Omaha daily bee., 1919-12-31
ATTORNEYS { N D
STORMY MEETING
With Love FEAST
Kirk FurIough Scandal Aired
In Bitter Debate-vote
Favors Incorporation
After Year.

of the bar in Nebraska.
The meeting, which was TIL
stormiest in years, ended with ;
banquet at the Hotel Fontenell.
last night, at which several Learned
speeches were made and the acri
mony of the days debate was for
gotten.
The vote on the question of in
corporation stood 81 for, and g.
against. The association, in fact
merely adopted the incorporation
idea in principle, agreeing to debat.
and consider both sides of The
proposition for another year befor.
taking definite steps to ask the leg
islature for an act enabling the
incorporation.
Morning Elected President.
Judge w. M. Morning of Lincoln
was elected president Of the associs
ton. ]. G. Beeler of North Platte
E. E. Good of Wahoo and Edwin D
Critics Of Chadron were elected vice
presidents. Anan Raymond Of
Omaha was elected secretary and
Raymond Crossman of Omaha wal
reelected treasurer. Fred A. Scot,
of Scottsbluff was elected 4 member
of the executive council.
Nearly 200 lawyers of the state at
tended the banquet last night in the
Hotel Fontenelle. E. G. McGilton
was POSTMASTER. n....
Judge Day, who was appointed
yesterday to the state supreme court
bench, was q special guest at the
speakers table and was called upon.
The guests gave him rising tribute
and then Judge Day briefly gave
some humorous Renaissance of his
10 years as district Judge.
Startling Proposals.
Charles F. Mclaughlin spoke on
"The Constitutional Convention" of
which he is a member. "A vast
number of proposals have been sub
mitted to the convention" he said,
land some of them are startling.
Zone proposition before the con-
vention is that before final action is
taken on any bill by the legislature
it shall be submitted to the supreme
court which body shall decide
whether or not it is constitutional.
Another proposal is that the leg
islature shall, after meeting for 20
days In January, adjourn for 80 days,
during which time members shall
consult with their constituents on
the various bills that have been in
troduced and then shall reassemble
to vote on the bills"
Laughter spread over the banquet
when Mr.. Mclaughlin mentioned a
proposal to take the pardoning pow
er or "furloughing power" from the
governor.
Another proposal" he said, Els to
have state affairs directed by a gov
ernor, elected at large, and board
of six directors, elected by districts.
A proposal is under consideration
to make the governors term of Office
four wears instead Of two"
Chief Justice Morrisscy of the
state supreme court spoke on "The
Work Of the Supreme Court" ex-
planning in detail the manner CT pro-
cedure in that high tribunal.
Attorney General Davis delivered
an address on "The Lawyer and the
Present Social Unrest"
"The American Judiciary" was the
subject of former Appellate Judge
Clarence N. Goodwin of Chicago.
"Kirk Scandal Discussed.
Sharp words were flung back and
forth between lawyers at the meet
ing of the association yesterday
when the question of incor-
porating the Ear of the state was up
for discussion.
The involving of two prominent
Lincoln attorneys in the Kirk fur
Tough" scandal was mentioned in
bitterness by several of the speakers
in discussing the standards of ethics
Of the profession.
unjust imputations are constant
ly being cast on the legal profession
BY the misdeeds of few members"
declared Leonard Flansburg Of Lin
coin. "A certain case which has
stirred the state 10 pending. Will
this associations committee on in
quiry make 4 complete investigation
and get at the facts? True, the SUI
preme court has submitted limited
portion of this scandal to inquiry
by a commission. But is this
enough! If the men mentioned are
not guilty, we ourselves should make
that fact plain to the public.
"Does Board Lack Courager
with the bar association incor-
porated would the board of govern
ors do more than opr present COM
mittee on inquiry has done? Or
would that board lack the courage,
too?" -
Judge Morning Of Lincoln declared
that the present bar association is
more or less Of = joke to the ma
jority of lawyers of the state.
"They say we're just a bunch of
silk-stocking fellows who get to-
gether once year and 'resolute, >"
he declared.
"The fact that every lawyer in
the state would have to be men,
Der of the Nebraska State Bar as
ISOLATION if it were incorporated by
act of the legislature is Z splendid
argument for this act"
Fiery opposition to the proposed
act to incorporate the association
was voiced by c. L. Ryan of Lin
coin, one of the younger lawyers.
Says He'll Fight It.
This act would abolish individual
liberty by compelling every lawyer
to be a member of the assoc iation,"
he exclaimed. There are many OBJ
jections to the act. And I'll fight
i here, I'll fight it in the legislature
and I'll fight it in the supreme court
of the United States. Because, as
sure as little apples. if you get this
act passed by the legislature it will