The daily morning journal and courier., 1904-06-28
AT THE YALE LAW SCHOOL
ANNUAL BAN0UETA AND MEETING
 OF ALUMNI.

Lawyers to American Law-secre-
 tary Taft of the War Department One
 of the Speakers at the Banquet-
 Townsend Prize Speaking in Hendrfe
 HaIl-A Large Attendance.
 The annual meeting of the Yale law School Alumni association, with colla- tion and addresses by distinguished alumni and others, was held yesterday afternoon in the law school on Elm street. The alumni and members of the graduating class gathered on the top floor of the building at 12:S0 and there partook of the annual alumni dinner.
 At the speakers table with Dean Rogers, there was seated the Hon. Eiihu Root. LL D., speaker of the af- ternoon at Hendrie Hall; Secretary of War TaSt. Rev. Dr. Samuel G. Smith of St. Paul's church, Rev. Dr. Phillips of the Church of the Redeemer, James B. Dill of New York, Judge Townsend, Judge Sharp of Baltimore, Roger Eos ter of New York. and President Munson of the Law School Alumni association. Most of these gentlemen made after dinner speeches.
 At 2:30 yesterday afternoon the an- nual Townsend prize speaking took place in Hendrie hall, followed by the address to the graduating class by the Hon. Elinu Root LL. D.
 The men delivering orations and their subjects were:
 John Harold Seats, The Open Shop in the Government Service"
 Horace Jewell Fenton. M. A., Yale 1901, "The Lesson of Doris Rebellion"
 William Jefferson Wynn, B. A., Mer- cer university. 1897, ''The Waning of the States Before the United States.
 The orations were followed by music, after which Mir. Root spoke on Some Duties of American Lawyers to Ameri- can Law" The address was followed by the award of honors and prizes.
 ELIHU ROOTS ADDRESS.
 Mir. Root spoke of the exceptional ca reers open to lawyers in this country. in the Judicial, legislative, and execu- tive branches of government, and of the powerful influence which the law yer in these relations can exercise over the thought and sentiment of the com munity. ITO be a lawyer working for fees" he said, lis not to be any the less citizen whose unbought service is due to his community an dhfs country with his best aand constant effort. If he fails in loyalty to this cause, his voice will ring false in the courts, and will fail to carry conviction to judicial minds"
 Speaking of the duty of the lawyer to keep the development of the law abareast of the progress of the age and meeting the changing conditions of hu- man life and activity. MT. Root referred to the solved problem of judicial pro- cedure in the Philippines, saying on this point:
 No part Of the duties imposed upon the government of the United States in the exercise of authority over the islands yielded or ceded by the treaty of Paris. with their millions of inhabi- tants, called for more study and con- sideration than the solution of the ques- tion how far and in what direction the system of laws under which the people of the islands have lived should be changed or modified under the new au- thority. A careful study of the subject soon led to the conclusion that these people already had in force an admir- able body of municipal law, far better adapted to their needs than the system Of rules which we prize so highly for our own conduct. Certain constitution al principles needed to be established; the laws relating to crimes and pun ishments, and the methods of criminal procedure which had been adopted and had been used for purposes of oppres- sion. needed to be changed; but the great body of municipal law which reg ulated the relation of people to each other was far better for them than any thing we could produce out of our ex- perience; and it was left and properly left, substantially unchanged.
 Of the duty of lawyers to guard with care the observance of limitations of of ficial power, MT. Root said:
 There is a constant tendency to ig- nore such limitations and condone the transgression of them by public officers, provided the tnlng done IS g0Od Wltn good motives, from desire to serve | the public. Such process, if general lis most injurious. If continued long enough it results in an attitude of per sonal superiority on the part of great officers which is inconsistent with our Institutions, destruction of responsi- bility and independent judgment on the part of lower officers and a neglect of the part e. the people.
 The more frequently men who hold wraat power in office are permitted to