The Montgomery advertiser., 1906-04-12
LONDON WAS WRONG
PRESIDENT HARRISON DIsPOsEs OF
 BIRMINGHAM'S CLAIMS.
Shows That the Last Time the Ear As" s0ciation Did Oppose Provisions
 of Underwood Bill.


 General George P. Harrison, Presi- dent of the State Bar Association, m a good humored interview yesterday efYeotiyely disposed of the claims or John London, of Birmingham, that the
 President of the Bar Association had exceeded his authority in opposing the Underwood bill.
 The Advertiser phoned General liar rison at Opelika, asking for an inter view, and calling his attention to this statement in its special of the 10th inst, from Birmingham,
 While I cannot say what the par may do at the meeting tomorrow, said Attorney John London today, T can authorize the statement that the Ala bama State Bar Association did not authorize General Harrison to write the letter in the name of Alabama Bar. There was no meeting of the State Bar Association for the purpose of taking official notice of the court bill.
 Tt is reasonable to presume that any action of the Bar Association will be favorable to the bill, but no one can tell what may develop until after the meeting Is over tomorrow"
 The General said, MT. London is an excellent gentleman and personal friend of mine. He would not inten- tionalIy do me the slightest injustice. The General continued, MT. London's point is the purely technical one. that there has been no meeting of the State Bar Association, taking notice of this particular bill, offered since last meet ing of the State Bar Association,
 "The point has no force whatever, when the association had already con sidered the subject, and spoken against the features and principle of relief em- bodied In the present bill" The Gen eral continued, "the policy of Alabama Uor AGuaaiatinn A this matter has been clearly pronounced, and more than once, After consultation and con- ference between lawyers from different parts of the State, the State Bar Asso- citation at its meeting last July at Jackson's Lake, recommended our Sem ators and Representatives, to pass the bill for an additional judge for the northern and middle districts. It's ma ture judgment was that such plan was the best and fairest for relieving the difficulty at Birmingham. and other places in the two districts We all thought this was an end of the diner' ence. For a while the Birmingham Bar seemed, to acquiesce. Later in the fall, the proposition was revived of special court for the southern division of the northern district which includes Jefferson and seven other counties around it. or for a separate judge for the northern district. The supporters of these plans gave notice to other bars of a conference in Birmingham
 T believe, perhaps with one excep- ton. every bar in the northern district. outside of Jefferson. as well as the bars in the middle district opposed the plan of A separate judicial district for Bir- mineham, or for a separate judge for the northern district The Jefferson county for then asauisced and all hands agreed to push the bill for an
 i,1AU The IndiaiarV Committee reported that bill unfavor- ably and the several bars determined to make another effort on the same lines in the next Congress. The pres ent bill, in effect, creates a special court for Birmingham. by requiring the judge to hold court there six months in any event, and does not make any proper provision for the rest of the two districts. It necessarily affects the holding of court in every place in the two districts. Members of the bar com mittee elsewhere who are oposing the bill, repeatedly called my attention to it. and urged me. to try to carry out the wishes of the State Bar Association. It was my plain duty. under the cir cumstances. to see, as far as l could, without reference to any special local interest, that the wishes of the State Bar. Association were not defeated. Opposing this bill is far different thing from taking acton on question upon which the State Bar Association had not pronounced it's wishes. That. of course, I would never think of do- ing.
 The present bill is in direct over throw of the application of the princi ples which the State Bar Association has emphatically determined, furnish the only mode of just and fair reme dy for the situation. The State Bar Association like any other body may take a position and declare a principle in advance, which covers cases aris- ing in the future. It has acted pointed ly against all measures like the present bill.