New-York tribune., 1891-08-30
FROM BENCH AND BAR.
GATHERED FROM LAWYERS AND AMONG
THE COURTS.

ings usually are. The meetings oi INC a0"e
a, saratoga for many years were attended by nearly
az. conc individuals who were fairly representative
=, Tho nro,cssion but many of the younger members
Of tb, bar who woud gladly have Joined the associa
oou,d not bear the expense Of the Journey iroin
distant parts OF tho country every year. In o'uer
- nounlarIze the association and increase the interest,"
T., us sessions the meetings are now held In aterna'o
Years at various large cities and the association mas
been heartily welcome at Boston and Chicago Defoie
and again at Doston this year. Many members Oh
the local bar of those cities have Joined the associa
tion and 1t has increased In number and popularity
since the system Of visiting different parts oi 'o
United States adopted.
President Baldwin, of the association. gave 10 his
annual address some interesting statistics as 10 the
practice In many state Legislatures OF violating inc
spirit Of tho constitutions which they should uphon
while adheng 10 their letter III Indiana for instance
the constitution provides that no act shall take enecs
until published by authority, except In case Oh
emergency Yet at the last session 155 OF the 2oo
laws passed contained declarations that an emergency
existed for the immediate taking effect OF the acts
and provided that they should take elect mnedaley
The Tennessee constitution declares tnat no Id" oi
general nature shall take effect until forty Gays aer
its passage unless the public welfare requires that 10
shoud take effect sooner All except thirtyve OF tho
o65 laws passed by the last Legislature contained
sections stating that the public welfare required that
they should take effect Immediately or at some daoe
within the forty days. OF the 19 laws passed py 'he
last Texas Legislature all except hve containeo
"emergency clauses to evade a constitutional pro-
vision requiring three readings OF each Dill ana
free discussion thereon, except In cases OF imperative
necessity Most Of the laws, OF course were Oh uii-
Important matters-as far at least as time was con-
cerned The Ohio Legislature in order to avoid con-
sttutional proyision against special laws ahectlnS
municipal corporations passed statutes In favor OF
municipalities with cens-is population Oh Io'ooo, Oh
1905 of 3,910, and Of various villages ana counties
having certain population. so as necessarily I'd eA-
cIude every municipal body other than the nvored
one.
The dulest days Of the legal year are those IN the
latter part OF August and scarcely lawyer OF prom
nence remains In the city, except few VINO thinK INC
GOODNESS Of their offices and the quiet reading prepar
atov 10 the later trial Of preferable to the idle
ness of days by the seashore among the mountains
The only places where any considerable NUMBER OF
LAWYERS can be found are the large libraries where
many OF the younger and not few Of the older mem
bers of the profession spend their hours In the pepara
ton OF briefs. Tho cool alcoves OF the Law insOute
library in the Postofce Building, form an especially
pleasant resort for studious lawyers The institute is
now practically only an organization for maintaining
the library and IL has succeeded in securing remark
ably complete library, not only of statutes and reports
but of the historical and literary works which nave
some bearing on the law Librarian WinterS' super'
tendent Lodovick and their assistants kocp the con-
stantly increasing store OF volumes ana pamphiets
carefully arranged that reference to any one OF them
Is easy The library Of the Bar Association, that in
the Fuitable building and Others in lofty buildings
mainly occupied by lawyers also popular at this
season NJ the year among stdous lawyers, tnougI the
number of books consulted is OF course, much less
than in the busy season Of the courts BOOKS are
handled more in eisrely fashion, opinions read more
carefully, and discursve reading Is moro common than
in the winter months. Some young lawyers-fewer'
however. than should take advantage Of the oppor-
unity-use the summer hours in TIE library In adding
o that general knowledge Of the literature OF their
profession which their other occupations have forced
them to neglect.
Austin Abbott, the well-known law writer in
recent number Of The Green Bag" gives some advice
to o young man who Is busily occupied as law clerk
and, Is anxious TO obtain quickly as possible
knowledge necessary for him to become lawyer.
Mr.. Abbott's suggestions seem somewhat singular. lie
advises that when the clerk Is engaged for instance
In copying deed contract that he should cndeavor
to read in the standard works what the authors say
about documents similar to those upon which he Is
engaged. In this way 1t is suggested one new idea
may be acquired every daJ and so great deal may
be learned in a year. AS supplement to % good
knowledge Of the principles of the law gained by
careful reading Of some Of the important text
books such a system would no doubt be useful IN
fixing upon the memory many doubtful points. AS
"a means Of obtaining general law education 1t would
SEEM however to be lacking in thorOughness. as the
,tudent would remain in the densest ignorance on
MANY important points to which his attention had
no. been called owing to the limitations OF ms EN-,
poyers pEaSGfe E The assa Lw Of
knowledge mixed with marked ignorance OF some I'M
portant principles.
The convenience of having Influence with the Legs-
ature when an emergency arises is illustrated in
case recently decided In Tennessee. X. j. Morris, who
died In 1884, had gathered fortune of 100000 by
carrying on business IN Nashville. He married in
1912 Miss Stratton, and she assisted him greatly by
her industry and economy In his early struggles The
only child of the couple accidentally killed when he
was seventeen years old and the wife's mind became
weakened. Just after her husbands death she was
judically declared lunatic Mr.. Morris had made
no will and his personal estate falued at Sl2O,O00,
went 10 his widow, and under the laws they then
existed would have descended at her death to her
next of kin as she was incapable of making will.
nephew o; X. ]. Morris happened to have influence
with members Of the Tennessee Legislature In the
year succeeding the death Of the wealthy business
He thought that his eatives-the Morris family and
not the wfe's next OF n should receive the property
Sea s esa Of e an Gf In sSe s Dy %
rived from an mtestate husband or wife, should go 10
e heA' + %n m VI %ond n9 vs iS Se eae SaS e
Morrses 10 the exclusion Of the we's relatives the
proposed by Mr.. Morris until it had become a law. in
April. 1885. A litter controversy arose between the
members of the JI5rrs and stratton families. and it
continued until and after the death OF Mrs. Morris in
December 1888 The courts called on To decide
TO the consttutiCnality Of the law which relied
on by tho Morris claimants. Tic Tennessee supreme
Court which Is not usually prolix, held an elaborate
opinion Of over 10000 words that fe law was uncon:
suOnal because 1t deprived Mrs. Morris OF her right
to transmit the estate to her fexofkn-a right
which the court holds to be property which the Legs-
lature could not take and give IN strangers. SO the
estate went TO the relatives OF tho woman who had
helped to earn IT rather than 70 the relatives Of the
who had been the principal figure In the business
from which IL derived
HE WAS SOME OTHER GIRLS BROTHER.