Jamestown weekly alert. [volume] (Jamestown, Stutsman County, D.T. [N.D.]) 1882-1925, 1907-09-12
RECOMMENDATIONS
In Regard to judicial Candidates
Adopted by State Bar
Association.
Banquet at Gladstone Hotel.
Witty and Entertaining
Remarks.

The closing session of the State
Bar association Tuesday at the
court house was marked by the most
interesting proceedings in some re-
spects of the session. Attorney
Coombs of Valley City introduced
resolution to the effect that the bar
of each judicial district meet in the
future and recommend candidates for
judicial positions in their various
districts ana report such selection to
the assOcia tion of the state bar;
which Will thereupon for the purpose
of securing competent persons as
judges. recomm end to the voters sucli
selection of candidates that are
considered competent by the state
association. Such candidates to be
selected regal dless of party politics.
This matter was discussed at consid-
cradle length, attorneys Coombs,
Hi]dreth, Serumgard Register, and
others speaking to the subject. Mr..
Hildreth and Mr.. Coombs criticised
the selection of judicial candidates
in the past. referring to no special
district. Mr.. Serumgard referred in
a few remarks TO the conditions
which existed in his own, the End
district. r. NJ. Pollock OF Fargo
favored the resolution but did not
think it wise to criticise Or cast re-
f1ections upon the present incum-
bents of the bench. An amendment
was offered to the resolution which
limited the state association to re-
commend such candidates as were Sc
lected by the local bar association,
which amendmenu was defeated by
rising vote of II to IL. AS the mat
ter was left.the bar of each judicial
district. may recommend a candidate
for Judge and ..such recommendation
may be adopted by the state ::associa-
tion, or the state association may
recon mend some other candidate, or
make..no recommendation at all.
This practically leaves the situa-
tion open to all candidates for judge
the same as heretofore. The resolu-
tion adopted was reported by COM
mittee OF three consisting :of Messrs
Coombs, Register and Hildreth, and
the intent of che same is that the
State. Bar Association take some ac-
tion upon the recommendations of
every district bar association in the
matter of selecting candidates for the
various judicial districts,
JUDGE JAGGARDS' ADDRESS.
In the evening Judge .Jaggard of
the Minnesota State Supreme Court,
delivered most able and instructive
address on the general subject of.Law
and Lawyers. His remarks were in
tently listened to by :the attorneys
and few others. 1T was an occasion
on which every one interested in the
subject would have greatly benefited
to have been present, and the public
especially would have been edited
and entertained by the ..remarks of
the able jurist.
Judge Jaggard is lecturer on
legal subjects at the University Of
Minnesota, and is also an author of
text books that have wide reputa-
tion. He traced the growth and the
early history If the American bar
and pointed out that the forefathers
of this country, from their necessities
and from the spirit ..of Independence
and the desire for liberty, twove into
their legal fabric the principles Of
the. common law rather than the
civil law. The desire for greater in
dividual and local. ..authority was
shown in theJncreasing..power given
to.the jury trial, and the curtailment
of the influence and authority of the
presiding judge. OF all the states in
the Union, Louisiana still retains the
civil law taken..largely from the Code
Of France. The principles Of the law
as 1t developed in England became,
with some notifications, the basis
Of the American statutes.
The judge COM plimented in the
highest terms the ability and special
excellence developed BY the Ameri-
can lawyer. The American lawyer Is
recognized the world over as the
;shreWdesr, most practical and most
eff1cient agency for winning Law
cases. Some, times this Is done re-.
sgardles Of law, and the great corpor-
alton. pay enormous salaries to law-
:yers whose learning and ability are
devoted TO what is practically an