OF THE FOURTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE American Bar Association HELD AT BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, August 26, 27 and 28, 1891. PHILADELPHIA : DANDO PRINTING and PublishING COMPANY, 34 SOUTH Third Street. TRAŃSACTIONS OF THE FOURTEENTH ANNUAL MEETING OF THE AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION, HELD AT BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS, AUGUST 26, 27 AND 28, 1891. Wednesday, August 26, 1891, 10 A. M. The President: Gentlemen, the hour has arrived for opening the annual session of the American Bar Association, and it is now open for the transaction of business. Hon. John Lowell, of Boston, President of the Boston Bar Association: Mr. President and gentlemen: It is my pleasing duty to welcome you to the City of Boston to hold your annual meeting. The warmth of our welcome was typified in the weather yesterday, but the calmness with which we shall listen to your papers and discussions is typified by the nice cool Massachusetts east wind of to-day. I have only to wish for you, what I know will be carried out, that you shall have in this old town as pleasant a meeting and as valuable and instructive and useful a meeting as you have had so often in Saratoga. It will be your privilege, and it is your privilege, to prove that lawyers are not merely conservative, not merely standing out against all improvements, but are themselves the best and safest organizers of improvements. You also have done much, and will do more, to make what is of such infinite importance in this country-something like constantly improving and increasing unity and uniformity in the laws of all these numerous states, without surrendering to the central government too much for the sake of such uniformity. Many superficial observers think that this is the only way in which such uniformity can be arrived at; but you know better, and you must, by operating on the several states, avoid too great centralization of that sort. It is also the privilege of the bar to sit in judgment on the bench. The bench has the last word in every case, but the bar has the last word on the general principles which should govern cases, and many a time has the final forum both in this country and in England felt the influence of the settled judgment of the bar when it came to consider finally cases which have been wrongly adjudged by the court below. Gentlemen, I wish you all success and all happiness. The President: It is very pleasant, gentlemen, I am sure, to be welcomed in these kindly words to this historic city where the American Bar Association has come this year. Boston was the first city on this continent, almost, to assume the proportions of a city, after Philadelphia; and yet it is one that held to its town government longer than most larger places were able to do. It was not until 1820, I think, that Boston, although then a place of some forty or fifty thousand inhabitants, ceased to be a town, so strongly imbedded in Massachusetts, as in all New England, was the love of the town system which has been at the foundation of so much of American republicanism. And in coming to this historic place, it has been, I am sure, very pleasant to be welcomed, not only by the President of the Boston Bar Association, but, in the president, by the representative of one of those historic families of whom they have so many in Massachusetts that have adorned both the bench and the Senate Chamber of the nation for generations. And now, gentlemen, without further words in response to the welcome that has been extended to us, let me proceed to the duty which our constitution lays upon me, to bring to your attention the most noteworthy changes of the year in American statute law. (See Appendix.) The President: The next business before the Association will be a report from the General Council in regard to the nomination and election of new members. Richard Vaux, of Pennsylvania: Mr. President, the General Council have directed me to say that the partial report to be read by the Secretary contains the names of the gentlemen that the Council have unanimously recommended for admission by this body to its membership. The members nominated were then elected. (See the List of New Members.) The Secretary then read the names of those in attendance upon the meeting as delegates from various state and local bar associations. (See the List of Delegates.) A recess of ten minutes was then taken, preparatory to election of the General Council. The Secretary then proceeded to call the roll of states, and the General Council was elected. (See the List of Officers at the end of the Minutes.) The Chair then appointed a Reception Committee, as follows: Skipwith Wilmer, of Maryland; Henry Wise Garnett, of the District of Columbia; Bradley G. Schley, of Wisconsin; R. W. Williams, of Florida; Ignatius C. Grubb, of Delaware; |