The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1893-01-14
LAW REFORM.

committee have not been idle: that II
will be ready with report more than
two months before the next meeting Of
the Association and that its propositions
VIII be printed I'm ample time for every
memebr Of the bar TO examine them be-
fore he is called upon to vote on them
This last Is good
MIR. Pattcson has a lofty dlsdain Tor
all those who love old things, because
they are old. and he thus dismisses them
most summarily from all place In the
discussion. lie says:
| "A great historian once compared
man on his journey through life to
| traveller I'm the desert, who sees 10 lhe
rear the glittering delights OF the mirage
| which he can never regain, and the same
| fmare hiring him on to the front. so
| some OF us are disposed TO chase these
| mental rainbows wherever we see them.
| No person imhued with the true spirit OF
| progress cares for either the one or the
| other-the remote past or future' put ne
| does care for the real beneft 10 pe ac-
| complished by the reform 10 De Haue,
| and the question he asks himself Is not
| whether Il would suit the circumscribed
| mind of Coke or any other believer In
| the witch mania, but is calculated 10
supply the wants and demands of the
profession and the public OF to-day
Now Just that propensity to "chase
mental rainbows," which Mr.. Patteson
values himself and his associates upon'
is what the rest Of us fear In ther
| industrious efforts at reform. we are
not conscious Of needing any reforms at
! all in our Institutions. but. least or all
do we want any that are brought to us
| nv gentlemen who tell us their reforms
were captured whilst they were In not
pursuit Of mental rainbows." We very
much prefer remaining under the easy
setting Institutions that received the en-
thusiastic approval of the "circumscribed
mind of Coke" for "circumscribed' as
his mind was, he was a very bulwark
between tyrannical power and the liberties
of a people; he had an unparalleled genius
in suiting a peoples laws 10 their needs
and under the institutions which he los
tered and helped TO build up strong
race has marched out into the world TO
carry liberty and civilization into all
dark places. The Times confesses that
II falls under the committees censure by
being Of those who love old things be-
cause they are old. The Times doubts
and dstrusts the creative faculty of any
finite mind. The great philosopher, John
Locke. wrote constitution for the Caro-
Iinas which the people tore into shreds
as soon as 1t was put into operation over
them. The Times is an implicit believer
in the idea that all We have in our insti-
tutions of government that is good, is
what has been developed by experience.
The Times looks, therefore, askant at
all propositions for reform. lest they be
in fact no more than schemes for
change. A few years back we saw a
political government take possession OF
our citys government in the name of
Reform and outside of the bitter
arrangements it produced, the only me-
mento of it that now exists is a public
building, the cost of which will load us
down unnecessarily with charge OF
nearly $4,000 year.
Just what change the Bar Association
committee hope TO bring about in our sys-
TEN of judicature. we do not know. We
believe, however, they aim principally
at causing legal and equitable procedure
to be the same. They certainly do not
aim at abolishing the trial by jury in
civil actions, and so long as this funda-
mental appendage of a civil action re-
mains, it seems TO us that the reforms"
they are seeking to effect are nothing but
reforms of shadows.
We can sec no evil that is going to
flow from calling a declaration a com
plant" or from calling bill of equity"
a declaration. Perhaps Il would be well
to reconcile the disputants on this score
by giving to each the Maryland title of
"narr" (narrative). But II this is all that
the committee aims at, if they are going
to leave legal actions to be tried by
juries, the residue seems TO be nothing
but a movement intended to affect the
method Of bringing each before its APP
propriate tribunal; and, If that is so, we
do lot believe Il system better suited to
our people can be devised than that we
have. If it is complained of as caus-
reply the vice here is not in the judicial
system, but in the character of the
people. The Virsinians are a procrast-
mating laissez faire sort Of people. that
will not be hurried by any judicial sys-
tenn whatever, and Mr.. Patteson may en-
act any statutes that he pleases, but he
will never change this element in their
character by law, and they Will contrive
means to adjust his new legislation to
their propensities and dispositions, in
spite of every safeguard with which he
may surround II.
The statutes and rules of court that
have taken possession of his fancy are
made for London, New York and other
immense commercial cities, where IRON
clad procedure is necessary to the trans
action OF business. In our communities
that procedure is not needed, and will
not work.
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CAPRIvI AND WAR.
Chancellor Won Caprivi in his speech
before the Reichstag committee of