The times dispatch. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1903-1914, 1912-11-08
GOVERNOR fAvORS
S|MPL|F|EO PLAN

Gives Hearty Approval to Re-
form Of Procedure in Fed
| eral Courts.
1 In an interview given out yesterday
| Governor Mann gives hearty indorse'
ment to the plan Of the special com
mittee of the American Bar Association
Tor simplihcation Of pleading and pro-
| cedure on the common law side OF the
Federal courts. He insists that Con.
gress should be asked 20 pass the
| necessary legislation at Its next SEES.
sion. pointing out the advantages
| which would accrue to the htigant.
A vigorous campaign Is being car.
ried on by a committee appointed by
President Frank B. Kellogg. OF the
American Bar Association. with the
| hope that Congress will act. The mat
ter was agitated by Colonel Thomas
w. Shelton. of Norfolk. who raised the
point at the Chattanooga meeting In
1910 A formal resolution insisting
upon reform was offered In Boston In
1911. approved by the committee on
judicial administration and remedial
procedure, and adopted in 1912. A COM
| mittee on Uniform Judicial Proce-
dure" was chen appointed to act be-
fore Congress 1t Is composed as fol-
lows: Thomas W. Shelton. Norfolk. Va,
president: Jacob NcGavock Dickinson,
Nashville, Tenn: w. B. Hornblower.
New York; Louis d. Brandeis. Boston.
Mass. and Joseph N Neal. Portland.
Oregon.
Gover.or Approves.
Governor Mann. himself an expe-
rienced trial lawyer, yesterday ex-
pressed himself as follows:
1.-THE leading lawyers OF the United
States. men In active practice. who have
made Q careful study Of the technical
and diftouH subject. have pronounced
the plan q solution Of the trouble. and
I believe they are right" said Gov
ernor Mann. The very simplicity OF
the manner OF doing 1t appeals to me.
They want no costly commissions, and
will not call upon the government or
the public for a cent The bar ASSOC
citation has appointed a committee OF
1ive Of its wefl-known members to pre-
sent the resolution to Congress and to
request that the necessary statute be
enacted at this session. That 10 all
that will be required-the repeating OF
section 914. Revised Statutes. and all
related laws. and giving authority to
the Supreme Court Of the United States.
The court, with the uncompensated SER
vices Of the lawyers. will do the rest
Furthermore. 1t would mean q
model system" said Governor Mann.
Nd
could devise. The learning and ability
Of the Supreme Court justices would
be aided by suggestions that would
be solicited from the lawyers all over
the United States exactly as ts now
being done in the reform OF equity
procedure. BY this means. not only
the big troubles, but the little ones
that are known only to active pSac-
titioners, would be exposed and pro-
vided against Now, II Is fact that
the lawyers have never been able 10
agree among themselves upon any
one plan. and this has partly caused
the delay, but they and the pubic
would loyalty follow the United states
Supreme Court. They. have masnani-
mously agreed to accept and faithfully
support any system created by tnc
Supreme Court. BY this act the law
yers did three things: They relieved
themselves from further responsibility
in simplifying court procedure; they
| answered the criticism that lawyers
did not wish pleading and procedure
simplified and they placed the respon-
sibility upon Congress 1t Is, In my
opinion, one OF the greatest strides
| in the reform Of judicial procedure
since the creation of the Federal courts
and it is most sincerely to be desired
| that the Governors OF the States Will
cooperate with the American Bar Az
ISOLATION and that they will be spe-
cially invited to DO SO. There 10 an
other thought: With the power in
the Supreme Court to amend. n well
as to create a system OF 1udicial pro
cedure, any unnecessary expense. hard
shin. or delay worked by existing rules
could be instantly corrected wnen
| attention was directed to the trouble.
This can be done by a citizen.
LAWYER or by the trial court. The
| value Of this to the public II inestim-
able. Presently. proposed amend
ment has to go through the Bar As
ISOLATION, then to q committee, then
back to the Bar Association, and nnal'
| " to the Congress. after the law
maeaxines and debating societies have
had n whack at IL. Unless some one
gets behind Il in Congress u viii
then most likely fail Of passage. The
idea Of centralizing the power In the
supreme Court cannot be exceiIed, ana
the man who thought II out deserves
a medal
Resss WIN People.
another attractive feature OF the
plan is that business men, Tor the
drst time In history. ca eo-operate
IN the work for the reform by caiIne
on their Coneressmen ana SENATORS
to vote for the bill. The lawyers, s
-. =. citizens. are out Of 1t. and let
,hss he understood. Simplihcation OF
tudieial procedure rests upon tne
neople and their Representatives IN
Congress- Business men cannos boz
20 understand the technical intriesc,es
OF judicial procedure. but they nave
here the best legal advise -
~, As~ocfatfOu- They have