The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1913-08-31
FIRST CONFERENCE
OF THE j. S. JUDGES
Jurists From All Over This
Country Meet in Montreal
to Discuss Law.
PRESENT SYSTEM WEAK
Thomas w. Shelton of Vir-
ginia Chief Speaker at the
Opening Session.
PRESENT SYSTEM WEAK
By 1nterna tIona, News Service.

By Interna tIona! News Service.
MONTREAL, Aug. 3c--Tbomas w.
Shelton of Virginia was the principal
speaker before the conference of
judges here tonight. Mr.. Shelton
spoke Of the efforts to bring about
uniformity in legal procedure and to
promote closer relations between the
courts Of the United States.
The conference is composed Of the
forty-eight chief justices of the states,
the chief justice of the court of ap-
peals of the District Of Columbia, the
nine presiding judges Of tho nine fed
eral circuit courts of appeal, federal
judge from Hawaii and the chief JUS
tice OF Porto Rico. Nearly all the
judges were present
It was the first conference Of judges
ever held in the history of the United
States, and it was held on foreign soil.
The object is to bring about uniformi.
ty in Judicial procedure among the
states through fixed interstate judi
cial relations.
No Excuse for Diversity.
"There is,'' said Mr Shelton, "no
more excuse for different court pro-
cedure among the states than for the
use of differing languages.
"The practical men OF commerce are
demanding the injection Of practical
common sense in the machinery Of the
lures are being called upon to give the
courts the necessary power. That Is
one of the objects Of the conference Of
judges and the American Bar associa-
tion S campaign
Mr., Shelton earnestly advocated "a
fixed system of interstate judicial re-
lations," declaring that it ought to be
quite as possible, and even less diff
cult than the present plan of inter.
state commerce relations. Instead of
thousands Of merchants, manufactur-
ers and bankers and hundreds Of rail
roads and other human endeavors ere
atng difficult complications to solve,
there would be forty eight supreme ap-
pellate courts and nine federal circuit
courts of appeals to agree upon any
given principle.
Appeals to Reason.
"True it is" declared Mr., Shelton,
Hthat by fundamental law, there must
be fixed interstate relations; but equal
ly true it is that by unselfish patriot
ism, untarnishcd by local pride, there
may be fixed interstate judicial rela-
tions. At heart we are one, truth
that would be promptly demonstrated
in the presence of a common enemy or
other peril. Why not, in response to
reason. if not necessaryf We need a
little moro friendly gossiping by the
judges over the back fences.
Mr. Shelton declared that "this
country depends, the one section upon
the labor, fruits and Industries Of an
other, like, almost, the members of the
human body ITSELF
estate lines said he, "have been
ignored within the last year in the
enthusiastic effort to simplify and
cheaper the procedure of the courts.
The chief justices of the states have
come with the highest honor state
can give TO aid and advise. It has
been long since apparent that unless
judicial procedure was reformed by
the bench and bar, it would be at
tempted by persons more selfish than
patriots.
Courts Are Helpless.
The speaker declared that the courts
and lawyers were helpless; that Gun
der the policy of congress and that of
nearly all the states the judge is bound
hand and foot by rigid statutes. As q
result the courts have been accused Of
incompetency and the lawyers of in.
difference concerning a condition they
did not create, and are helpless and al
most hopeless to remedy,
Mr. Shelton concluded by saying
that it was his fervent hope that the
Montreal conference will mark itself
in history as the beginning of fixed in
terstate judicial relations, made SO by
unselfish patriotism and not by fun
damental law.