The Birmingham age-herald., 1911-02-19
HUGHES ADDRESSES NEW YORK LAWYERS Judgeship Highest Privilege
 In Democracy WICKERSHAM SPEAKS Attorney General Says American Bar Does More For Universal Peace
 That Carnegie's Millions.
 Parker Presides

at a public function tonight since his appointment as associate justice of the United States supreme court. Eight
 hundred lawyers. including eight wom-
 en, gathered at the Hotel Astor with l their friends and guests to do him
 honor at dinner under the auspices | of the New York County Lawyers as-
 sociation. Alton B. Parker presided and
 the speakers besides Justice Hughes
 were George w. Wickersham. United States Attorney General: Joseph H. Choate. and number of members Of | the federal and state bench.
 Tn democracy" said Justice Hughes | in his address, the position of a judge | Is to me the highest privilege of voca-
 ton. I should not attempt to speak | of the supreme court of the United States-U is for others 10 speak for
 that court. That court and the mem | hers of 1t speak for themselves through | their opinions-and not otherwise. It l Is peculiarly the peoples tribunal, for | 1t Is its function to safeguard the | fundamental rights expressed in the peoples constitution. And l assure you 1 that in the conference of the judges of | the supreme court of the United States | there Is exhibited a candor and compre- hensiveness and sincerity of complete | devotion to their task that I am sure | would be most gratifying to the en- tire people of the union could they know more intimately what actually | takes place.
 This is a meeting of the bar and | the work of the court is largely de- pendent upon the character of the work | of the bar.
 The bench must be recruited from the bar. decadence of the bar inevit- h1,r T. | tration of Justice and quick resentment against public wrongs; and refusal to prostitute ability to the demands of cupidity and determination to enforce the eternal principles of justice and
 make manhood survive above every sort of temptation, that Is the safe guard of the American republic and that safeguard Is largely entrusted to your keeping"
 Speaking to the toast "The Bar and the Natlon," Attorney General Wickersham at the dinner rendered to-. Justice Hugehes by the New York Cousty Lawyers asso- citation tonight at the Hotel Astor, de- clared that the bar of the nation is do- ing more for the cause of peace than can be accomplished by many times Andrew Carnegie's $10,000,000 endow- ment to promote International peace He said:
 "A few weeks ago one of our philan- thropist announced a gift of $10, ,000 900 to promote the cause of peace among nations, and a number of distin guished gentlemen selected for the purpose by the donor, have petitioned Congress to grant them a charter of incorporation to enable them to administer that sum to carry out the most 1audable purpose of the giyer. In my opinion the ljir of this nation has done and Is doing more for the cause of peace than can be ac complished by many times the magnifi- cent endowment referred to-"
 The constitution of the United States was largely the work of lawyers, MT. Wickersham declared, and as a tribute to the bar he quoted these words of James Bryce. British ambassador to the United States in "The American Commonwealth"
 The keen interest which the profess sion takes in the law secures a large number of acute and competent critics of the interpretation put upon the law by the judges Such men form tribunal to whose opinion of the judges are sensitive. The better law yers of the United States do not sink their professional sentiment and opin- ion in their party sympathies. They know good law even when it goes against themselves. and privately con demn as bad laws a decision none the less because it benefits their party or their clients"
 "There is much advocacy of change
 in our institution" continued the speaker Among those who find 1t
 easier to suggest changes in the struc-
 ture of government than to grapple di- rectly with such evils as. arise under
 all forms of government But no radical change in our government has ever been made in the face of the opposi-
 ton of a considerable majority of the American bar. The lawyers Of the
 country will discuss and .analyze the
 changes now proposed in certain quar-
 ters as they have many other pro- posed changes in the past. The great
 est obstacle in the way of sudden ac- complishment of purely democratic gov ernment is undoubtedly the bar. And the greatest protection of the individ-
 ual from the tyranny of the crowd, is
 the bench. Protected from the momen-
 tary rage of disappointed social reform CTS by the life tenure of office, the federal judiciary is the most conserva- tive power in our government. s>
 Since the days when John Mar shall calmly laid down the founda-
 tons of a nation in the face of an irate President of opposite political faith with diametrically opposite con
 captions of the meaning of the con stitution, the supreme court of the United States has never loomed up with such portentious moment to tho fate
 of representative republican govern ment as-at this very hour. It is most fortunate that at such time as this a man who has so won the confidence
 of the bar and of the people as Charles
 E. Hughes should have become a mem Der of the supreme court.
 "He enters upon his great office at
 momentous period. He turns his
 back upon all thoughts of ease He
 begins a life of arduous and unremit-
 ting toll. and he must be content to look at the approval of his own con
 science and the approbation of poster- ity as his only reward."-
 "Out of. these sslf-imposed restraints which the American people has placed upon its own impulses" said MT. Wick ersham in conclusion. "has come that sovereign power which has exalted this nation to It's position among the peo- pie of tho earth. Let us uncover and punish all corruption in office; let us remedy abuses of power; let us mould our laws to protect the oppressed and the downtrodden: let us hold our rep resentatives to strict accountability in the discharge of their trust. But let us ponder long and deeply before we lay our hands upon that vital principle yof free government-a fearless and inde- pendent judiciary"
 < Episcopal Sunday School Convention the session of the Rirp1incr-