The Laws of Texas . Compiled and arranged by H. P. N. Gammel , of Austin. With an Introduction by C. W. Raines. Austin: The Gammel Book Company. 1898. Vol. I, pp. vii + 1527; Vol. II, pp. 1729; Vol. III, pp. 1586.

This series contains really more than the title indicates, as a glance at the contents of the first volume shows. They are as follows: Austin's Colonization Law and Contract; Mexican Constitution of 1824; Federal Colonization Laws; Colonization Laws of Coahuila and Texas; Colonization Law of the State of Tamaulipas; Fredonian Declaration of Independence; Laws and Decrees, with Constitution of Coahuila and Texas; San Felipe Convention; Journals of the Consultation; Proceedings of the General Council; Goliad Declaration of Independence; Journals of the Convention at Washington; Ordinances and Decrees of the Consultation; Declaration of Independence; Constitution of the Republic; Laws, General and Special, of the Republic; Annexation Resolution of the United States; Ratification of the same by Texas; Constitution of the United States; Constitution of the State of Texas, with all the laws, General and Special, passed thereunder, including Ordinances, Decrees, and Resolutions, with the Constitution of the Confederate States and the Reconstruction Acts of Congress.

The second volume contains the Laws of the Republic and State of Texas from 1838 to 1846, inclusive, and the third volume, the laws of the State from 1846 to 1854, inclusive. The Constitution of 1845 is incorporated in its proper place.

The Special as well as the General Laws are inserted in full—in fact nothing is omitted from the current publications of the laws as they were enacted from time to time.

It would be difficult to estimate the value of this great repository of jurisprudence and history. The services rendered the legal profession by the Messrs. Sayles in the compilation of their Early Laws has been of incalculable benefit to the bar, but this puts us in possession of a vast amount of original data which for many years has been practically out of print and inaccessible. The student of political science is here afforded the material for studying the true philosophy of the foundations of our political system, the incongruities of Spanish-American methods in experiments toward popular government, the striking contrasts between two antagonistic civilizations, and the virtues and defects in each. The constitutions of Mexico and of Coahuila and Texas, and the crude forms of legislation, both national and state, contained in the first volume of this series present an object lesson in history without which much of what we have heretofore obtained at second hand, and very imperfectly, would be of little value. The original sources of many private rights long since buried in oblivion are here brought to light, and in this aspect the series is of immense value to all classes of people. In spite of constitutional precautions, Texas, especially in her earlier history, was very prolific in special legislation, and numerous rights have grown up from various provisions of the laws, long since obsolete and out of print.

We have here an encyclopaedia of Texas law and political history in convenient form, adapted to use in private as well as in public libraries. The magnitude of the undertaking is such as to preclude the idea of a speculative enterprise on the part of the publisher, and it is hoped that the real merit of the work may so commend itself to the intelligence and patriotism, as well as to the practical necessities of our State, as to insure remuneration for the great outlay involved. The price of the entire series, when completed, is to be $100, or about one-fifth the price of a set of supreme court decisions. The comparative value of a complete compendium of statutory law and a compendium of our jurisprudence as contained in the reports of the decisions of our higher courts, can be appreciated with little reflection. Neither is complete without the other; hence it may be seen that this series is comparatively cheap, and especially so when it is considered that a large proportion of the matter is inaccessible, except in these volumes.

The compilation claims to be “an exact reprint of the originals or copies, verbatim et literatim.” The Introduction by Judge Raines gives a summary of the matter to be contained in the entire series. The volumes are to appear successively at intervals of two months until the ten are issued.

Texas lawyers and students of law and history will wish Mr. Gammel abundant success in his gigantic undertaking.

Z. T. Fulmore .

How to cite:
Fulmore, Z. T., "The Laws of Texas", Volume 002, Number 3, Southwestern Historical Quarterly Online, Page 240 - 242. http://www.tsha.utexas.edu/publications/journals/shq/online/v002/n3/review_11.html
[Accessed Tue Dec 2 20:43:22 CST 2008]