Mexico weekly ledger., 1899-11-16

association. There are six standing
committees of five members, eaot
appointed annually by the president
These committees are as follows:
| 1. On jurisprudence and Law Re.
form.
2. On Legal Education and Admis-
sion to the Bar.
| 8. On judicial, Administration anc
Remedial procedure.
j 4. On Statutory Amendments.
/ s. On Biographies OF Members.
8. On Grievances.
Each OF the committees is required
to make a written report at the an
nual meeting OF the association. The
association meets annually, at such
time as may be selected by the Execu.
tive Committee or by the association,
Usually the time and places of meet
ing are fixed by the Executive Com
mittee.
The present officers are:
Geo. Robertson, of Mexico, presi-
dent; J. J.. Russell, Of Charleston,
secretary, and w. B. Truesdale, OF
Kansas City, treasurer. The Execu-
tive Committee, composed also Of the
secretary and treasurer, are /. 81,
Lionberger, Of ST. Louis; Judge ]. F.
Green, formerly Of De Soto, now ol
81. Louis, and Frank Titus, Kansas
City. In addition to the duties oi
selecting the time and place for the
annual meeting OF the Association, II
is the duty of the Executive Commit-
tee to provide at each annual meeting
some suitable method Of entertain
ment, by dinner or otherwise, at the
cost Of the association, and at such
entertainment each member may be
accompanied by one lady. The pres
ident Is required to open each annual
meeting with an address, In which he
shall communicate the most note
worthy changes 10 the statute law on
pointa Of general interest made by
tho STATES snu By Congress OF the
preceding year. The Executive Com
mIttee is also charged with the duty
of selecting some person to deliver an
address at each annual meeting, and
shall prepare programme for the
reading Of not exceeding six papers
by members of the association.
1t is the duty OF the Committee on
Biographies to collect and provide for
the preservation among the archives
of the association suitable memorials
of the lives and characters of its de-
ceased members and to make reports
thereof at each meeting.
Members of the bar of any foreign
country or any State, not members of
the association, may be admitted to
the privileges of the floor during the
sessions Of any annual meeting.
The Missouri Bar Association was
organized ct Kansas City December
20, 1880, and the late Willard P. Hall,
of st. Joseph, was the first president.
W. II. H. Russell, of st. Louis, secre-
tary, and NJ. T. @. Williams, of Kansas
City, treasurer. The fret annual
meeting was held in st. Louis Decem-
ber 81 and 2s, 1881. Willard P. Hall
never presided over q meeting, but
the first annual meeting was presided
over by one of the vice-pFesidents, e.
j. Montague, of Carthage. The first
annual address was delivered By w.
8. Hammond, LII. D., dean Of the law
faculty OF Washington University.
The subject Of his address was "The
Nature and Value of the Common
Law"
There probably never lived within
the boundaries of this State 3 lawyer
with q fuller and more complete
knowledge Of the sources, history and
principles OF the common law than
the writer of this address. In closing
the address, when referring to the
objects OF the Bar Association, he
said:
eThere can be no more beneficeut
work for any State Bar Association
than to enforce with all its power
such maxims as these: That State
Legislation should interfere in matters
of private law only in cases of ebso-
Lutte need, End then with as little di-
vergeuce from the common law as
possible; that the couFts OF the State
should follow the same rule In their
decisions, by constant recurrence TO
the leading principles Of common law;
and, third, most Important OF all, and
the best means to all the rest, that
every individual lawyer should not
think himself fit for the task until he
has studied, mastered and permeated
his mind with those simple, yet grand
features which give the common law
it's distinction, physioenomy aud
character"
As above stated, the fret president
never presided at meeting OF the
association, having been kept away
by his last sickness. The reported
proceedings OF the second annual
meeting, held In sedaIis, in Deeem-
Der, 1889, says OF him In part, as fol-
lows: "Hon. Willard P. Hail, of 81.
Joseph, our fret president, and one Of
MIssouri's ablest, purest and best law
yers, than whom, in fact, the history
Of the Missouri bar, from Its enroll
ment to the present time, affords no
brighter example Of the good oitizen
and true lawyer, has passed away
His exalted virtues In bis private,
public and professional life qualified
him most appropriately for any ONCE
m the gift Of the people and especially
for first president Of this association"
The second president Of the $3.50
citation was Henry Hitchcock, Of 81
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