Greenbrier independent. [volume] (Lewisburg, Va. [W. Va.]) 1859-1980, 1895-11-07
State Bar Association.


The West Virginia Bar Assocla-
ton met at Wheeling last week and
was fairly we'll attended, particularly
by the lawyers in the northern part
of the State. The President, Hon.
VIM. p. Hubbard, of Wheeling, de-
livered his annual address, which
was instructive, interesting and we'll
received. Mr.. A. NJ. Poundstone,
Of Upshur, read paper on the Ma
turing of Causes" and Forest w.
Brown, Esq, on "Cost in Criminal
Cases" There were a number of
interesting speeches on both of these
papers.
Speaking of the delays OF the law,
Mr.. John A. Howard, OF Wheeling,
said: Most of the laws delays do
not grow out of trItilug technicali-
ties, but are due to the fact that when
man, in his advancing civilization,
got beyond the state of his birth and
established trial by jury, he went too
far, and made it almost impossible
To punish the real criminal. The ac-
cused is not only entitled to the right
of a trial by jury, but the State must
convince each one of the twelve
men beyond reasonable doubt
Why 'beynnd reasonable doubt p
And why should ne be presumed to
be innocent? II the accused robbed
other persons or burglariZed other
houses, why should not the Jury
know it? 1t is these safeguards
which cause the people TO complain
and lynch law to prevail"
The following officers were elected
for the ensuing year: President, For
est w. Brown, of Charles Town {;
Vice-Presidents-- First district, John
Bassill, of Clarksburg; Second dis
trict, =. j. Crogan, of Kingwood ;
Third district, G. G. Watts, of
Charleston Fourth district, John A g.
Hutchinson, of Parkersburg Sec
rotary, j. w. Ewing, of Wheeling {;
Treasurer, w. n. Miller, of Parkers-
burg; Executive Council, w. p.
Wiley, Henry NJ. Russell, B. M.
Amber. John w. Mason and d. C.
WestenhaVer. The next meeting
will be held at Huntington at time
to be hereafter fixed by the Execu-
tive Council.
Hon. John Randolph Tucker, of
Lexington, Va, Professor of Con-
stitutional, international and Com.
mercial Law in Washington and Lee
University, addressed the Associa.
ton Wednesday night, the Both ult.
on the " Influence of Virginia in the
Jurisprudence of the Country" An
idea Of what he claimed for the Old
Commonwealth may be gathered
from the following paragraph of his
address
I" ] have made large claims for Vir.
gina, as the first among American
commonwealths-first in time: first
In laying the foundation of the An.
glo-American liberty; first in start.
lug the ball of revolution for indie.
pendence; first in the leadership ot
the revolutionary army first i'm de.
caring her own independence. and
the draftman Of the General DecI,.
| ration founder of the 6rSt p;u -,
Rights and the first written Consti
tuition on the Continent first to pro
pose the original Federal Constitu
tlon Tor the Union; first and fore
most in pressing for new Constitu
ton for the Union first in the FIR
nation OF scheme for the Constitu
tlon and In devising the compromis,
OF power on which it rests first q,
the helm when the Ship of State wa,
launched; first in directing the cen
tripetal end centrifugal forces of tn,
Union; chief in administering a do
main Tor new States; chief in tn,
policy which made the present inter
oceanic Union possible; mother q
the greatest statesmen and miIitar,
men In the country, and peers of an;
In the history of mankind. Have
not made her claim good ?n
tie declared Virginia to be as grea
IN the achievements of thought. q
political philosophy, of statesman
SNIP OF f"rensical fame, Of militar,
glory as any in all human history.