Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1889-08-29
Bench and Tripod.
A Great Meeting of the Coun.
try's Legal Lights.
TOPICS DISCUSSED BY JOURNALISTS

David Dudley Field Tells the Lawyers q
Justice and Long Trials Criticised, and
aRemedy Proposed-Uncie Sam Taker
to Task by an Editor for Doing Jot
Printing.
CHICAGO, Aug. ga distinguished gath
ering of members of the legal fraternity tool
place yesterday in the First Methodist
church audience room, being the twelfth
annual mseting of the American Bal
association. Among the distinguished gen
tlemen present were David Dudley Field
president, who occupied seat in the centeI
OF the platform. On his right were Presi
dent Lachner, of the state association,
and President Callahan, of the Hi
nois Bar association, and on his lef
were ex-senator Trumbull, and Edward
Otis Hinckley, of Baltimore, who i,
secretary of the association. Behind the
president were Alexander X. Lawton, Of
Georgia, ex-minister to Austria and an ex
Confederate general; Thomas j. Semmens
the leading lawyer of Louisiana; ex- Senator
j. r. Doolittle, of Wisconsin; j. Dean Ca
George J. Wright, of Iowa; United States
Circuit Judge Henry A. Brown, of Detroit
Judge Meyrick, of Louisiana, and c. c.
Bonney, of Chicago Among the audience
was ex-Mayor Vaux, of Philadelphia, who
enjoys the distinction of being the only
American who ever danced with Queen Vic.
toria; Henry Wise Garrett, of Washington
City, and many others.
President Fields Address.
After addresses of welcome by Mr.. Lach
ner and Mr.. Callahan, which followed Judge
Trumbulrs short address, President David
Dudley Field delivered bis annual address,
which was a mastery effort on the magni-
tude and Importance of legal science. He
favored ANIMAL sessions of the legislatures of
the states and a limitation of the scope OF
legislation. The true place of the lawyer in
an American commonwealth was, hs said,
that of a minister of justice, and he must be
first In free nation. As to legal ethics Mr.
Field thought a lawyer was bound to serve
all corners, but if he thought that in any
case presented his service would
be abused for unlawful or unjust
purposes he should withhold it We
have too many lawyers, he thought and ouI
criminals are not punished with sufficient
promptness. In this connection he referred
to the fact that more men are hung by mob.
in this country than by due process of law
Our lawsuits last too long, and he did moi
wonder that a cynic should say that tn,
American lawyers talk more and speed les
than any other equal number of men known
to history. The remedy for this, he thought
would be found in codification and bringing
the knowledge of the law to the people He
closed by saying that lawyers "must, Of
course, be true TO your clients and to the
courts, but you must also give speedy justice
to your fellow citizens, more speedy thar
you have yet given, and you must give them
chance to know their laws"
Miscellaneous Proceedings
The nomination and election OF candidate:
followed the presidents address All the
judges of Cook county and prominent mem
bers of the bar of Chicago and the state K
the number of fifty-six were elected mem
bers OF the association. In the Afternoon
Henry b Brown, of Michigan, read paper
on judicial Independence, and Walter B.
Hill, of Georgia, read paper on the Fed
eral Judicial System" In the evening the
members were given reception by the Hi
nois State Bar association at the Unio,
4.