Arizona republican. [volume] (Phoenix, Ariz.) 1890-1930, 1903-01-13
ARIZONA LAWYERS
Annual Meeting of Territorial Bar
Association.

The annual session of the territorial
bar association was begun yesterday
afternoon, but was adjourned midway
in the course of the preparation for the
biennial banquet. This matter will De
disposed of at another meeting OF the
association to be held this afternoon.
The secretary and the treasurer OF
the association made the gratifying
announcement at the beginning that
the organization for the first time in its
history had a bank account of some
thing like S113. Many of the member
caught their breath at this announce
ment and wanted to know what In tne
world an association OF lawyers wanted
with a bank account anyhow, and by
what inattention TO business all this
money had been allowed to accumulate.
Treasurer Lewis said that when ne sue
ceeded TO the office Il year ago his
predecessor. Walter Benrett, turned
over 81 20 to him. That amount haG
been handed down from one treasurer
TO another for more than ten years. II
was a sacred fund and had never been
increased or diminished. Mr.. Lewis
put the fund away intending to trans
fer it to his successor. About that time
a bill for $3.50 was presented by a pub
fishing house. The secretary and the
treasurer at once set about pulling the
association out of insolvency by setting
in operation a bylaw or properly
speaking one Of the traditions of the
organization b. which members were
allowed to pay dues. There had been
collected altogether $12O.
At the close of the statement the
members who had rot paid yet fell
over each other in their efforts to get
at the secretary. In the throng was
Hon. T. G. Norris, who was reminded
by the secretary that he had paid some
months ago Mr.. Norris retired and
Colonel Herring moved the immediate
discharge of Secretary Prescott on the
ground of incOmpetency.
Colonel Herring further moved that
since the association had been set up
on a firm financial basis that it in
corporate. There seemed at first no Cd
lection to the motion, but a great deal
was developed in a very short time.
The first opposition came from Allen
English, who pointed out the growing
antipathy among the masses 20 cor
porate wealth. There were, he said
enough other ways by which lawyers
could make themselves unpopular, so
that it was not necessary TO fly into
the face of popular prejudice with ar
ticles of interpretations. Then some OBJ
lection was raised to the expense Of In
cooperating, and other speakers VINO
had at first favored the motion asked
what good an Incorporation could do;
what could be accomplished by an IN
corporation that an association could
not accomplish.
Colonel Herring replied that If an IN
corporation could do no more than the
association had done during it's whole
career he would not be in favor of IT,
The Incorporation, he believed, would
give the body greater cohesive power.
So far it had been a unit in favor OF
nothing. The revised statutes or Ari-
IONA, he said. were a disgra ceful monu-
ment to the incapacity of the assoc:a-
ton.
The motion was finally defeated ami
the usual appointment of a committee
on constitution and bylaws was ap-
pointed. 1t has always been a matter
of dispute among the members of tn.
association whether the association has