if despotism should rear itself a throne upon the ruin of these free States, those men would fall and cringe as low as servile flattery could bend; and they would be as ready to shout "long live the king" as they are ready now to shout "long live the people." But it is not so with the honorable lawyers whom these shameless demagogues revile. If civil strife should ever drench this land in blood, or alien enemies should strive to conquer us, the lawyers of this Republic would bear themselves like noble men; and when the blessed days of peace had come they would lay down their arms, and taking up their books again, they would defend with unselfish zeal and unfaltering courage the imperishable principles of truth and justice.

Randalph Barton: Mr. President, I rise to make a motion, which I am sure will be afforded a very hearty second and a very earnest endorsement, and that is, that a vote of thanks be extended to Senator Bailey for his extremely entertaining and eloquent address.

Samuel S. Field: I second the motion.

Edwin H. Brownley: I move to amend by inserting the word "instructive."

Mr. Barton: I accept that.

The question was then put and on the vote being taken, it was decided unanimously in the affirmative.

The President: Unless there is some objection, we will postpone the discussion of the reports and other business matters until the afternoon session.

Upon motion being made and duly seconded, and after vote, the Association was declared adjourned until 3 o'clock P. M.

AFTERNOON SESSION.

July 9, 1915.

The Association was called to order at 3 o'clock P. M. by the President.

The President: The first business in order will be the report of the Disbarment Committee, Mr. Albert C. Ritchie, chairman.

Henry D. Harlan: May I have permission to offer the following resolution:

Resolved, That in addition to being printed in the Annual Report of the Proceedings of the Maryland State Bar Association for 1915, the address delivered by the President of this Association at the opening session of this meeting shall be printed in pamphlet form for general distribution in such number of copies as shall be determined by the Executive Council.

The resolution was duly seconded, and after vote, was declared carried.

Mr. Ritchie: Perhaps it would be well to outline the report from the Disbarment Committee. Three years

ago the Association appointed a special committee on disbarment which reported that in their judgment if a lawyer had been disbarred in any circuit of the State that fact ought ipso facto to disbar him throughout the whole State. The Association considered that proposition three years ago and concurred in that report of its committee, and the President was directed to appoint a Special Committee to draft an act carrying out that proposition. The President did appoint a Special Committee and I was its chairman, and we did prepare an act along those lines, namely, an act providing that if an attorney was disbarred in any County or Judicial Circuit of the State the fact should ipso facto disbar him throughout the whole State. The committee, in considering the matter, thought, however, that a disbarment in one judicial circuit ought not to automatically disbar an attorney throughout the whole State, but he ought to be given a hearing before the Court of Appeals and if the Court of Appeals thought that the circuit was right in ordering his disbarment, that then the Court of Appeals ought to order his disbarment throughout the whole State.

We were simply instructed, however, to prepare an act along the lines which I have first indicated, and we submitted that act with the suggestion that it ought to be so amended, before receiving the approval of the Association, as to provide for a hearing on the part of the attorney before his State-wide disbarment should follow. The Association concurred in that and then the Association recommitted the subject to our committee to redraft

the act along those lines. This was done and the act was submitted to the next meeting of the Association, and at the next meeting the Association still did not feel they ought to pass upon it, because the proposed act had not been printed and circulated among the members of the Association. The act was again recommitted to the committee to be again put in the same form and to be printed and circulated among the members of the Association.

That has now been done and the act is before you. In substance it provides whenever an attorney has been disbarred in any circuit of the State that then the fact of his disbarment shall be certified to the Court of Appeals and the Court of Appeals shall thereupon give that attorney an opportunity for a hearing as to whether or not he ought to be disbarred throughout the State, and if after that hearing the Court of Appeals considers that attorney should be disbarred throughout the whole State, they will pass an order accordingly and a copy of that order will be certified to all the different circuits of the State. Thereupon that attorney shall be disbarred throughout the State.

Alexander H. Robertson: Do I understand that the proposed law gives the attorney an opportunity to be heard before the Court of Appeals. It has been suggested that the proposed law simply leaves it in the discretion of the Court of Appeals to disbar him on the answer filed, without giving him a hearing.

Mr. Ritchie: The object is to give him a hearing, and if there is any doubt about it, it ought to be

cleared up.

Mr. Robertson: Does it absolutely give him a hearing before the Court of Appeals?

Mr. Ritchie: I think it does.

Mr. Robertson: Does it make it imperative on the Court of Appeals to give him a hearing? I am not criticizing it, but I am asking for information.

Mr. Ritchie: The language of the act is that the Court of Appeals first gives him notice, then in case of default in answer or after answer, the Court of Appeals shall inquire into all the facts and circumstances in such manner as it may direct, without other or formal pleading, and so forth. If there is any doubt about giving the attorney an opportunity for a hearing the language ought to be made clearer.

Mr. Robertson: It has been suggested the Court of Appeals might disbar an attorney simply on the answer filed; I would like that to be made perfectly clear.

Henry D. Harlan: I do not think that there can be any doubt when the words are, "shall inquire into all the facts and circumstances," I think the law makes it incumbent on the Court of Appeals to hear every disbarment case, whether the attorney wants a hearing or not. I think it goes so far that whether a man wants to appeal or not, it becomes the duty of the Court of Appeals to