Daily Los Angeles herald., 1878-11-05
Adjourned Bar Meeting.

Pursuant to adjournment the
meeting Of the bar was called to
order yesterday evening at hall
past seven O'clock In the County
Court room, by Hon. George I'll.
Smith, Chairman. The Commit.
tee on Memorial presented the fol.
lowing, which was adopted:
70 the Honorable the President and
members Of the Convention to
amend the Constitution of the
State of California:
The undersigned memorialiste, as
citizens and members of the bar of
Los Angeles county, respectfully
represent to your honorable body:
That we have been unable to dis
cover any hardship in the operation
of the law requiring the Supreme
Court to hold certain of its sessions
at points outside the Capital of the
State. Nor have we been able to
discover any good or even plausible
reason, either from the argum ents
OF the advocates Of the proposed
restrictive amendment, or from our
own Investigations, why a term or
terms of the Supreme Court should
not be profitably and conveniently
held at points other than the Cap
ital.
That no popular discomfort has
been manifested on the part of the
people of the State at the action of
the Legislature in providing for the
holding of certain terms of the Su-
preme Court in San Francisco and
Los Angeles; and that the suggest.
ed change in limiting tn, sessions
of the said Court exclusively at the
Capital by the organic law, is un-
called for by any public demand
on the part Of the people of the
State.
That for ourselves, as citizens and
members OF the bar, and as far as
public opinion has been manifested
upon this subject within the sphere
of our observation, we are con.
WINGED that the sentiment of the
people of the State, and especially
of the central and southern por-
tions, is manifestly opposed to the
adoption ofany clause which would
prevent the people of the State
from legislating upon this subject
as the future growing and chang
ing interests of the people might
demand.
That the rapid increase of popu-
lation and wealth, involvinga pro-
portionate increase of business, in
the Southern part of the
State, requires that the Leg.
islature should, at least, be
left at liberty to give us
such terms of the Supreme Court
as our future exigencies shall de-
mand. Even at the present time
our Supreme Court business is very
large, as shown by the fact that the
term just held at the city of Los
Angeles has consumed three weeks
OF constant ard arduous labor on
the part Of the court and counsel,
and was yet insufficient to dispose
of the business before the Court.
That, at the Southern part of the
State, sessions of the Supreme
Court are required as necessity,
saving much time TO counsel and
litigants, besides the expense Incl
dent to more than thousand
miles of travel, from points In the
Southern counties to the capital.
And upon these grounds, and be-
cause no rights or privil ages of 9TH
ers are infringed upon, we would
hereby ask your honorable body to
take snch action as may prevent
the incorporation of any such re-
strictive provision in the amended
Constitution.
On motion Of Judge O'Melveny,
the report was adopted, and the
Secretary was instructed to prepare
and forward n draft of the same to
our delegation in the Constitutional
Convention.
On motion of p. w. Dooner, Esq,
Hon. Geo. H. Smith was added to
tho committee to confer with men,
bers of the bar in other portions of
Southern California in regard to
the memorial.
The meeting then adjourned.
After the adjournment an in
formal meeting was held on the
subject of forming Bar Associa-
tion, and Messrs. II. X. S. O'Mel-
veny. p. w. Dooner and Julius
Lyons were appointed committee
of three to notify the various MEM
bers of the bar that q meeting will
be held, at some time or place to be
fixed by the committee, for the
purpose of forming Bar Associa-
tion.