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OF THE

TWENTY-THIRD ANNUAL MEETING

OF THE

Virginia State Bar Association

HELD AT

HOT SPRINGS, VIRGINIA

AUGUST 8TH, 9TH AND 10тн, 1911.

HOT SPRINGS, Va., Tuesday, August 8th, 1911.

Mr. Hill Montague, of Richmond, Chairman of the Executive Committee, called the meeting to order and said:

Gentlemen of the Virginia State Bar Association: Another year in the history of our Association is now numbered with the past. It would seem but yesterday when we last parted were it not for the fact that we recall that since then eight of our members have answered their last roll call.

On behalf of the Executive Committee, I have the honor, as well as the pleasure, of calling to order this the twenty-third annual meeting of the Virginia Bar Association.

The Rev. John G. Scott, of Hot Springs then made the opening prayer:

Mr. Montague: I am sure that we are all agreed that the selection of President made by the Association last year was a most happy one. In the person of our distinguished President we have a man who has not only attained eminence at the bar, but one who is known throughout this State as a lover of his people and interested in civic work. I have the honor to present your President, Judge George L. Christian, of Richmond.

The President then read his address.

(See Appendix.)

The President: Gentlemen, the next business in order is the appointment by the Chair of the following committees.

Committtee on Publications-R. T. W. Duke, of Charlottesville; Lewis H. Machen, of Alexandria; William T. Shannonhouse, of Norfolk.

Committee to Nominate Officers-Judge S. C. Graham, of Tazewell; Rosewell Page, of Hanover; George E. Sipe, of Harrisonburg; R. H. T. Adams, Jr., of Lynchburg; William H. Venable, of Norfolk.

Committee on Memorials-Samuel Griffin, of Bedford; Judge A. W. Wallace, of Fredericksburg; S. B. Whitehead, of Loving

ston.

We will now have the reports of the Secretary and Treasurer.

Mr. John B. Minor, of Richmond, Secretary and Treasurer of the Association, then read his reports, which, on motion, were received and filed.

(See reports at end of Minutes.)

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The President: The next business is reports of standing committees, the first of which is the report of the Executive Committee.

Mr. Hill Montague, of Richmond, Chairman, then read the report of the Executive Committee.

(See report at end of Minutes.)

On motion the report was received and filed.

The President: Next is the report of the Committee on Ad missions.

Col. E. E. Stickley, of Woodstock, Chairman of the Committee on Admissions, then read the first and second reports of that Committee, which, on motion, were adopted and the Secretary instructed to cast the unanimous ballot of the Association for the election of the applicants for membership therein named, which was accordingly done.

(See reports at end of Minutes.)

The President: The next is the report of the Committee on Legislation and Law Reform.

Mr. Lewis H. Machen, of Alexandria: Mr. President, several matcers of importance were referred to this Committee by the Association at its last meeting and a report has been prepared by the Chairman dealing with those and other matters, and it is so important that he is unwilling to present the report until at least a majority of the Committee have had an opportunity to discuss it. Unfortunately no other members of the Committee appear to have yet arrived and therefore I would ask the indulgence of the Association for another day, in the hope that we may be able to have a conference of the Committee and report to-morrow.

The President: The Chair will take that to be the sense of the meeting if there is no objection. The next is the report of the

Judiciary Committee. (No response.) Next is. the report of the Committee on Grievances, of which Judge Graham is Chair

man.

Judge S. C. Graham, of Tazewell: Mr. President, I know of no trouble, and therefore the Committee has no 1eport to make.

The President: Next is the report of the Committee on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar; I understand that no member of that Committee is present as yet. The next in order is the report of the Committee on Library and Legal Literature, of which Mr. Raleigh C. Minor is Chairman. Mr. Page is a member of that Committee.

Mr. Rosewell Page, of Hanover: Mr. President, we relied on our Chairman to make that report; I suppose he will do it when he appears.

The President: The next is the report of the Committee on International Arbitration.

Secretary Minor: That Committee has no report to make. Mr. President, that closes the business of the morning session, but before we adjourn I would like to call attention to a matter that has been pending here for some time. Four meetings ago a special committee was appointed at the instance of Judge Duke to investigate and report on amendments to our practise. That report was prepared and printed, and neither Judge Duke nor any other member of that committee has been present since; the question has been hanging fire and no action has been taken; and unless Judge Duke desires to have it taken up later in the meeting we might as well take it up this morning.

Judge R. T. W. Duke, of Charlottesville: Mr. President, I will state that unfortunately I have not been able to attend the meetings of the Association for two years. In 1909 I was very ill, and in 1910 I was in Europe, and it was impossible for me to

attend the meetings of the Association. I have at great length and with great particularity drawn up a plan or scheme of pleading. Unfortunately I have never had time to have my stenographer write it. I have that copy in my own handwriting, which nobody can read but my stenographer, and I would, like very much to have that printed, I do not think it would cost a great deal, and have it submitted to this Association. This thing has been made a subject of jest by some, but I think it is a very serious matter. I think the trouble with us is that we try to have too much fun and do too little work. As the Chairman of the Executive Committee said, we have no influence with the Legislature, we have never had a single bill passed. I think it is time to remedy that, and the only way we can do it is to have our papers printed and circulated a year before, so that the members of the Association can study them. The plan I have drawn up is based on the Connecticut act and the English Practise Act. If we can have that printed during the winter, I will be very glad to furnish it to the Secretary.

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I would like for the attention of the Committee on Legislation and Law Reform to be called to some serious omissions in our statutes. I have called attention to some of them in a small legal publication of which I have the honor to be the editor-inchief. I drafted a bill and sent it to the Legislature; it went to a committee of which Mr. Page was a member, and there it died an inglorious death.

Now if we are going to have fun only, all right and good, let us drop all other business; but if we really want to have influence, let us take these matters up in earnest. I do not put it as a motion, but I will state that we have done that work, and during the winter, if it is the pleasure of the Association, I will be very glad to put it in some sort of shape and furnish it to the Secretary for printing.

Mr. Rosewell Page, of Hanover: Mr. President, I move that the matter be recommitted to the same committee with leave to print. While I am speaking, I should like to disabuse the minds of some of the idea that this Association has no influence with

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