The daily morning journal and courier., 1907-08-27
AMERICAN BAR ASSOCIATION
ADDRESS BY A. B. PARKER
He Upholds the Supremacy in Law of Constitution of
 Each State.

Portland, Me, Aug. 26.-The ad- dress of President Alton B. Parker We' l&e feature Ct the opening days meetings to-day of the thirtieth annu- | al convention of the American Bar association. It was considered of par | ticular interest at this time as it up- held the supremacy in law of the con- | stitution of each state as capable of amendment only by the people of the state itself. Judge Parker declared for the limiting of governmental pow CT by law, the source of which should be the people and urged that any correction of the distribution or modi- fcation of the constitutional powers be by amendment in the way that the constitution designates.
 Judge Parker spoke strongly against the attempts on the part of the feder- al government to despoil the states of the powers and functions belonging to them referring to some of the legis- lation of the past year in which eff forts have been made to prevent the [ railroad corporations from contesting the validity of statutes in the courts. l He ridiculed the idea of bringing about broader control by the federal government of corporations on the strength of the inherent or sovereign powers of the government, urging that the national government is limited to the powers specified in the constitu- tion creating it.
 Beside the address of President Par ker, addresses of welcome were given by Governor Cobb and Chief Justice Emery, and papers prepared by Judge Charles F. LAmidon of the United States district court for North Dakota and Charles A. Prouty of Vermont, mem Der of the United States interstate commerce commission, were read.
 President William P. Rogers of the Association of American Law Schools 1 delivered his annual address, and Pro- lessor Albert M Kales of the Cincin- rati Law school read a paper criti- cizing the Harvard Law school case book which brought out number of brief addresses in defense of Harvard, at the session of the Association of American Law Schools.
 Judge Alton B, Parker's address to the association was listened to grave l ly, not only on account of the high character of the man but on account of his skilful consideration of a sub ject of government now uppermost in the minds of all men. While the ad- dress omits all reference by name to President Roosevelt 1t was obviously inspired by that officials policies. Judge Parker said in part
 "We are here because we have ideals. Each of us would elevate the standard of the profession, strengthen the bench, make the administration of justice more simple, more rapid, more exact, not only in the State from throughout tho nation. No one of us has workable plan which comes up to his ideals, or hopes to be able to evolve 1t. But, as in union there is strength, so in multitude of counsel- lors there is wisdom Therefore, each year finds us coming together striving for these ideals, each willing and anxi- ous to do his part.
 '9The proper function of the legisla- tor is suppletory to that of the judge. He should strive to ascertain the 1 growing but imperfect customs which spring from the effort of people to correct errors, and give to them the dignity and force of law. This he of- ten attempts to do, and frequently sue ceeds. But the task of even the wise 1 legislator is beset with difficulties. So many bills press upon his attention, that if he had the wisdom of Solomon he could not master them in one short session, Many such bills are intro duced by men who do not understand | them, merely that they may gain the applause of the thoughtless or the envi- ous. Others are strike bills pressed in the hope of unlawful gain. Still lothers are presented from honest mo- Ftives, but with no appreciation that their enactment will work injury, while still more represent the effort of untrained legislators to enact into law what they mistakenly conceive to be the will of the people.
 More mischievous still as a rule, are
 the bills pressed for passage in the interests of a political organization Experience teaches that comparative ly few of the many bills of leglsla- tive session are carefully considered by the body as a whole. Such con- sideration as the average bill has is in
 committee, and too often the majority of that committee is influenced by party organization, or by the Gov ernor, or by some other leader who sees in 1t a party or factional advant- age, And its final enactment is se- cured by the same influence that nov ed the majority to report it. In other words, supposed advantage, either for the party or individual members of it. Is often made the occasion for statutes which otherwise would never appear on the statute books. Thus 1t hap pens that every year many statutes are passed which ought never to have been heard of.
 Every unnecessary and unwise sta- tute is a blot upon the State escutch- con and burden upon the public, This fact is so well appreciated in some States, that the legislature is not permitted to meet every year. Continued on Seventh Page.) !