EXTRACTS
from
LETTERS ADDRESSED TO THE EDITOR.
Letter from Mr. Justice Story, of the Supreme Court of the United States.
"Washington, January 29, 1844.
"Dear Sir: I wrote you a considerable time ago my views as to the plan upon which an edition of the Laws of the United States, to be worthy of the nation, should be executed. I have since read your printed programme; and I perceive that you have adopted in it all the suggestions which I ventured to make. If an edition such as you propose should be published, it would, in my judgment, supersede all others, and be of great permanent benefit, not only to the profession, but to Congress and to the whole country. Indeed, I cannot but consider it as of such vital importance as to be, in a just sense, of urgent necessity. The editions now in use and circulation are, either from defect of plan or execution, or the constant accumulation of new laws, inadequate to the public wants.
"I earnestly hope that Congress may by its patronage enable the enterprising booksellers, with the aid of your known abilities, to accomplish this most desirable undertaking, and thus present our statutes at large in a form which shall be worthy of our national character."
Extracts from letters from Mr. Chief Justice Taney, dated January 21 and 24, 1844.
"The publication of the Laws of the United States upon the plan proposed is certainly very desirable, and will be of great public value. Can you afford to undertake it without the patronage of the General Government? Upon that subject you can judge better than I can. The publication you propose seems to me to be peculiarly entitled to the support of Congress. At all events, however, I hope you will find encouragement enough to induce you to go on with your plan."
"As you will have seen from my former letter, I had hardly any thing to offer, more than to express my conviction of the value and importance of the work, and my confidence in any plan proposed by Judge Story, whose long experience in matters of that kind has given him the best opportunities of forming a correct judgment."
Letter from the Hon. Judge McKinley, Supreme Court.
"Washington, January 17, 1844.
"Dear Sir: The edition of the Statute Laws of the United States which you propose to publish will, in my opinion, be very useful to the profession and to the country generally; and the plan you have adopted will enable the reader to ascertain, with very little labour, what the statute law is, although there may be several statutes on the same subject passed at different and distant periods of time. Such a work is greatly needed at present, and I hope, sir, your success will be such as the enterprise deserves."
Letter from Chancellor Kent.
New York, November 30, 1843.
"My Dear Sir: I am very much pleased with your plan of a new edition of the Statutes of the United States at large. It is excellent and most comprehensive, and will require time and labour; and if your health, leisure, and perseverance will enable you to complete it, you will confer a signal benefit on the nation, and a lasting honour to its legislative character. Such a work is exceedingly wanted, and deserves the most liberal public patronage. The aid of Judge Story, which you say is generously assured, will facilitate your labours, and add to the editorial and national character of the work the highest sanction."
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