Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1915-03-15
MORRICSEY GUEST
OF BAR AT DINNER
Chief Justice Notes that Supreme
Court is Keeping Up with
Work This Year.
wELL-KNowN MEN SPEAKERS


Although the supreme court OF
Nebraska is two years behind its
docket, and the problem has long
been how to expedite the work OF
that court and catch up once for all,
Chief Justice A. M. Morrissey at
banquet at the Fontenelle Saturday
night, which marked the quarterly
meeting of the Douglas County Bar
association, declared that the court
had kept up with the grind since
January /. He said he had had made
an estimate of the cases handled and
filed since January /, and had found
that while seventy-eight we're filed
in that time, eighty-three had been
disposed OF. Thus the court has
gained five cases in two and one
half months.
Judge Morrissey, however, did not
promise that this pace would be kept
up. He did not announce 1t as the
solution to the problem, but gave II
as an interesting incident. The cases
disposed OF normally in the supreme
court in a year, he said, we're about
$50 to $50, while the normal or aver
age number filed annually amounts
to 500, thus throwing the court every
year about $50 cases further behind
in its work.
The judge said he had no boasts e.
make of plans TO reorganize the supreme
| court. or TO reform II or it's methods. but
promised that he would simply do the
best he could while In the office OF chief
justice.
Two hundred attended the banquet.
Charles Mcdonald. president OF the assoc
citation, was toastmaster. Judge w. A.
Rediok discussed the initiative and refer
endum, especially in It's connection with
the recall of judges, /and declared the re-
call OF judges feature to be dangerous q
n representative form of government. lie
urged the lawyers to use their influences
against the passage of legislation tending
toward a system OF recall OF judges.
Judge II. ID. Elliott of Rapid city. s. D..
now sitting in the Omaha division OF fed
erRl court, had been invited TO the ban
Duet by the toastmaster. Charles Nc
Donald. He had told the toastmaste also
that he wished to be excused from speak
ing. But someone insisted and he had TO
get on his feet. IL was Chief Justice
Morrissey who mentioned Judge Elliott
and asked to hear from him. Judge Elliott
said II was impossible TO disobey the man
date OF n supreme judge. 30 he spoke
briefly, combining his remarks to fetch
ing little story of the old swimming
hole days. that took all the legal lights
back a good many years.
Judge Lee Estelle told some southwest
ern stories in his inimtable style. and
| concluded with remarks extollng the
honor and integrity OF the bar. He called
attention to a minister who had once bit
terly criticised the legal profession. and
answered that minister by saying the
Savior himself would not have had q
burial had It not been for the lawyers.
Judge Willis @. Sears, the last speaker
told several good stories. He began with
the story OF tho man charged with muir
der who was released from Jail In the
northern part Of the state In the early
days TO play the fiddle for a dance when
II was found there was no other fiddler
IN the neighborhood. lie told Of how this
man through the connivanee OF the sheriff
was later allowed to break Jail. because
no one would try him for murder after
he had served the dance 80 well. He fol-
lowed with several others and left his
hearers in excellent spirits