Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1879-11-14


at Montpelier About one hundred lawyers
with a few invited guests, sat down to th
st dinner which was handsomely served ut tn
n Pavilion. The bill of fare bore the followin.
notices
-Fpr.
$ DO as aiversaries do at law
1 Strive nightly hut eat and drink as friends
-Shdi''i~df'
! Now good digestion wall on appetite,
And health ON both
Macbeth.
a The retiring president, Z. J. Phelps Esq
e presided with his usual tact and fine humor
Ia Introducing the after dinner speeches
Mr. Phelps said that the first article of the
: constitution named rs one of the objects ol
the association, '.to cherish 4 fraternal Spiri
among its members" If anything coult
tend To that it was the discussion of 4 good
dinner, and the trainers of the constitution,
had with wonderful fOrethought, distinctly
made the furnishing OF a dinner in connec.
ton with the annual meeting one of the CHIEF
duties of the managers. 1t had been said
by one of the most illustriOus of the profes-
sion that lawyers as as rule work hard,
live well, and die poor. We should he sure
| 10 NtluN Tue u1Sl Two IIplftslllOuS, anu
take care that the third did not occur. The
profession should include good li,lag, and
the companionshp of ones friends. We
should be social The various representa-
tives of the profession heshould call out dur
ing the exercises would he expected to re-
spond promptly, and if any one exceeded 10
minutes he should he shot on the spot. He
first called upon Gov. Proctor
Gov. Proctor said that his stop at the Bar
was 50 short that he never felt certain whcth-
er hc left the law or the law left him. In
his opinion no State owed more to her Bar
than Vermont, no State had been more ably
represented from her very earliest history
down to the present time. lie need only
refer to the strong men who took part in the
organization Of the State, and contributed 50
much wisdom and craftsmanship in the
formation of the Constitution, and TO that
long line OF judges who had made the Yer
mont reports such marked authority every
where. Applause. 1t was worth remem-
bering, too, that our little State, less than
-hundredth part of the Nation in pOpula-
ton, had always been represented in the
| National councils by men Whose brilliant
4 ability placed them in the very foremost
rank in those bodies lawyers like Prentice,
Phelps and Collamer, not to mention others
earlier and now. Thanking them for the
honor they had done him, he trusted hc
might always he considered member of the
Bar in full practice before the court then
| sitting.
In response TO the sentiment " Tie Chief
Justice, Gcd Bless HIM." Judge Barrett, in
the enforced absence of Judge Pierpoint,
said that he was incapable of responding 50
well as Judge Pierpoint would have done
had he been present. lie had however, long
understood the Importance of an association
! like this, whose first anniversary they cec-
brated tonight. lie had frequently felt that
the practice in our courts was provincial.
Each County Court had its local and pccu-
liar characteristics. The younger practition-
crs followed equally the good and bad exam
pies of the leaders of the bar at their courts
This evil would rapidly disappear by holding
the Supreme Court of the State at one place
where the younger lawyers would meet with
the elder and more learned members of the
profession, and learn from them. In early
life he had spent one year and Il hall in Bns-
ton, where he had an opportunity 10 study
such leaders at the lar rs Rufus Choaie,
Daniel Webster, Benjamin r. Curtis, vii
liam Whiting, Edwin Sawyer and others.
That period he had always regarded as one
of the most profitable possible to young
lawyer. The localiZation of the Supreme
Court at Montpelier was the great desidera-
tum TO both the Bench and the Bar, and only
needed the advocacy of this Association to
secure the passage of an act by the next
Legislature 10 that end. New Hampshire
once had our system Of County Supreme
Counts; but nothing could induce her people
to 20 back TO IT, tie vcnturcd to predict
that once secure tie sessions of the Supreme
Court for all the COartS at Montpelier, the
wonder would he how we endured the old |
system So long.
Mr.. Phcps-Evcn the elevation of the !
