Evening star., 1923-08-24
j. s. LAWYERS PLAN
SESSION IN BRITAIN
Proposal to Be Made Before
Annual Meeting of Bar
Association.
BY FREDERIC WILLIAM VILE.

In the presence of Chief Justice Taft,
Secretary Hughes and other leading
lights of the bench and bar, the Ameri-
can Bar Association in annual meeting
at Minneapolis next week will discuss
unique project--to hold its 1924 con-
vention in London. 1t promises, this
writer is informed, to be the topic
around which the liveliest discussion
will range. Presumably formal in
Vltation to meet in Great Britain will
be extended to the association by its
principal foreign guest. the Niscount
Birkenhead, former Lord Chancellor of
England.
The scheme, which is wholly with
out precedent, has been talked of pri-
vately and evoked much enthusiasm.
Except for one session held in Canada,
the Bar Association has never held its
annual conclave off of United States
soil. The London project is intended
not only as a compliment to the mother
of American law'-to the land which
gave Blackstone birth-but as a tribute
"t American esteem for Great Britain in
general Sentiment is not expected TO
ne universally in favor of the London
proposition. Some lawyers fear il might
ne mlSlnterpreted in political sense
poth at home and abroad.
Davis Favors Idea
John w. Davis. the retiring president
OF the association, and former ambas-
sauor To Great Britain. is said To favor
the Idea enthusiastically. Chief Justice
Taft. who in 1922 was the honored guest
OF the British legal profession. also
ranks among those agreeable to it,
II the Minneapolis meeting votes to
hoid next years meeting in Great
frltaln. an American liner will be
chartered to transport the lawyers
across the ocean. The plan calls for
holding the purely business session of
the association in New York on the
eve of sailing and devoting London
entirely TO discussion of legal affairs
The enterprise will doubtless provide
for a reciprocal meeting in the United
states of the British Bar Association.
Ntxt IN popular interest TO the
London scheme Will be the bar aSso-
cations discussion OF 4 change in the
date OF presidential inauSurationS and
meeting OF newly elected Congresses.
special committee, of which Will
liam l.. Putnam of Boston is chair
man and Levi Cooke of Washington
q member. recommends approval Of
the Norris resolution passed by the
Senate in December, 1922. This pro-
Nldes for the convening of Congress
uppH llS erection LOT
the election of the President and Vice
president by the electoral college 'at
the earliest practical BILE date" and for
their inauguration thereafter with
out any unnecessary lapse of time.
Delay In Business.
The Putnam Cooke committees
consultation with individual senators
and representatives indicates n strong
feeling among public men that the
congressional and inauguration re-
forms should be dealt with promptly.
They found that the present system
of having n new Congress meet n
year after its election and not in
augurating a President until four
months after the people vote him into
! office is considered IAN anachronism"
and a serious interruption in the
proper dispatch of public business at
Washington. The committee says:
"It is generally felt that two reg
ular sessions of each Congress of
equal dignity and ability to dispatch
public business. without arbitrary
termination of each second session
in the midst of the very period during
which legislation should be going
forward without 4 complete stop as
of March 4. will cure many of the
difficulties and some of the abuses
for which the Congress itself has
been subjected to criticism. fairly
attributable not SO much to the Con-
greSS itself as to the calendar syS-