Jasper County Democrat, Volume 12, Number 29, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 24 July 1909 — Disgraceful Lack of Uniformity In Our Laws. [ARTICLE]

Disgraceful Lack of Uniformity In Our Laws.

By GEORGE W. KIRCHWEY.

Dean of the Columbia University Law School

j O more important work has ever been undertaken by the I American bar than that of bringing about a great deI t gree of I NIFORMITY in the laws of the several ' states. IT IS A STANDING REPROACH TO OUR CIVILIZATION THAT WE CONTINUE TO TOLERATE THE INCONVENIENCES, THE HARDSHIPS, THE DENIALS OF JUSTICE, WHICH RESULT FROM OUR DIVERSITY OF LAWS. R R «t In the case of our marriage and divorce laws the REPROACH BECOMES A DISGRACE. The law is at bottom the FORMAL EXPRESSION OF THE PUBLIC OPINION of the community, and we must expect to find differing laws and institutions. But no one can pretend that the confusion and diversity of our American jurisprudence have any such JUSTIFICATION. It is one of the most hopeful signs of the times that the lawyers of our country, under the leadership of the American Bar association, are becoming aroused to the importance of doing away with this condition of affairs.

What is still needed is AN AROUSED PUBLIC OPINION which shall back up the official agencies and make them effective.