a
: filitation to be filed at least sixt
. DAYS prior to a primary. The lin
l. it now is ten days. The other woul
il remove the 35 per cent clause, an
10 make mere plurality sufficient
nominate any candidate. This VIZ
Senator Smith Brookhart's sugge
ton.
e New school laws proposed incluf
J. measures to abolish the present waf
;. lminimums for teachers, and to mai
the office of county superintendel
w of schools elective instead OF a.
81 pointive.
Senator Johnston of Lucas count
40 1.-THE same Johnston who, an d
house six years ago, sponsored u
L Johnston road bill) has introduc,
IN two bills calculated to change rae
cally the law under which coun
r agents are now paid. Boards
arlxt