The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-05-10
EXPLAINS OBJECTS OF HE SOCIETY ON
 JUDICIAL REFORM
Harry K. White Issues State ment So As to Clear Up CollOquy Between Lusk
 and Herbert Harley

Report of the committee appointed to draft a bill to establish a consolidated court in lieu of the several county courts will be made on Saturday morning before a meeting of the lawyers of the city and county to be held at the courthouse. The committee, which is co aposed of NJ NJ. ullman. chairman; Frank Dominick, c. H. Harsh. Henry '. Sims, +. D. smith and Horace c Wilkinson has been at work on the bill for sometime, and will present at the meeting on Saturday draft of the proposed measure
 At the request of the committee Herbert Harley, secretary of the American Judi cature society, who recently appeared before the legislative committee on judi cial reform, will attend the meeting and the data and suggestions gathered from other cities and states of the union where reforms have been made in the judicial procedure and practice.
 In speaking of the Judcature society II. K. White. a well-known Birmingham lawyer. who is a member, says 1t Is a purely altruistic and advisory association
 
 American Bar association, the various state bar associations and the legal fra ternity throughout the union. MT. White also speaks of the colloauy that occurred between Senator Lusk and Mr. Harley
 The senator asked number of pointed questions as to the society, it's purposes and its sources of revenue. all of which
 were answered fully by Mir Harley Statement By White
 "The oolloquy which took place between Senator Lusk and MT. Harley, secretary of the American Judicature society at the meeting last week of the legislative com mlttee on judlcature reform, may Indicate that there Is doubt in the minds of some as to the character of the American Judi cature society. Mir. Harley, however, salu he respected and admired the frankness and directness of Sena tor Lusk in asking the questions which he did No one ques- tions the honesty. sincerity or ability of Senator LuslS. both as a lawyer and leg islator, though many lawyers disagree with him in his apparent view that the nomination of judicial officers should be left as now, entirely to party primaries 1 "The more intelligent view is that the honesty legal ability, experience and fit
 ness for judicial office of a candidate for 1 judgship Is in no way related to his qual- i ities as mixer and his capacity for
 making ao button hole campaign in party primary.
 "The organizers of the American Judicature society hold these views, but l they recognize that improved methods | of selecting judges must be worked out by l the various states of the union, and they have no plan or purpose to influence leg islation on this subject except by enlight-
 ening the sentiment of the bar and the
 Inn Ia n
 in the most public way, by printed pam 1 phets based on the experience of all the
 states of the union The main purpose of the society is to bring about in the | entire United States more uniform sys- tenn on the administrative side of tho law. so that pleading. procedure and ru'.s of practice in all courts will be shorter.
 simpler. speeder and the essential ob- , ject and aim of all courts, the adminis- traitor of justice will be obtained more economically. quickly and certainly. Organized In Chicago
 "The idea of the American Judcature society was conceived in Chicago by Judge Harry olson. James Parker HaIl dean of the Law school of the University of Chicago: Edward w. Hinton, professor of law in the University of Chicago: Nath- an w. McChesney. practicing lawyer in Chicago. and president of American In stitute of Criminal Law; John H. Wig more, dean of Northwestern University School of Law; Gov. w. N. Ferris d Michigan, John B. Winslow. chief justice of the supreme court of Wisconsin: Fred erick w. Lehman, practicirg lawyer of St. Louis. former president of the American Bar association and former solicitor gen eral of the United States, and Roscoe Pound, professor of general Jurisprudence, Harvard university. These eminent men are at present the directors of the society kI.- ! guarantee of it's altrulstic purposes and | practical plans After the organization
 had been conceived the question of course
 arose as to the financial means of main
 taining 1t and carrying out its work.
 Tt happened that Herbert Harley, friend of Judge Olson. had been reared l and had practiced law at Manistee. Mich, and was a friend of MT. Ruggles an old T gentleman there who. like many others in | Michigan, had become multi-mliionaire in a long and honorable career in the tiu1- ber business. MT Ruggles. though not lawyer. had suffered much from what Lord Tennyson calls
 The lawless science of our law;
 That codeless myriad of precedents;
 That wilderness of single tnstancee.' and upon the suggestion of Mir Harley he endowed the American Judicature society,
 so that the annual proceeds of the endoW-s ment fund are sufficient to pay a salary to the secretary and the office help, and make research in the various states and publish such bulletins and articles and addresses as may be deemed advisable by Iths directors. No other officer than the lsecretary Is paid a cent. The society was organized in July, 1913, and Is tho only one of it's kind in America. It co-ordinates Tits efforts with the American Bar assc- citation. the various state bar associa- tions and leading individual lawyers throughout the union. and tts work is ae open and disinterestsd as the sunshine~