EVENING SESSION. Wednesday, August 2-8:30 P. M. The association was called to order by the President. Thomas H. Willcox, of Norfolk: Mr. President,-The association this morning paid me the compliment of appointing me one of the delegates to represent this body at the annual meeting of the American Bar Association. Since this morning I have ascertained that the date of that meeting is at a time that conflicts with my official engagements in the city of Norfolk. I therefore move that my name be taken from that committee and the name of Mr. R. S. Thomas substituted. The resolution offered by Mr. Willcox was adopted. W. A. Fentress: Mr. President,-If the chair will allow me to occupy the time of the association, I would like to state that it was my necessity to report to the association as a member of the Committee on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar that we had been unable to hold a meeting of that committee, and that no quorum was present, but that we hoped to have a quorum later. Up to this time, no other member of that committee has appeared, and there are only two members present. Speaking for myself as a member of that committee, I wish to say that I feel deeply sensible of the importance-for the sake of the dignity of the profession-of the work of that committee; and Mr. James L. Anderson, of Richmond, and I have held a conversation and conference on this subject, and Mr. Anderson has prepared a resolution for the consideration of the committee to be appointed at this meeting. James L. Anderson, of Richmond: Mr. President,-I had a conference with Mr. Fentress in regard to this resolution which I propose to introduce. I did not wish to trespass on the duties of this committee, and therefore I had a conference with him before the introduction of it. At the first meeting of our association a resolution was referred to this committee instructing them to prepare a measure to come before the association, with a report in reference to legal education and admission to the bar. At the following meeting of the association the committee made a report, at which meeting Mr. Alfred P. Thom was chairman. It reported a bill, which was adopted by the association, and Resolved, That the Committee on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar be requested to present to the next meeting of the Legislature the bill which was reported to this association in 1889, or some similar bill, or such a modification thereof as said committee may deem advisable, and to urge its passage. Now, if any member of the association desires this bill to be read I will read it. It was prepared by this committee after a great deal of care, and it chiefly follows the Maryland statute, though they cite extracts from different statutes. As it has already been adopted by the association once, I see no necessity of reading it. R. G. H. Kean, of Lynchburg: Mr. President,-I rise for the purpose of striking out in that resolution everything in regard to the presentation of a different bill to the Legislature than the one we have adopted, or any modification of that bill, and let the proposition be to present that bill as adopted and passed by this. body. If the committee is at liberty to abandon a bill that has. stood the test first of modification in the committee and then in the association, there is no telling whether another proposition made by them to the Legislature would be acceptable to the Association or not; but in that bill we have a measure that did receive the practically unanimous approval of this body. 30 Mr. Anderson: I will accept the amendment. That clause was put there because I thought that if it were not possible to get the bill, as adopted, passed by the Legislature, the committee might get one as near it as possible. I will accept the amendment by having that stricken out, so that the resolution will read : Resolved, That the Committee on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar be requested to present to the next meeting of the Legislature the bill which was reported to this association in 1889, and to urge its passage. The resolution as amended was adopted. (For Copy of this Bill see Appendix.) The President: It gives me pleasure to present to the Association Mr. J. Allen Watts, of Roanoke, who will read a paper on "Duty of the Legal Profession in Regard to Needed Changes in Legislation." Mr. Watts then read his paper. (See Appendix.) The President: We will now proceed to unfinished business, and that is the discussion of Law Reform, in which Mr. Cochran has the floor. A. F. Robertson, of Staunton : Mr. President,-I move that we adjourn to to-morrow morning at 10 o'clock. The Association then took a recess until 10 o'clock Thursday morning. THIRD DAY. WHITE SULPHUR Springs, W. Va., The association was called to order by the President at 10 o'clock A. M. The President: It has been suggested that instead of continuing the debate we change the order of the day to reading the resolutions on the deceased members of the association. Unless there is some objection the report of the Committee to Report Resolutions of Respect to the Deceased Members of the association is in order. B. W. Lacy, Chairman of the Committee on Memorials on Deceased Members, presented the report of that committee; and, at the request of Judge Lacy, Mr. James Pleasants, a member of the committee, read the paper and resolutions on the death of Major Legh R. Page, saying: Mr. Chairman,-When the news of the sad and distressingly sudden death of Major Page in the city of Chicago on June 8, 1893, reached the city of Richmond it caused the profoundest shock and sorrow among all the members of the bar in that city, and, indeed, through the whole community. The deep feeling of distress at once manifested itself in one of the largest meetings of the bar ever held in that city, for it was universally felt that our bar had lost one of its brightest ornaments. Upon that occasion I was appointed by Judge B. R. Wellford, Jr., who presided over the meeting, a member of the Committee on Resolutions, of which committee the accomplished and esteemed Judge William W. Crump was made chairman, and heard read in the committeeroom, and afterwards before the meeting, the very admirable preamble and resolutions prepared by Judge Crump, and passed by the meeting, in honor of the memory of Major Page. I can add nothing to their strength and beauty, their warmth of feeling, fitness of tribute, just and appropriate praise, and grace of diction, or so well present a memorial of the distinguished and lamented Major Page-of his career, talents, accomplishments, virtues and achievements-as by reading these resolutions before this association, as I now ask to do, and, further, by asking that this body will adopt them as its own (such changes being made in them as to time and place as may appear suitable) and will cause them to be spread upon its records. (See Memorial at end of Minutes.) Judge J. K. M. Norton, another member of the committee, read those on the death of Captain A. D. Payne; Mr. A. C. Braxton, another member of the committee, those on the death of Judge John W. Stout; and Judge Lacy himself presented those on the death of Colonel W. W. Gordon. The report of the committee was unanimously adopted. J. R. Tucker: One of the misfortunes of this very pleasant meeting of the association is that we have been denied the pleasure that had been promised us of listening to the address of my old friend and comrade in public life, the distinguished citizen of Ohio, Hon. Frank H. Hurd. He was obliged to give up his promised visit and promised address on account of ill health; and it seemed to me, upon the suggestion of other members of the association, that some minute upon this subject would be appropriate and grateful to the gentleman who is confined at home. I offer this resolution : Resolved, That the Virginia State Bar Association owes its acknowledgments to the Hon. Frank H. Hurd for his kind acceptance of its invitation to deliver the annual address before this body; and deeply regrets that ill health prevented him from complying with its invitation; and we tender to him the assurance of our high esteem for him as a statesman and as a distinguished member of our profession. And it is ordered that a copy of this minute be sent to Mr. Hurd. On motion, this resolution was adopted. The President: The order for this hour is the reading of a paper by Mr. Alfred P. Thom, of Norfolk, entitled: "The Inevitable Re-Adjustment of Law." I take great pleasure in introducing to you Mr. Thom. Mr. Thom then read his paper. (See Appendix.) The President: Unless there is discussion on the paper just read the order is unfinished business, in which Mr. Cochran has the floor. J. C. Parker: Mr. President,-I ask the indulgence of Mr. Cochran for one minute, believing that as soon as the unfinished business is disposed of it will be almost impossible to hold the. association together. I suggest that we have a report from the only Standing Committee that has not reported-the Committee on Judiciary, and if there is no report I would like to offer a resolution, the consideration of which, I think, will take only a few minutes. William B. Taliaferro: Well, sir, I have no report. I desire to say that we have been unable to get a quorum of the committee |