Imágenes de páginas
PDF
EPUB

PROCEEDINGS.

-I think perhaps 500 or 600. The same was true during the World's Fair, when its meeting was held at Milwaukee. Last year it held its meeting in Detroit. Now, when it meets at each of these places a large number of members are added to it. When it meets at Saratoga, perhaps there are twenty added. Now, if we meet at Chicago, and the members of the bar in that city should take some steps to secure new members, I think our funds would be so far increased that we could bear the expense of a meeting earlier than the time suggested by the Secretary.

PRESIDENT HARKER: I suggest that we can depend on the members of the Chicago bar to do some proselyting.

MR. BEACH: I think we can do something of that kind. MR. GARY: I think the motion should be merely that we have an adjourned meeting at Chicago next summer. Of course the term of office of our newly-elected President will expire next January. As to the expense, it will not be any greater if the meeting is held in July than it would be for a meeting in January. The practical part of this matter can be left with the Executive Committee.

MR. GROSS: I think, Judge Gary, after the discussion that has taken place, the Executive Committee will give the matter the greatest consideration.

MR. GARY: Does the Executive Committee have the right to call a special session?

MR. GROSS: Yes, sir.

MR. GARY: We have 3,500 members of the bar in Chicago, and as a member of the Chicago Bar Association, I will join hands with Mr. Hamline, the new President, and try to make a success of the Chicago meeting.

PRESIDENT HARKER: The motion is that it be declared the sense of this meeting that the Executive Committee call the next meeting of this Association in Chicago, sometime in July next.

The motion was carried.

PRESIDENT HARKER: The report of the Committee on Legal History and Biography, by John Moses, comes next.

PROCEEDINGS.

MR. MATHENY: I have a letter from Judge Moses, Chairman of that committee, stating that the committee had gathered some material, but that it was not in shape as yet.

MR. PAYNE: Has any action been taken on the report of Judge Anthony? I move that the report of the Committee on the Administration of Criminal Law be published with the proceedings.

PRESIDENT HARKER: That will hardly come under this head. The next thing is the report of the Necrologist, James B. Bradwell.

[The report will be found in Part II.]

PRESIDENT HARKER: Miscellaneous Business is next on the programme. I believe there is a matter that will properly come under this head.

MR. SHERMAN: I desire to offer the following resolution: Resolved, That Article Sixth of the Constitution of this Association be amended so as to read as follows.

ARTICLE VI-ANNUAL DUES.

The annual dues of all active members shall be such as may be prescribed by the By-Laws, and shall be payable upon demand. A failure to pay annual dues shall be a good cause for expulsion. No admission fee shall be required.

Resolved, That Article Sixth of the By-Laws be amended by striking out the words, "And shall also be accompanied with an admission fee of five dollars."

PRESIDENT HARKER: Does that apply to the admissions that have been made at this meeting?

MR. SHERMAN: I think it should, in equity.

PRESIDENT HARKER: I think it ought to apply to those who have just been admitted.

MR. BEACH: I am not in favor of the amendment, for the reason that I think any lawyer who is fit to become a member of this Association, or whose membership is desired, will be willing to pay five dollars. It has been the result of my experience that any member of any association that has

PROCEEDINGS.

got to be brought in free does not amount to much, and his membership is not very desirable and is of no value.

MR. WILLIAMS: What costs nothing will not bring us much. I do not believe the amendment will be of any use to us.

MR. CAPEN: I agree with that. I think it would lower the tone of our membership more than it would benefit us by the addition that would be made to the membership.

MR. BRADWELL: Is it proposed by our friends here to make this a charitable institution? That is what I would like to know. Now, if there is any member so poor that he can not raise his five dollars, I know there are plenty of members who will advance it.

MR. SHERMAN: I do not think it is necessary to get so excited over this. It is a mere question of policy-that's all. We are going up to Chicago next summer. Nearly all of the lawyers there belong to the Chicago Bar Association; half of them belong to the American Bar Association, and have dues to pay. It is just as well, when you get a man in, to make him pay three dollars as it is to make him pay five dollars at the start. It is merely a question of policy. It is merely saying to a lawyer, "If you come in we will make you pay your share of the expenses, but we will not make you pay in advance."

MR. MATHENY: I will state a little of the history of the origin of this proposed amendment, It is modeled after the constitution and by-laws of the American Bar Association in that regard. That institution, as has been mentioned here, is a most flourishing one-far more so, I dare say, than the Illinois State Bar Association. It is the most dignified Association of the kind in the country the most successful pecuniarily and in every other way. That Association has no admission fee, and when we pass this amendment we shall be following in the wake of that most successful example. Now, it is not a question of money; it is a question, largely, of sentiment. You approach a man-and I speak from experience in this matter you approach a man and invite his membership. The question of admission fee has to be broached. at once. There is a tendency on the part of the person whom we approach to feel that we are after his money, and not

[ocr errors]

PROCEEDINGS.

after him. I feel that the amendment is really one that concerns our welfare and ought to be adopted.

Mr. Sherman's amendment was then put to a rising vote.

PRESIDENT HARKER: The motion for the adoption of this amendment is lost, having failed to receive a two-thirds vote, as the constitution requires.

Mr. Scott presented the supplemental report of the Committee on Law Reform and moved the adoption thereof, which motion was carried. Following is the report:

SUPPLEMENTAL REPORT OF THE COMMITTEE ON LAW REFORM. Your Committee on Law Reform would respectfully recommend such amendment of the statutes as that all such appeals from the County and Probate Courts as under the present provisions of the law are taken and lie to the Circuit Court of the same county, shall thereafter be taken and lie to the Appellate Court for the district wherein such county is situated, and that appeals shall not lie in any case from the County or Probate Courts to the Circuit Court.

J. H. CARTWRIGHT,

F. H. SCOTT,

E. P. WILLIAMS.

MR. PAYNE: I would now like to renew my motion about Judge Anthony's report. My motion is that the report be published in the proceedings.

The motion was carried.

[The report will be found in Part II.]

MR. SCOTT: There are two other recommendations of the Committee on Law Reform-one making the Appellate Court judge of the facts, and the other providing for transferring suits from one side of the docket to the other. It is now too late to discuss them, and I move that they be referred to the incoming Committee on Law Reform, with the request that the committee report at the next meeting of the Association.

The motion was carried.

PRESIDENT HARKER: Is there any other business before the Association?

PROCEEDINGS.

MR. PAYNE: Perhaps there ought to be added to the motion about Judge Anthony's report, that it be printed and referred to the Committee on Law Reform.

PRESIDENT HARKER: Why should it be printed, if it is to be referred to the Law Reform Committee?

MR. WILLIAMS: Perhaps it should be merely referred. This new committee will do a great deal of work. There is no doubt that Judge Anthony has given the subject a great deal of thought and study. They may not agree with him, but let it go to the committee.

MR. BOND: I think it ought to be printed as a matter of information for the whole Association. It ought to be in such shape as to be accessible to all members of the Association.

PRESIDENT HARKER: I understand the motion to be that when printed it be referred to the Committee on Law Reform. No motion is necessary if there is no objection.

MR. BRADWELL: I move that this Association now take. a recess until after the banquet to-night, and that it then stand adjourned for the session.

The motion was carried.

« AnteriorContinuar »