The sun., 1916-01-19
A PATRIOTS WARNING TO
THE NATION.


Boi'eu oiiN lH II paTtIdI anu ITdkfnentdTy
way. All who heard the address were
deeply impressed by It. and to many 1,
seemed one of the greatest efforts OF
the speakers distinguished career. The
formal report will not he printed until
months hence. IN the Proceedings Of the
Association. 1t seems to The Sun both
proper and desirable that these words oi
statesinanlike philosophy and patriotk
warning should be printed at this time
In their entirety.1
MIR. PRESIDENT AND GENTLEMEN or
THE BAR: II Mr.. Reeves he present
] should be glad to have him speak
for himself and for me. II there is
any truth in the ipsa loquitur idea
he will do It. 1t must have occurred
to all of YOU that 1t is rather hard 10
sit through u long evening and hear
praise to ones face. | hope you don't
think that I really believe II all. II
is a well founded maxim that In prac-
tical affairs Of life 1t IL wise not 10
put so much stress on the grammati-
cal construction of what people say AS
to try to divine the reason why they
say II, and so have taken all these
things which have been said about
me with a feeling that they denote
the kindness Of old friendship and
the generous warmth Of loyalty to an
old companion at the bar.
The world Is apt to be all praise or
all blame. and sometimes all praise
alternating with all blame, and when
the members of "A profession or a cali
ing impute to one of their number a
multitude Of noble qualities 1t Is fair
to infer that they are really express; ing
their own conception of what their
prof. ssion il and what they would
like their fellow members to be lap
plause1. and in that conception OF the
true spirit and the noble character and
the exalted purpose OF the profession
of the law. ] am with you with all my
heart tappla
] am just lawyer. from the ground
up. and everything that | have done
in my life has been as an incident to a
lawyers career. responding to the calls
made upon d lawyer under the re-
sponsibilities Of his oath and his con-
ception of lawyers duty.
I have been much removed from the
activities of the profession FOR many
years because the engrosslng char
atN'l VI III tlle
and in the Senate IN Washington has
been such as absolutely to forbid the
giving of any time or strength to the
practice of law. and now / have come
back. | have come home to my old
friends and my old haunts and taken
up the old course of going up and
down town daily. a. used TO do forty
or tifty years ago
1t is very grateful and delightful 10
feel that In my long absence have
not been forgotten, that many an old
friend who has passed away has still
npund new one coming to take his
place.
But think nave come back "a
the profession with little sense OF
detachment and with a view from the
outside, looking at IL as a whole. free
from those preposscssions Of interest
IN the particular case which absorb
us 80 fully in our ordinary practice
and there is one thing that has dur
inH the past few months been filling
my mind and that ! would like IL
say TO you: il seems to me that dur.
ing the period of fifty years since !
Was first opening my eyes To the field
Of the common law under John Nor
ton Pomeroy in this city a great new
duty has come to the profession OF the
law.
We had then TO appeal To estab-
lshed and unquestioned principles
The duty Of the lawyer was bounded
by that established, firm. impregnabe
barrier of legal princi pie: the applica.
tion Of the well understood principles
Of law TO the maintenance OF his
clients rights was the limit OF his or
dinary obligation.
Now the whole field has broadened
Fundamental principles are ques.
toned, doubted, discussed. possibly en-.
dangered.
Our country. which seemed then sC
secure. so peaceful. so certain in It's
prospect Of prosperity and peace anc
Of great responsibilities and great dan.
gers TO It's institutions.
We are no longer Isolated. The eve,
flowing stream Of ocean which sur.
rounds us is no longer a barrier We
have grown so great. the bonds tina,
unite us In trade. in influence, IN
power with the rest OF the world have
become so strong and compelling tina,
we cannot live unto ourselves alone.
New questions loom up in the
horizon which must be met questions
upon which we have little or no prece.
dent to guide us: questions upon the
right determination of which the
peace and prosperity OF our country
will depend. Those questions can be
met only by nation worthy to dea'
with them. They can be met by a
democracy only as it is prepared for
the performance OF its duty.
Something has been said about the
proposed Constitution and its defeat.
l give you my word that the instant
the necessity of concentration up0n
the work of the Constitutional Conven
ton had passed, my mind sprang back
10 these grave and serious dangers
that threatened our country so com
pletely that when the Constitution was
defeated it was a scarcely noted in.
cident in my life.
HOW are We To meet the future, and
what is the responsibility OF the bar,
that Is the guardian Of American law
toward meeting that future? II Is not
matter Of opportunism: II is not a
matter of temporary eXpedient. The
situation cannot he dealt with bv
merely doing what seems to YOU and
Ia me tn he the eNpedicnt thing in this
situation and in that situation to-day
or tomorrow. our people must base
bas