The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1908-08-05
Best Session in History Of
Association Opens at
Hot Springs.
FEDERAL CONTROL OF
INTERSTATE COMMERCE
President Meredith Discusses
Subject in Able Address, Point
ing to Supreme Court as Bull
wark Of Freedom-Judge
Taft Present-Lindsay
Speaks To-Day.
tspec,sl al From q = 1 stan correspondsn..1

I'll
In all the history OF the vir.s
ginia State Bar Associations.
] embracing period Of twenty
years. no meeting has ever
UP to the one which opened
at the Homestead Hotel here this
morning. either in interest or In at
tendance. Up to the closing OF this
report 1875 members had registered.
days registration on any previotH
occasion. Many OF the lawyers are
by their wives and idaugh-
ters, and this magnificent mountain re-
sort presents a brilliant spectacle. Each
incoming train is bringing accessions,
and it is thought that by tomorrow
at least 200 members will be in at
tendance.
Cordial Greeting to Taft.
Never has the opening session OF q
bar association in Virginia been att
tended by so many distinguished men
and women. The beauty and chivalry
OF this and other States were fifty rep
resented. Judge William III. Taft the
Republican nominee for President. sc-
oompanied by Congressman William A.
Jones, OF the First District, occupied
seat near the front, and only few
feet away was Judge William Lindsay
OF heuluCky. s1ulSa DElllldiS S1f dhN
former United States Senator Will
deliver the annual address before the
association tomorrow. Judge TAFT
will make a speech on Thursday. Mt.
Taft was given an Informal recep-
tion as he entered the room where the
meeting was held.
After he had listened to speech OF
nearly two hours length by President
Meredith, the nominee remarked jocu-
.,-y,y y. slofa a..
dith: "I am certainly glad that some
one has made speech that Is longer
than the one I delivered at Cinctp-
natl"
Among the other prominent persons
who witnessed the opening exercises
We're former Governor A. J. Montague,
OF Richmond; Hon. D. @. Eggleston,
Colonel Robert catlett. Judge Charles
e. Nicol Colonel James r. Cation.
Judge L. L. LewisA Major r. 7. Barton,
Judge George L. Christian. ex-Con-
gressman Harry Tucker, Major William
A. Anderson. Judge r. T. w. Duke,
Judge Edmund Waddill, Jr., Judge r.
r. Prentis. Judge Bennett T. Gordon,
and Hon. James Aston cabell.
President Meredith Speaks.
The opening session was called to
order in the ballroom of the Homs-
stead Hotel By Hon. John Garland Pol-
lard, chairman of the executive com-
mittee, and prayer was offered by Rev
John G. Scott. of Hot Springs
President Wyndham r. Meredith de-
Ilivered his address. the subject of
which was Federal Control Of Inter-
state Commerce.. and 1t was listened
to with great earnestness and fre-
quently interrupted by applause. When
in the course of his remarks Mr.. Mere-
| dith paid compliment to the late John
Randolph Tucker as great constltu-i
tional lawyer, there was prolonged
cheering, and this was renewed with
lvigor when he concluded With a bril-
liant peroration.
legal analysis OF his subject, all lines
! Of his argument leading to the tWi-
/ light zone," where State and Federal
control OF commerce and corporations
are supposed to merge or conflict he
pictured the modern day tendency TO-
wards change In State and Federal
| lConstitution, and in the stampede forr,
new and drastic legislation; OF at
| tempted new construction OF old legal
principles, all OF which. he said. was.
! a movement of the people brousht
| about by misbehavior on the part Of
the corporations.
The country's great safeguard from
| the encroachment of either State or
Federal power over the freedom OF
commerce. Mr.. Meredith pointed out Is
1.-THE conservatism of the supreme COURT
of the United States.
Creating system OF Law.
I Continuing, Mr.. Meredith said:
.By It's decisions the supreme Court
| of the United States Is creating ~
system Of law that Will furnish
| standard and guide to the State ans
thorities IT is true this great court
has declined to lay down general.
mas inns OF political & economy. even glr
! itshad jurisdiction SO ito do. But TINS
evoIvirg a set of rules that VIII serve
| to direct both railroads and public
\ admlrIstrativeia bodies In the way w
| which they should go They Will re-!
suit IN intoxicating juster views on
| the part of ftthose whose duty II rs toi
solve these yeAed quest Ihete
can never he an exact science OF rate ate (,
making. But the errors pointed ont
win enable these State authorities "
resist popular outcry and TO raise 70
higher things than mere local tIs. de-
Emands. 10 IA
ITO the advocates Of change the
I decisions Of this great court furnish
the best reply while preserving the
doctrine of limited power. which "
at once the safeguard and the glory
4 this nation, and which tt has oeens
we'll said is of such capital tmpor tanse
4 to the whole political systet ot ths
United States. For admittedly the
most serious and conclusive obJection
to the suggestion OF depriytng The
\ States Of their power over commences
ana its instruments Is that y wonld
:. destroy initiative, self-reliance. energy
8 and local progress without which mas
]. tIonal progress Is impossihir,
"Nor are the decisions open ~ the
]. eharpe that this great court ~ MI
iperpetual convention for the anlend-s