Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1904-10-01
LAWYERS AND JURISTS
CLOSING SESSION OF THE CON.
GREss AT ST. LOUIS.
Judicial Action by Courts of Foreign
Nations Discussed-A Lively
NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.

A dispatch from st. Louis, Mo-, last night
says: The program arranged for the uniyer.
sal congress of lawyers and jurists. which
mas been In session in festival hall. on the
worlds fair grounds, since Wednesday. was
completed today,
Inc interest awakened by the discussions
and theories Of law advanced by the noted
1urists OF this and foreign countries was
enhanced rather than lessened by the fact
that it was the closing session.
Great pieces Of glass fell from the sky
light in the dome of Festival Hall and de-
layed the opening Of the session. So sud-
denly and Unexpectedly came the crashing
glass that every one was taken unawares
fortunately no one was injured. The large
assembly room was at once cleared and
not until every precaution to prevent fur
Their interruption had been taken did the
chairman's call to order. The accident was
attributed to painters working on the dome.
Status in Divorce Cases.
The first subject for consideration was
ITO what extent should judicial action by
courts of foreign nations be recognized" 1t
was presented by the Hon. Sir William r.
Kennedy, justice for the high court OF
England, and was considered with especial
reference to the status of individuals as af-
fected by divorce or other DEGREES and the
right to represent the person or property Of
another.
Sir william declared in his opening re-
marks that the subject upon which he had
been invited to speak was one of very real
Importance to the family of civilized ma
tons. He said the complete unification OF
laws Is as far beyond the range of practical
possibility as the universal adoption of a
common language. There are not want
Ing" he said, signs of augury that in re-
w n.
lations which affect mercantile and mari
time interests an advance toward practical
unification In particular directions such as
the law relating to collisions at sea and
marine Insurance. may be made before long,
and thus some visible fruit reward the
good work Of the International Law AssO-
ciaton and its fellow-laborers in the same
field
State Practice.
Continuing, Sir Kennedy said: Having
regard to the degree in which equality OF
civilization identity or moral standard and
commounity of ideas to legality exist
throughout western christendom. each
member of the family of states should
generally presume that right has been done
in the judicial proceedings of a sister state
Let us be ready to admit that In regard to
the application Of legal principles there
may be, not infrequently, alike in point OF
abstract reasoning and in point of prac-
teal advantage something to jus ify
practice
Provided. always. that the litigant par
ties have been judged by a foreign tribunal
of competent international jurisdiction, the
fact that a legal principle has there been
applied, to which we should have prefer-
enced another Gas, for example. the lex
loci contractus, and not the lex loci soiu-
tionis) ought generally and in regard 70
what may be called ordinary matters OF
litigation to be regarded as of 81 ght con-
Germ in comparison with the establishment,
either by tacit recognition OF by 1nterna-
tional pact, of the principle that a JUDI
ment anywhere is a judgment everywhere.
A Breezy Episode.
The dignifed and somewhat ponderous
discussions of the afternoon session was
varied by an unexpected breezy episode.
Considerable international law knowledge
was being aired during the general discus
sion that followed an address by MI IT, A.
Finkelnburg on 1.-The Protection Which
Should Be Accorded to Private property On
the High Seas in Time of War
Everett P. Wheeler, member of the New
York bar, asserted that devastation or prl-
vate property on land or sea acted as az
rect injury to the pillagers, and in this
connection referred to the march of Sher-
man through Georgia as helping. the con-
federate cause and delaying the final re-
suit. This statement brought Moorfieid
Storey to his feet, and the Bostonian Inn
mediately denounced the New workers.
statement as ridiculous. He said that the
fact that the destruction OF private prop
erty whether on land or on sea, was OF an
advantage to the destroyer could not be
gainsaid, and that as long as war lasted
destruction and pillage would follow in Its
tracks.
Congress Success.
Associate Justice David ]. Brewer, presi-
dent of the congress. expressed at the close
the sentiment that the hopes of the prime
movers of the congress in its success had
been fully realized.
The opinion was expressed generally by
the distinguished delegates from every ma
ton represented that the congress marked
an epoch in the relations existing among
the lawyers of the world, which relation
ship would be far-reaching in finally estab-
fishing a complete understanding between
nations leading to the eventual extinction
of war;
A resolution was adopted that this con-
gress request the American Bar Associa-
ton to take such steps as are necessary
to organize a permanent association OF
lawyers representing the different countries
of the world, which shall meet at intervals
to discuss legal questions of public interest.
The congress also adopted a resolution
expressing it's profound grief over the death
of of its most distinguished members,
United States Senator George F. Hoar.