www REGENTS With years of election 1892 WILLIAM CROSWELL DOANE D.D. LL.D. Chancellor, Albany New York 1878 WHITELAW REID M.A. LL.D. Vice Chancellor, New York Utica Buffalo New York Albany 1890 T. GUILFORD SMITH M.A. C.E. LL.D. Superintendent of Public Instruction, ex officio 1897 CHESTER S. LORD M.A. LL.D. Brooklyn 1900 THOMAS A. HENDRICK M.A. LL.D. Rochester 1901 BENJAMIN B. ODELL JR LL.D. Governor, ex officio 1901 ROBERT C. PRUYN M.A. 1902 WILLIAM NOTTINGHAM M.A. Ph.D. Albany 1903 FRANK W. HIGGINS Lieutenant Governor, ex officio 1903 CHARLES S. FRANCIS B.S. 1900 JAMES RUSSELL PARSONS JR M.A. LL.D. DIRECTORS OF DEPARTMENTS 1888 MELVIL DEWEY M.A. LL.D. State Library and Home Education 1890 JAMES RUSSELL PARSONS JR M.A. LL.D. Administrative, College and High School Dep'ts 1890 FREDERICK J. H. MERRILL Ph.D. State Museum New York State Library MELVIL DEWEY Director Bulletin 80 LEGISLATION 19 REVIEW OF LEGISLATION 1902 Oct. 1, 1901 to Oct. 1, 1902 EDITED BY Robert H. Whitten Sociology Librarian PREFACE As a contribution to better organization of material for comparative study of state government and laws the State Library now issues three annual bulletins: Digest of Governors Messages, Summary and Index of Legislation, and Review of Legislation. The Digest of Governors Messages is a topical digest covering all the states and including related topics in the president's message. The digest for 1902 was issued in October 1902. The Summary and Index of Legislation is a minutely classified summary of new laws passed by all the states, including votes. on constitutional amendments and decisions declaring statutes unconstitutional. The Summary for 1902 was issued March 1903. The present Review of Legislation, the second of its series, contains contributions from specialists in all parts of the country reviewing governors' recommendations and the laws enacted on each important subject. These three closely related annuals make up a yearbook of comparative legislation useful to legislators, public officers, journalists, investigators and all interested in keeping track of the movement of legislation in general or on any special subject. The subscription price of the three or more bulletins issued each year is $1. The Review is rendered possible only by the generous cooperation of the various specialists who contribute the articles. MELVIL DEWEY NOTES Foreign legislation. A project for the organization and index ing of the material for comparative study of foreign legislation was presented to the trustees of the Carnegie Institution during the past year. The tentative plan suggested was based on the work now being done by the New York State Library in state legislation and the proposals made in the article on Comparative Legislation in last year's Review. The American Bar Association supported the movement with the following resolution: Whereas the study of comparative legislation is indispensable to the science of jurisprudence and the discovery of true principles of legislation; Whereas at present the comparative study of the legislation of the various countries of the world is for most purposes impracticable; Whereas the work of the State Library department of the University of the State of New York in comparative state legis lation points the way to an organization of the enactments of all countries and suggests an efficient agency for performing this task; Resolved, That the American Bar Association earnestly urges upon the trustees of the Carnegie Institution the importance of providing. in cooperation with the New York State Library, a comprehensive organization of the material required for the comparative study of world legislation. Resolved, That a committee of three be appointed to present this matter to the trustees of the Carnegie Institution. The librarian of Congress, to whom as chairman of the ad visory committee on bibliography of the Carnegie Institution the application was referred, became so much interested that he applied to Congress for an appropriation to have the work carried on at the national library. While this application was unsuccessful at the recent session it is hoped that Congress will later grant the needed funds or that the Carnegie Institution may take up the project as proposed by us. Société d'étude legislative. This new French society, formed in February 1902, holds monthly meetings from December till May of each year to discuss problems of legislation, chiefly in A Bulletin is issued six times a year containing its proceedings and information on subjects under official con sideration. The bylaws define the purpose of the society as follows: 1 To give a new development to legislative studies, in every field of law, and particularly in that of private law, specially with a view to facilitate reform of the codes and statutes; 2 To establish an intimate connection and a closer collaboration between those devoted to the theoretical study of law and those engaged in its application; 3 To further by way of private initiative, investigation and research as to the application of statutes, and to bring together collections of information useful in the study of legislative reforms; 4 To organize congresses for the purpose of submitting juridical questions of interest at the time to more extended discussion; 5 To further the development of juridical progress, as well by the stimulus to scientific investigation as by the popularization of knowledge of positive law. Political Science Association. On Dec. 30 a conference on comparative legislation which had been called by President Needham of Columbian University, Carroll D. Wright, J. W. Jenks, F. J. Goodnow, Monroe Smith, Josiah Strong, and others, was held in Washington. While it seemed to be the general impression that more associative work in comparative legislation should be done, the discussion showed a strong sentiment in favor of establishing a general organization for the study of political science, which should of course include comparative legislation as one of its subjects of investigation, and which would naturally work harmoniously with existing associations, or possibly be merely a joint committee of such organizations. As a result of this discussion the following resolution was adopted: That a committee be appointed to confer with the American Economic Association, the American Historical Association and others regarding the advisability of forming a national political science association, and that said committee arrange a meeting at its discretion and make a report. A committee of 15 was organized with Prof. J. W. Jenks chairman. The time seems ripe for the organization of an American political science association, to be affiliated if possi ble with the American Economic Association and the Americau |