The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1911-09-02
THE PRESIDENT TO LAWYERS.

That portion Of President Taft S ad-
in Boston which relates to the arbitra
tion treaties, was well put, but was
merely n repetition of what the Presi-
dent has said upon those questions
heretofore, That portion Of his ad.
dress, however. which related to the
practice in the Federal courts, and call
ing for a reform in the rules of equity
procedure. was of vital interest to the
people. President Taft is very strcnu-
Gus on the point that the courts should
proceed with eases before them with
due expedition; that judgments should
be rendered with such dispatch as is
practicable on the consideration of the
whole question, urging that the laws
delays are often, in fact, a denial Of
justice and right. In all this President
Taft is at his best. He knows exactly
what he is talking about, and no one
can tell him anything that he does not
know about what courts ought to do,
and what it is practicable for them
TO do.
The President rendered. very high
tribute to the courts and to the judges,
especially to the judges of the U, S.
Supreme Court, from the foundation of
that great court He made no cxcep-
tons, although some might reasonably
be made; and where he speaks for bet
ter pay for the Judges. most people will
conccde that he is right; but it will
generally be held, IN our opinion, that
the figures ho puts as the proper pay
for the justices Of the Supreme Court,
$4,000 a year each, to be out of pro.
portion 10 the pay for public officers
generally. 1t is certainly true. how.
ever, as he says, that the Judges should
be paid so well that they "ought not
to need to be dependent on lecturlng in
law schools and doing other things for
tho purpose of eking out salary that
only enables them to live" There can
be no question OF the sound
ness of that sentiment The
judges, and especially the Supreme
Spulb lutSNos pushp w 'N NNil paul
and they ought not to be submitted TO
the humiliation of doing Job work on
the side in order to get pay so that they
can lay up something for their old age,
and to leave TO their families,
The President urged new PROPOSE
tion with regard TO patents. In the
creation of putent court, which seems
good; and if he thinks that the newly
created Court of Commerce Will find
time also to deal with patent eases, so
much the better, There ought to he
special court, undoubtedly, to deal with
patent cases, aud make final deter
miuation. The United States Supreme
Court might still have jurisdiction Oh
appeal Oh any special poiDt in AIRY
case, but the iinal determination OF the
general iS&Tn should be with the cx-
pert patcGt court that President Taft
suggests, Lawyers generally are not
supposed to be specialists in the matter
of patent law; a broad. legal training
does not necessarily include il, and vet
The Importance Of patent law is so
very great that the highest expert
and special ability in this technical
iie,l is required for the dctermiuatiou
Of patent cases.
Taking President Taft's address to
The American Bar Association as Il
whole, there can be no question but
that il will strengthen the hands Of
that sociation n lis rffnrts IN ahoI;sb
the delays caused by tcchnicaIitics and
unnecessary entanglemcnts in the trans.
action Of legal business. And, if the
President can bring about the reform
which me has so much al heart in this
matter, he will have done an iDestima-
bic service to the American public.