The Washington times., 1912-03-07
CONGRESS ASKED
TO CREATE LEGAL
REFORM MEASURES
National Civic Federation
Favors Legislation Against
ID TechnicalitieS.

termination of law suits was developed
at the closing session of the National
Civic Federation in tho red room of the
New Willard this morning. Resolutions
were adopted urging Congress to pass
three bills that will work partial
refoSm In legal procedure.
Tho bills back of which the National
Civic Federation is throwing it's in
huence are known as the appeal BILL"
the technical error BILL" and the "law
and equity bill" The first allows a
writ of error from the Supreme Court
IN cases arising under the United StatO~
constitution, whether the decision Of
the highest court of the State is in
favor of the oonstitutlonality of the
state statute or not The second bill
provides that judgment shall not be re-
Nersed for technical errors that do not
anect the merits and that the Judge
IN the Federal court may take verdict
On the tacts, reserving questions of law.
1he third bill allows the Federal court
70 transter case from the law to the
equity docket, and vice versa, and per-
mits equity defenses to be set up to
suits at law.
Walter George Smith, of PHILADELPHIA
presided at the morning meeting. Ralph
BTeckenrldSe, OF Omaha, and Thomas
w. Shelton, of Norfolk, Va, began the
discussion of reform in legal procedure
Ambulance Chasing Scored.
ambulance chasing" came in for
condemnation Mt the hands of Everett
" Wheeler. He asserted that Iegisla.
tion would not be curative unless II
Struck at the cause Of the constant at.
tempts to solicit damage business. and
tnat the condition Of the law on dam
lcf such suits. He Ieferred to the dir,
1erent interpretations of law in the
several States as another cause of
complex SompleXitiIes that, permit the unpro-
fn 70
congressman Owen Miller of Mis-
s3url spoke briefly in favor of a sim
PIltled law asserting that the Code
Napoleon, so drafted that peasant
could understand 1t. was one of the
great achievements OF the French EN-
peror.. lie cited two cases from Mis-
versed cases because of very fine tecTf-
nicalities. and plead earnestly against
.bec btecnni2ai IA % %9ust." which. he sold. was
70 blind them to justice ana the facts
In cases.
Favor the Sherman Law.
Opposition to repeal or amendment to
the Sherman law and a desire to see It
enforced have been indicated beyond
cavil in 1900 answers to inquiries sent
to 10000 persons in America, according
to Talcott Williams, of PHILADELPHIA.
These inquiries were sent to merchants
railroad owners, and employees, pro-
fessional men and editors. Mr.. Will
hams said that he thought the answers
represented the best response to an
economic inquiry that had ever been
had. = =
These inquiries were directed toward
finding out what should be done to reg
uiate trusts and monopolieS and to
what the present causes of unrest are
Mr.. Williams said that there were
many expressions of opinion favorable
to an industrial commission He sDent
much of his TINA in a1VOCati 10
principle of bill for an Industrial COM
mission which is now being drawn by
the National Civic Federation.
This commission, he said, would be
able to apply generaliZed statement of
law to specific cases and bring about
effective regulation.
Low Favors Commission.
Seth Low, president of the federation,
spoke briefly in favor of an industrial
commission. He thought that it should
correspond in power to the Interstate
Commerce Commission, the Industrial
commission being able to lay down the
law in each specific case, whereas he
thought no statute could be drafted
that would in itself meet all the vary
ing conditions that the administration
of any law is certain to encounter
To illustrate the difficulties Of admin
istering a law written in general terms,
President Low said that when Theo-
dore Roosevelt was President a num-
Der of men came to him to discuss q
timber conservation plan. This plan
required an agreement among the own
ers to limit cutting and to enforce
reforestatiOn. The lumbermen admitted
that their plan might result in an in
crease of the price of lumber, but that
1t would, at the same time, conserve
the timber supply for future genera
tons.
81 think 1 am violating no conf
dence,'' said President Low, when
say that President Roosevelt told these
men that he did not know whether
what they proposed to do was Illegal or
not"
Retirement Pension Suggested.
NJ. F. O'DOnoghue appeared before
the federation for a few minutes to ask
the members to agitate the retirement
pension matter among the civil serv-
ice employees in the various parts of the
country. He asserted that the employees
are unanimously in favor of retirement
pensions, and that while they differ as
TO the kind of bill they wanted they
will be glad to accept what Congress
shall pass.
Walter f. Smith brought in the re-
port OF the nominating committee at
the close of the session, naming the
present officers of the federation for
the same positions next year. This
report was dCOpltil without dissent.
Many of the men attending the fed
Grafton Will attend the WOmen's s meeting
at RausCher's this afternoon. and prac-
tically all of them will attend the
reception to be given tonight 10y Mi.
0Ad Mrs. John Hays Hammond.
Taft For Compensation Act.
Speaking at the annual banquet of the
federation, which was held at the New
Willard last night, President Taft indi-
Gated his complete support of a COM
pulsory compensation act for injured
Workmen.
Now we have such a bill in Con-
gress. prepared by a Congressional COM
mittee having the most able lawyers
upon II and prepared along lines which
sincerely hope and believe will be found
entirely within the power of Congress tC
enact. l believe that both parties arc
likely TO unite in passing the act and
If nothing else is done, that will justify
the existence of this Congress for one
session"
Speaker Champ Clark spoke from the
same platform, urging simplicity in laws
and greater accuracy in the definition
of those terms now banded about in
economic and political discussions: