IV PREFACE.

Public Local Laws relating to the city. And the Local Laws of
the several counties are so diverse, so comparatively limited in
their operation, and, as to each county, so easily ascertained, that
the labor and expense of a supplement embracing their complete
codification seems hardly to be demanded at this time.

In this work the changes in our Public Statute Law are
reproduced as far as reasonably practicable in the articles and
sections precisely as enacted.

But it has not been possible to adhere to this arrangement
throughout, for the reason that in some cases the same numbers
or designations by letters were erroneously given by the framers
of the acts to different sections. Sometimes wrong numbers or
letters were given. Again, the enumeration was not always suc-
cessive. And again, it frequently happened that the Legislature
failed to follow the constitutional provision making it their
duty, "in amending any article or section of the Code," or in
enacting "any Public General Law not amendatory of any article
or section," to enact it "in articles and sections in the same
manner as the Code is arranged."

Occasionally, too, new laws were passed as amendments of, or
additions to articles not appropriately selected. For these and
other reasons it will be found that in many instances the numbers
and letters of sections in the published acts have been necessarily
altered in order to give correctness, regularity and continuity to
them and to prevent confusion.

Where laws were passed in disregard of the constitutional
direction already alluded to, they have been codified either as
entirely new articles or in appropriate places under existing
articles.

JOHN PRENTISS POE.
OCTOBER 1, 1898.