THE LATE HON. GOLDSMITH F. BAILEY, REPRESENTATIVE FROM MASSACHUSETTS. Speech in the Senate, on his Death, May 15, 1862 366 USE OF PARCHMENT IN LEGISLATIVE PROCEEDINGS. Resolution and Speech in the Senate, on the Enrolment of Bills, May 16, 1862 372 REVISION AND CONSOLIDATION OF THE NATIONAL STATUTES. RESOLUTION AND SPEECH IN THE SENATE, DECEMBER 12, 1861. April 8, 1852, during his first session in the Senate, Mr. Sumner brought forward a resolution for a revision and consolidation of the national statutes, which was duly referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.[1] Though the resolution attracted attention at the time, the committee did nothing. Early in the next Congress, December 14, 1853, he presented the same resolution a second time, which was duly referred,[2] and again neglected. In the succeeding Congress, February 11, 1856, he offered the same resolution a third time,[3] and with no better success than before. Absence from the Senate and protracted disability prevented the renewal of this effort until the administration of President Lincoln, who was induced to make a recommendation on the subject in his annual message of December 3, 1861.[4] Mr. Sumner followed, December 12th, with his oft-repeated resolution:-- “_Resolved_, That the Committee on the Judiciary be directed to consider the expediency of providing by law for the appointment of commissioners to revise the public statutes of the United States, to simplify their language, to correct their incongruities, to supply their deficiencies, to arrange them in order, to reduce them to one connected text, and to report them thus improved to Congress for its final action, to the end that the public statutes, which all are presumed to know, may be in such form as to be more within the apprehension of all.” Of this he spoke. MR. PRESIDENT,--It is now nearly ten years, since, on first entering this Chamber, I had the honor of presenting this identical resolution. Several times afterwards, at succeeding sessions, I brought it forward; but there was no action in regard to it, either by the Committee on the Judiciary, to which it was referred, or by the Senate. At last we have a positive recommendation from the President in his Annual Message, calling attention to the necessity of a revision of our statutes, and of reducing them to a connected text. I desire to take advantage of that recommendation, and to revive the proposition which ten years ago I first introduced.