Bench and the pure atmosphere by which it !
is surrounded, has not always been sufficient
TO preserve its occupants from fall. need |
not alludc TO the celebrated case of Lord |
Chancellor Bacon. There have been others |
And am sorry 10 say that we in Vermont |
have known Judges who had reached even /
the elevated station of Chief Justiccship of |
the State, who have fallen from that high |
estate; who have gone down, down, down, |
until they have even become members Of |
Congress. Laughter. But it is our duty
to turn to such erring brethren with the spirit |
of charity, and even 10 extend To them the
hand of forgiveness and affection Applause |
and show them that they have something to
live for still. wish had time to tell yDu Il
story, which is new to most of YOU, about
the penitent thief on the cross. Laughter
y
DIR. Watts 50 beautifully SAYS in one of his
hymns
While the lamp holds ont 10 burn.
The Nllcsi sinner may return
Judge Poland was sOverwhelmedwith laugh
ter and cheers as he arose to face the music.
AT last he was able to say: Mr. President.
l believe that | have appeared in almost
all r0leS except this. If had been asked to
appear in any other character | could have
said something; but never read up for the
Prodigal Son. Laughter | think ought to
he permitted 10 plCad-
Judge Barrctt-lt was the thief un the
cross, not the Prodigal Son.
Judge Poland-Thcn | think | ought 10
have time 10 make brief Laughter
This being required 10 make an oral ad-
dress subjects man To very great danger.
lie would say, however, that h. would
''nevcr doso again" Too much repentance
was always suspicious lie rejoiccd that an
of this character had been found
rd IN the state. We have at last in our lii
tie State got together 10 elevate the profrS-
sion. The general term and this association
will do much 10 effect this The supreme
Court of our small State should he held in
one place, and that where the State library
was accessible
MIR. Phelps, after rcadinga letter conlmcn-
iatory of the association from judge H. H. !
Wheeler, of the tnited States District Court,
said that the bench Of Vermont presented
he spectacle of an unusual succession, not ,
from father 10 son, hut two remarkable in
stances OF collateral sicccssions, all possess
ID of the highest legal qualifications ; OF the
irmcst integrity OF judicial capacity not
Dftcn witnessed and in each cas-. the sue ,
'essor has added additional ustre to the
anne of his own name and blood lie need
pnly call the honored names of Rcdiield and I
Royce 10 arouse the pride of all the members '
II the profession. Applause. ,
JrDGE 7. =. REnrIEip
aid he was heartily glad of the formation
If such an association. Its benefits were
'bvlnus. Success, such success as we law
ears most desire the elevation of our pro
essinn- seldom comes except by association I
n order To he a sound lawyer one must bc q
blc To see distinctly and state clearly the
'oints of his case. lie who can see the prin q
iplcs involved in Il proposition is ils master I
This association is, too. invaluable in its '
'rovlncc of Topping or the charlatanl and !
nprlnclplcd men who ni,.st tl, profession.
would a!so prove Of great service to thu.
oungcr members of the profession, and hc /
esired to impress upon these its importance !
nj value. The younger lawyers, who were ,
usceptiblr of the higher lrgal altninmcnls.
nd were worthy and honest should receive y
he aid and cDuEt"namCc ol the society. Il
nos. I. T.. WALTON
cing called upon in Response tr sentiment v
I THE Press" confessed that newspapers $
al, in times past, occasionally been guilty II
I interpretations. The unfortunate .
pndition of affairs which mad, necessary
nch Il wrcrchcd state of journalism had now, "
owcycr, happily passed, and the newspapers IL
to day, while necessarily partisan, AMI Ii
cry properly SO, too, were II marked i'm f.
r"ycmcnt upon those of former times The -
ast strides which have been ma,l,, within S'
nc last few decades in newspapers were fully +,
lnal 10 those made in Jurisprudence, and n
lr people, rs we'll rs the newspapers. were
, he congratulated upon both. II
EA-GnN. FAIL BIIIINGUNM
i:lS warmly greeted uppu rrisiu,r ,,f tI,. call