The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1900-07-20
THE LAWYERS
AT OLD POINT

Continued from First Page.)
code since 1865 and Canada adopted a Grim
mad code in 1892 Edward
Livingstone, who was chosen in 1921 to re-
wise tho Criminal Code OF Louisiana. was
an ardent disciple OF Bentham, and pre-
pared q code which. though never adopted
by Louisiana. welcomed the whole
word over. Letters OF euIogy came from
President Jefferson, the Emperor OF Rus
sia and the King OF Sweden. The King
of the Netherlands sent him gold medal.
and the Government OF Guatemala caused
| his Code OF Reform and Prison Discipline
to be translated and adopted word for
word.
The leading spirit in the movement for
! the New York Code was David Dudley
| Field. who has been called ''the greatest
| codifer since Bentham," whose general
codes, through the influence of his brother.
! the late Mr. Justice Fields have been
adopted in California and IN Dakota.
| Perhaps Bentham does not wholly de-
serve the commentator Of great editor
| and disciple, MIL. that "he found the pri-
! losophy of law chaos and left it a science.
| It is certainly not yet a, perfected science
/ But no one can trace the course OF iegisla-
! ton into England or the United States
on the Continent of Europe, or in those
great Asian Empires most directly at
| fected by European thought without con-
| Guiding that, though Benthams formal
| code were refused and rejected OF men,
vet we may say, without flippancy, that the
| soul of the great utilitartan and codifier
| goes marching on. And 1t IS OF interest
! to know that .Bentham thought our Gov
! ernment tho first ito which the epithet
| OF good in the positive sense of the word
| could, with propr!ety, be attached.
| President Madison wrote to Bentham,
some eighty-fcur years ago QS16), declining
| his proposals to prepare complete code
| for the United States, and in his letter
| said of these proposals: Although we
| cannot avail ourselves OF them in the mode
| best in itself, 1 do not overlook the pros
| pect that the fruits of your labOrs may,
! in some other, not be lost to us 1t is
| submitted that this fragmentary review
| of the subject indicates that they were
| hot lost to u.s. or to the world.
| And if in this enlightened assembly
there are many who are not what the
| fragment on government a century and
| quarter ago with some measure of truth
! called the English Bar, a passive AMI
| erervated race, ready to swallow any
| thing and acquiesce in snything, with
| intellects incapable of Distinguishing right
| from wrong, and with affections alike
! indifferent to either. insensible, short
| sighted, obstinate. lethargic, who are not
| actuated by antipathy to reforma ton.
| who at the call of duty dare to run "A
| tilt against the colossus of authority,
! or, in the words Of Lowell,
Who dare to be
| In the right with two or three
| or, like the highest and best OF all past
| time, in the right alone, it is perhaps
| because Willingly unwittngly they are
| the spiritual descendants not only of
| Washington. Jefferson. Madison, Marshall
and Patrick Henry, great Virginians ALL
| but sons of this sacred and historic soil.
| ND al of En 81
| of Queens Square Place.
TORRENS SYSTEM
| The report of the committee to inVesti-
| gate and report on the Torrens System.
! made the special order at this meeting
| after the annual address. was then taken
! up. full report OF this system was pub
| hshed in The Times of Thursday. Con-
| siderable debate was had upon the DISPOSE
| ton of the report II the system is adopted
| special court will have to be created TO
| pass upon the questions arising under APP
| plicatiOnS for registry.
This court cannot ba established without
constitutional amendment. and as the
Constitutional Convention will probably
meet before the next session OF the As
sociatlOn. some of the members were in
favor of committing the entire subject TO
a committee, with directions to investigate
the whole matter, and. If they thought
such action advisab BILE, ask the convention
q court should it think such action proper
This motion was vigorously combatted
by other members. among them being Mr..
Petit and Mr.. Guy.
The matter was finally disposed of by
the adoption of resolution offered by
Judge Christian, which referred the sub
ject 10 the same committee tMr. Massie,
Judge Old and Prof. Graves, with iustruc-
tons TO report 10 the next meeting OF the
Association.
Col. James C. Baker, OF Newport News.
and Mr.. w H Bond, of Wise. were elected
members of the Association, and the meet
ing then adjourned.
The banquet at night was a most enjoya-
Die affair, the responses TO the various
toasts being in most happy style. Follow
Ing are the toasts:
Virginia Through two centuries she
has given to the world leaders in thought
and in action, and eXemplars of the highest
types OF human character. May the causes
which have wrought these results continue
to be potential and fruitful in her future
history.-Juiga B. r. Wexford.
.'The Judiciary. The great balance
wheel in our systems of government May
it be in the future as it has been, almost
without exception, always in the past, the
conservator of public and private rights,
and the bulwark of civil lberty-Judge l..
L. Lewis
The Ladies and the Law."-NIay the
law CALAMITY concede and chivalrously
guard their nj Law