The Birmingham age-herald., 1907-07-28
LEGAL REFORMS.
Methods and Practices in the Courts
 Are Not All Correct.
From the Nashville Banner.

From the Nashville Banner,
 At the meeting of the Bar association of Indiana, held In Indianapolis MT. Charles W. Miller. former attorney gem eral of Indiana. delivered an address, on "Our Practice in which he declared'na al the laws of the state needed a thorou5So revision to rid them of disadvantages that equal, if they do not exceed, the advant- ages. He especially emphasized the need of a revision of the criminal code, and condemned the methods and practice in the courts. Said he:
 That our constitution and criminal code should be changed no one doubl =. Think of the manner of obtaining contin- uances for absent testimony; think of the thousands of false affldavits that have been filed since tine adoption of our code where the state has been compelled to admit the truth of the false statement and a continuance followed. The time has certainly arrived when the rule in civil cases should prevail. Then think of the time and money spent in procuring a jury; the time and money wasted in examining jurors, who are peremptorly challenged. no valid reason for the challenge no legal reason existing. no disqualification, but scores of qualified men told to stand aside in single case for no reason whatever In this branch of our practice our su- preme court has done all in it's power to make the best il could out of bad sys- tenn"
 Mir Miller said the civil code of Indiana is almost as bad. It was too full Of tech nicalities. The framers of the code of 1852 intended that pleading and practice should be along lines of simplicity. but the result had been exactly the opposite. The decisions on appellate procedure alone were multiplying so rapidly that no law ~ n figa IuJ fa q half of them. The code had become more complicated than the common law
 What this attorney said of the Indiana code and the abuses of practice, could 5e as well said of the Tennessee code and practice. We have too many laws and tcchnicalltles and bubbles of law. Leg isatures continue to multiply laws and q mystery book that bewlders the layman and plays into the hand of the legal pro fession to compel it's service and increase its profits. And there is too much sharp practice and legal trickery in the courts The idea seems to obtain to too great d degree that case. any case, must De won, right or wrong. Instead of having and holding as the essential idea the vin- dication of law, too many attorneys seem to strive as earnestly to undermine or eVadc the law in the interest of their clients. It is not unfrequenty the case that honest and high minded lawyers Who are personally above engaging in un- worthy practices. will allow themselves to be associated in suits with men who will undertake all the tricks to defeat justice.
 The cry for law reform is heard In many quarters of the country, but there Is nee1 also of reforming the practice of law. As the Indianapolis News puts it. Let us have law reform by all means. but let us have also lawyer reform" Much coul1 be done in this last mentioned reform if the bar associations and the members Of the great honorable profession of the law who hold to the high ideals of the pro- fession would have the courage to pros ecute vigorous and unrelenting warfare against all manner of reprehensible and evil practices at the bar.