Evening star., 1924-12-07
COLLECTING L. S. LAWS
NOW URGED In SENATE
House Completes Action on Codification,
and Sanction of Upper Chamber Is Be-
ing Advocated-Compilation Needed.

, all of his time to the work, and with
him was closely cooperating Repre-
sentative Moore, who entered the
/ Sixty-eighth Congress to fill a va
| cancy, and who was assigned to the
| committee on revision of the laws.
Meant Large Saving.
| The compilation of all the statutes
| in existence, as of March 4, 1919, was
completed in 1920 by this committee, and
! by resolution of its report to the
House was not made In the ordinary
| bill form, but in the very form in which
the compilation, if accepted by Con-
gress, would be finally printed and
distributed. This meant large saving.
| The House passed the bill on Decem-
Der II, 1920, and it went to the Senate.
Representatives Little and Moore ex-
planned the bill during brief debate in
the House.
In the Senate there is a small com
mittee on revision of the laws, consist
ing of three members. Nothing was
done by the Senate in the Sixty-sixth
Congress.
The same bill which passed the Sixty
sixth Congress was presented in and
passed by the House in the Sixty-sev-
enth Congress, on May 16, 1921, when
the matter was discussed more fully
The bill was not acted on by the Senate
in that Congress.
In the sSixty-eighth (the presently Con-
gress the bill, which had been enlarged
by bringing the compilation up TO De
cember 2, 1928, was introduced, and on
January Z, 1924, passed the House. The
bill has not yet been acted on by the
Senate, and will probably not be at
this session.
Guard Against Error.
In the House discussion, on the
three occasions mentioned, Repre-
sentatives Little and Moore stated
succinctly the precautions that had
been taken to prevent inaccuracies.
1t was emphasized that the work
had been checked against the pri-
vate publications of the West Pub
fishing Company and the Thompson
Publishing Company and Mr.. Barnes.
1t was also noted that, following
the example of Congress in 1874,
saving clauses had been added to
the bill, so as to guard against any
possible inaccuracies working Il
change in the law.
While what has been done has in
volved a minimum of expense, new
ertheless the money will be thrown
away if the compilation, which has
received widespread approval from
carded. It is now. however, being
proposed to discard it and have 4
commission appointed, either by the
President or by Congress, to do the
work, which will involve delay and
probably very heavy expenditure.
The Senate committee is being
urged to examine the House bill, and
! if necessary with the aid of experts.
| for thes purpose of ascertaining
whether it is accurate and, if not
correct the inaccuracies. One reply
TO this is that the Senate committee
hasn't time to do it. Furthermore, if
an outside commission acts, those
most interested in an authoritative
compilation are asking if it will not
| be the duty of both the House and
Senate committees to examine such
commissions work. and, of course, il
Will be necessary to find time to
do this. The argument is advanced
that it would seem to be more speedy
and therefore more greatly in the in
terest of the public, and just as safe
for the Senate committee to do now
what is necessary to satisfy itself
and to eliminate any possible inac-
curacies.