The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1892-08-25
AK jour grocer FOR
Princess Flour.
Made By BIaaton. Watson d c
Jurists from Nearly Every State Present the
Annual Meeting-The Presidents Address.

SARATOGA, N. Y. Aug. A.-The American
Bar Association met here this morning and
was called to order by President John F.
Dillon. Thefe was q full attendance OF
members of the legal fraternity from
almost every State in the Union. President
Dillon, after the preliminaries of organisa-
tion were gone through, delivered his an
nual address. After reviewing the impor-
slant laws anacted during tho past year by
the various Legislatures tho speaker ad-
verted to the necessity. purposes and effect
of our written constitutions. showing
wherein they differed from the constitu-
tions of all other countries in the distin-
gushing fact that the American system
makes the courts tho guardians of
the Constitution and 'provides the
only adequate safeguard which has
been invented or devised against
unconstitutional legislation, and that this
constituted the great and permanent glory
! of the founders of the legal institutions Of
the United States. The fundamental guar
antees of the Constitution are life, liberty
and property. The two former, he declared,
are every whore respected aud protected,
but, he said, We cannot close our eyes
to the fact that the institution of private
property is menaced both by open and
covert attacks. 1t Is attacked openly by
the advocates of the various heresies that
90 under the general name OF socialism or
c0nlmunism, who seek to array the body of
the community against the individuality
right and in favor of the right of the COM
munity-in some form to deprive the own
or of its full enjoyment. Property or it's
rightful enjoyment is frequently covertly
invaded at the instance of popu-
lar OF supposed popular. demand. In
this class of cases the attack 10
directed against particular owners. or
forms Of ownership, and generally takes
the insidious, moro specious and danger
Gus shape of en- attempt to deprive the
owners-usuRlly corporate Owners-0f their
property by unjust or discriminating legis-
lation In the exercise OF power of tax xatiOn,
eminent domain or the police power and
resulting, or intended TO result, In "cIip-
ping" the property or regulating" the
owner out of It's full enjoyment and use.
The president referred to Sir Henry Msine's
remarkable declaration in 1885, when he
felt constrained to confess and declare that
AL tho beDefcent prosperity of the United
States reposes on the saeredness of con-
tract and the stability of private property
tho first the implement. the last the re-
ward of success in the universal COM
petition" The president said for this
noble and generous utterance of q
great truth he forgave all OF Sir Henry
Maine's doubts as to the successes
rcmem brance OF his dismal fore bodinga
In view of which. he declared thar, In his
Judgment. tho great and Overshadowing <
duty of the bar and bench of our country
in this day Is not so much 80 devise meas
ures to amend or reform existing laws as ie
10 to preserve unimpaired and in full effi-
cioncy our legal constitutions as they ex-
ist; that IL there IL any problem yet un-
sestled in this country it is whether the
bench 10 able to bear the burden of sup
porting under oil circumstances the funda-
mental law against popular or supposed
popular demands. In the exercise of this
loftiest function and most sacred duty of
the judiciary it is the duty of tho bar TO
support tho Constitution and the judges
with vigor and firmness. This done all is
safe; this omitted and all 10 impertled and
may be lost.
A feature of the session will be the dis
cussion of the report of the committee on
international law. This committee will
submit an exhaustive review of the ques-
tion whether ''any legislation by Congress
- desirable and practicabio to give the
United States court jurisdiction over the
criminal proceedings for acts of violence 10
the persons or propertysof aliens committed
by citizens of the United States" At last
years session of the association the CON-
mittee was instructed to make q recon-
mendation on the subject at the present
session.