St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1908-10-07

The SOlOnS Have Arrived and the Session
Opens T0day.-New Decorations at the
State HOuSe.-Executive Clerk APP
pointed. Meeting Of the Vermont Bar
Association.
Correspondence of the CALEDoNIANl
Montpelier, Oct 6. The incoming
trains have brought most of the mem
bers of the 1908 legislature and the
hotels and boarding houses are well
filled tonight with members of the next
House and Senate and friends of the
state officials.
Since the last session of the legislature
extensive repairs and decorations have
been made on the State House by J. B..
Williams, who made special trip to
Washington last winter to study the
interior decorations of the Congressional
Library. The color scheme throughout
is the same as in that beautiful building
at Washington.
Very soon after the close of the legis-
lative session of 1906 these interior re-
pairs and decorations were commenced.
From the ground floor to the dome the
ceilings and walls of the corridors have
been painted and decorated, the color
scheme being green, pink and gold The
large pillars on the lower floor have been
done in white enamel, with gold leaf at
the top, Never in recent years have so
many repairs and improvements been
made during biennial term, and the
result as whole is most satisfactory to
those who have directed that the work
be done and to those who have had
charge of it.
Gov. Prouty has announced that he
has appointed John N Harvey of Mont
pelier as executive clerk for the ensuing
two years. Mr.. Harvey was clerk Of
the committee on revision of bills in the
Legislature of 1906, and is well equipped
for the position to which he has been
appointed.
Gov. Prouty has also announced that
the Governors ball will be given on
Thursday evening, Oct. %, during
ladies week
The annual meeting of the Vermont
Bar Association was held here today
with the banquet at the Pavilion in the
evening. Alexander Dunnett as presi-
dent of the association was the toast
master and Senator Fairbanks was one
of the guests and said grace at the ban
quet.
President Dunnett delivered the annual
address this afternoon and it struck
high note. After referring to the new
code of ethics adopted by the National
Association, Mr.. Dunnett said,
mo set of rules prescribing official
conduct have ever attempted to, or ever
can, fill the place of the confidence that
comes from good, warm, hearty feeling
among the members of the bar There
is an apparent lack OF this generous
confidence among us when tested by
conditions existing on either side of us,
IN New York and New Hampshire. My
acquaintance with the fraternity in
Massachusetts and Canada is not sufi
Gent 10 warrant a comparison.
This want of hearty confidence is, IN
my opinion, an actual impeachment to
the best administration Of the law. Our
courts come from the bar, and # one is
elevated To the bench with distrust Of
the legal profession land this elevation
comes after the formative period OF the
lawyer he is at once deprived of the and
which should legitimatey come to him
from the lawyer; and it is a sorry spec
tace to see judge cropping about out
side the case presented by council at
tempting to dispose of it on grounds in
vented by himself; and it is not only sor-
~ to look at and read about, but it is
disastrous to the rights OF litigauts.
The oath of an attorney administered
upon admission, expresses high and inn
portant duties He is to do no false
hood, and suffer none to be done. 1t is
thus made the duty of lawyer not only
to see to it that he puts no falsehood in
evidence, but 10 inform the court of it if
it comes to his knowledge that any one
else does. He also solemnlv swears all
good fidelity as well to the court as to
his client. An attorney upon his en-
trance to the bar thus dedcates himself
by the solemntes of oath to assist the
court by using his every effort to see
that truth and truth only is presented
to the court"
In urging a closer relation between the
bench and the bar President Dunnett
said,
Lawyers are apparently in way dis
trusted by the court. That the court is
but the living oracle of the law, and that
the law remains the same whether it is
correctly spoken by the court or not
does not seem to he fully appreciated
either by the bench or bar. A more init
mate relation between the bench and bar
more fully develops and grounds this APP
probation and dissipates the feeling OF
distrust. When proper relations are
fully established, the administration OF
the Ia ~, ic entirelv ituDersoual and every