Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1927-07-31

| us to anticipate the finding Of a thou.
sand such errors, Representative Fitz.
| gerald says. Amendatory bills may
| be presented to Congress making
such suggestions as seem necessary
and these will be found in the supple.
ment until such time as new and
perfected edition of the code may be
| presented embodying the corrections
and the supplement and bringing the
code again complete to a later and
definite date.
| The code itself re-enacts all the alb
| surdities, the contradictions, the ar
chaiC matter of the laws. This was
| necessary because the magnitude of
| the code bill before the House and
Senate made impossible it's considera.
| ton as other bills are considered. It
could not even be read 1t had to he
! taken on faith, and it could not have
been taken on faith unless assurances
mad been given that there was no
change of existing law. Any attempt
TO improve the law. any attempt to
correct 1t, to reconcile contradictions.
to repeal obsolete matter would have
led to apprehension, a demand for ex.
plantations, to debate, and CONSEQUENT.
~ to the failure of the passage of the
bill. for obviously time is lacking even
to read bill of 1905 pages or to per.
NIT of extended debate.
1t is probable that the code bill
(H. X. 100000 in the Sixty.ninth Con.
gress was the largest bill over present.
ed to and passed by any legislative
body in the world and as rules of mar.
liamentary procedure require the read.
ing of bill at least once. it could he
passed only by suspending the rules,
and this required the consent of n
great majority and practically unani.
NOUS approval OF the measure.
Amendatory Bills,
1t is therefore hoped that in series
OF amendatory bills to be offered hy
Representative Fitzgerald the multi.
tude or obsolete sections NAV he re.
pealed and multitude of perfections
MADE In the reStatement of the law
winch Will be also corrections of the
substance. but nevertheless confined
to expressing consistently the law az
congress had intended it to he in tbe
light of its attempts. These bills must
De or reasonable length, dealing ONLY
with the most obvious errors and not
at all comprehensive, or passage will
be impracticable.
Even then the code will be. thus i'm.
proved, put conglomeration of badly
Morueu; III expressed, often vague and
misleading and needlesSly con,nlax
statements of the law, Mr.. Fitzrara Ia
explains. VI '''u
1t is here that the real revision of
the law may be undertaken, he saws
IL must be done a little at n time
perhaps title by title, to permit of
proper legislative consideration. II 10
an enormous work, but enormously
important. Here is Representative
Fftzgerald's program:
/. We now have the code. an i'm.
nlenseiy important step, but only the
nrst step. toward the proper statement
of the Federal law.
= we must provide by a system OF
cumulative codification to divert into
code form the continuing stream OF
legislation. Va
3. We must correct in the code as
rapidly as they can be discovered
every failure to restate the law as
Congress intended it.
A. Then eliminate obsolete matter
reconcile contradictions, establish uni
Icfmity where there is no reason for
discrimination, clarity antiquities and
mus correct such absurdities as are
OBVIOUS and concerning which there
can be little or no difference of onin.
ion' All of this must prepare the way
for way
.. A real revision Of the laws.
Laws have grown by grating
amendments until the patchwork
forms an ineXtricable tangle. Witness
our immigration laws. If the whole
oody or the code could be rewritten
IN UNIFORM style, In simple, direct and
precise language, 1t would not only
De clearer, safer guide for the
courts and the people but it's bulk
might be reduced one.hah- or more.
This is the most important part of
the stupendous task, but little bv
little, title by title, it could be accom-.
pushed by persistent efforts. II win
require years, many years, Of patient
labor. The benefits are immea sur
able and worth all the devotion and
eHorts. Legislators are not the easiest
people in the world to submit to dis.
cipline. Yet. little by little, they NAV
De wiling to cooperate in the code
work and be more and more inclined
10 draw and have bills drawn so that
the new law my fit or be adjusted into
the framework of the code.
Principle Is Ignored.
The general statute law has long
provided that a single section of q bill
contain but single subject or idea.
rms provision in the interests of clear
legislative expression has been much
ignored The Congress may see fit
10 enforce Its observance from now
on ana this will be q great help, Rep.
resentative Fitzgerald believes.
Inc deformities, crudities and alb.
surdities; The contradictions and the
antiquities of the present statute laws
OF the United States stand out more
clearly now in the scientifically ar.
ranged code. Impelling as are the de.
fnandS for legislation on an increa sing
multitude of matters in the great and
busy country and as compelling the
desire of legislators to get bills passed
In any form which will most quickly
serve their immediate purposes, there
is no reason why the plan here out.
hned by Representative Fitzgera Id
may not be undertaken and, il per.
sisted IN bring order out of chaos and
an ldeai or legislative expression be
approached which will permit the peo.
PIE OF the United States to really know
the laws Of their country. those laws
which they are presumed to know and
10 which they must conform and be
accountable.
Naturally, 1t would be an immeas.
uraDle help If bills introduced in the
congress were framed with reference
10 the framework of the Code, or be.
fore passage. were made to conform
to the general statutes providing that
q single paragraph or section should
contain but single proposition and
conform to a certain standard making
for uniformity. clarity and precision.
But the eagerness to get measures
adopted in any form to accomplish the
immediate purpose overrides the ulti-
mate good and members Of legislative
| bodies. like other people, chafe at dis.
| cipline.
| A most important adjunct to the
| General Code is the Code of Laws re-
! lating TO the District Of Columbia.
| The District, by reason Of it's great
population and the activities, political
and commercial, carried on therein, is
! srrea tnl. In i'm MO ahn., n