The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-07-09
BAR ASSOCIATION DEVOTED DAY ID TECHNICAL PAPERS Spirited Session Expected To- day When General Re-
 ports Are Submitted SOME OPPOSITION TO
 SUPREME COURT PLAN President Thorington Thinks Move ment of This Kind Should Come
 From Without the Asso-
 citation Itself.


 will continue through today. Both the morning and afternoon sessions yesterday were consumed with the reading of ad- dresses on legal subjects which were of but little interest to others than lawyers. Judge w. s. Thorington, president of the association, was in the chair.
 Yesterdays programme was as follows:
 Presidents address, Judge w. s. Thor ington.
 Paper, by ". o. Mulkey on 'erhe Ideal Trial Judge"
 Report of committee on judicial ad-- ministration and remedial procedure.
 Paper, by s. L. Field, on The Majesty of the Law"
 Annual address by William J. Curtis of New York on The History of the Pur- chase of the Panama Canal; the Manner of Payment; and the Distribution of the Proceeds of Sale."
 Report of committee on legal education and admission to the bar, by the chair man, w. B. Oliver.
 Paper, by E. w. Faith. on Buying a Piece of Land"
 Report of committee on correspondence. by the chairman, Julius Sternfield
 Report of the committee on legislation, by the chairman, R. B. Evins.
 Judge Thorington in his address spoke at some length on the prominent part played by the bar in the government of the nation in all of its branches and on decisions and new laws. --
 At the conclusion of his address Judge Thorington threw cold water on the prop osition to change the manner of electing the judges to sit on the states supreme bench, stating that the demand for such action should come from the outside and should be general.
 By reason of the fact that William J. Curtis of New York Is the partner of William Nelson Cromwell, the American representative of the French Panama Ca- nal company, through whom the transfer of $400Oo,OOO of government money to a foreign syndicate was effected, his ad- dress was the source of considerable in- terest to members of the convention. The address dealt with inside facts re- garding the governments transactions with the French Canal company.
 The other addresses of the day are con- sidered by the delegates to have been able papers and to the legal sense very inter esting.
 The real life of the convention, how ever, is expected to develop today, inas- much as the committee reports will be read and many questions of general in- terest are dealt with in these reports.
 Perhaps the most important question to be taken up is that of the matter of changing the method of electing the judges for the state supreme court bench by first having them nominated within the State Bar association instead of by general vote of the people.
 The report of the special committee named at the last session to work out a plan regarding this matter will be pre- sented this morning. The final meeting of the committee was held yesterday aft ernoon at 8 o'clock. Chairman Thedford of this committee states that he has re- ceived about 300 replies to circular let ters sent out to the bar. press and county officials regarding the important ques- ton. About 60 per cent of these replies. 1t is stated, favor the plan as outlined. About 15 per cent favor the plan with slight notifications and the other % per cent are entirely opposed to any digres- sion from the present plan of electing the judges by a popular vote, many of the lawyers believing, as was contended by President Thorington. that movement for change of electing the judges for the supreme court bench should come from without the bar association. MT. Thedford states that he believes the plan will meet with general public favor when its details are fully explained.
 L. live among the delegates attending the convention, and no doubt the committee report will provoke considerable amount of discussion in the session today. Other questions of somewhat minor importance will be brought up in the committee re- ports, and today's sessions of the associa- ton are expected to prove quite spirited.
 Among other matters of interest which will come up at the final session today will be the election of officers for the coming year and the selection of the next place of meeting for the convention.
 The meetings yesterday were quite well attended, but the sessions today will no doubt be marked by a larger attend ance inasmuch as many of the visiting attorneys did not reach the city until yesterday afternoon.
 The large attendance of the Birmingham convention would indicate considerable growth of the State Bar association during the past year. Prior to the opening of the convention something like 50 Birming- ham lawyers applied for membership in the association and there are a number of attorneys from other towns and cities throughout the state who have become convention.
 Among the new members taken are tho following attorneys:
 s. A. Lynnie of Decatur. Ormond J. Sommerville of Tuscaloosa, Walter Smith of Lineville, Hugh Crane of Birmingham, Henry Bradshaw of Florence, J. H. Mill Ter of Camden, D. A. Grayson of Hunts vIlle, J. c. Grande of Chatam, J. A. w. Smith. R. E. Reedy. P. c. Bowman, E. D. Smith of Birmingham, John W. Inzer of Ashville, M. M Ullman and Max J. Winkler of Birmingham, w. L. Martin and Frank Stallenwerck, Jr., of Montgomery, w. w. Lavender of Centreville. E. J. Gar rison of Askland, John McDufrie of Mon- roeville, N. R. Lee of Mobile, F. D. Mo- Arthur of Birmingham. Members of the Birmingham Bar who