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Opinions upon the Corpus juris Project deal with the problems of government, are largely shaped and moulded by the views of great law writers, and their discussion of the principles which ought to dominate the ad ministration of the law. Lawmakers, states men and judges are guided by their words, and so at last the philosophic and wise dis cussion of principles by law writers has as much to do with the making of laws as if these law writers exercised legislative power. In this way alone can we hope for the final solution of the difliculties which a proper statement of the Corpus juris is intended to solve. . . . I have carefully examined your Memorandum in re Corpus juris, and find in it the same earnest, intelligent and painstaking labor which you bestowed upon the Code of Ethics of the American Bar Asso ciation, when I had the honor to serve with you on the committee which formulated it. The work you propose will be of inestimable value not only to the lawyer and the judge but to the whole body politic. I know of no greater task than the one you propose to accomplish, and I feel quite sure that it is in the right hands and formulated upon the right plan. Hon. Julian w. Mack, judge of the Circuit Court of Illinois sitting at Chicago :— Your plan for a Corpus juris is excellent. . . I am entirely certain that you must rely for your main workers upon the law school teachers.
Their work, subjected
to
the proposed criticism of an advisory board representing Bench, Bar and academic men, will, I am sure, not only be a worthy contri bution to the juridical literature of the world but will also be indispensable to the active lawyers and judges of the country. When we see what a financial success has been made by the alphabetically arranged and, in great part, anonymously composed encyclopaadias, it would seem that your pro posed work must, with the aid of a thoroughly capable business man in charge of the mar keting of it, yield not only its cost but large profits.
I do not, therefore, despair of success
even if the desired philanthropist cannot be found. But I quite agree with you that such a work,
destined to
be America's finest con
tribution to jurisprudence, ought to be lifted above the level of commercialism. A founda tion, as suggested by you, will attract the best men and if, as I feel sure, the entire principle will be earned, the possibilities of
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855
future good to be derived from i are unbounded. Today we are overwhelmed with prece dents, good and bad; the fundamental prin ples must again. for our generation, be re stated by the ablest jurists of our times. Such a restatement will, more than anything else, bring about that degree of uniformity of law in our forty odd jurisdictions which is so essential to the prosperous development of our country. Hon. William B. Hornblower, former Presi
dent of the New York State Bar Association and member of the Commission established by the New York Legislature to consolidate all the Statute Law of the State :— The importance and desirability of the preparation of such a work cannot be over stated. The present condition of the law is little short of appalling. The arguments in favor of codification, based upon the bewilder ing mass of conflicting authorities in the various states, are very weighty. Legisla tive codification, however, is for various rea sons unwise and impracticable, in my opin ion, and would produce evils greater than those which it is intended to remedy. The general plan proposed by you seems to me to be a feasible one. I quite agree with your view that it is impossible and undesir able to work out the plan on a commercial basis, and I sincerely trust that some one or
more of our very wealthy citizens may be induced to see that it would be an object worthy of their patriotism and philanthropy. Eon. J. H. Reed, of the Pennsylvania Bar, formerly partner of Secretary of State Knox and United States District judge at Pitts burgh, resigned:—
I heartily cone tance of the
‘five-"sw- 1,‘,
in negard/tmth'eianpor I Nofldngthap‘ ddntlnuted
more to the general ',unrest, and toad-W of strange doctrines of government 5,
in.“
crease of foolish and injurious legisuion than the uncertainty of ‘legal Ms. lflfid_
this uncertaintyis largelgawmmt ma; 5i reported cases, whichare increasing by: the .' thousands yearly, and which the practising" lawyer and triald" ge are compelled (in most
cases hurriedly' to attempt t In most cases, tl'xbest vising is to guess
reconcile.
nsel ca dogin ad robabi‘ljflies. The
client sufiers by this uggfffii'nfy, and there can be no greater public service than is sug gested by your Memorandum, for every one, or rich poor, large business man‘or small
