Evening star., 1939-12-03
Pre-TriaI Procedure
Hailed in Address
To Bar Association
Cooperative Spirit
To Speed Justice,
Says Paul A. Dever

Says Paul A. Dever
Pointing to the success of the pre-
trial system In Massachusetts,, Paul
A. Dever, youthful attorney general
from that State, last night predicted
that the spirit of cooperation be-
tween bench and bar already evil
denced here would result in the
same kind of success in efforts to
speed the administration of justice.
by the pre-trial procedure already
adopted in Washington.
This system" he told dis
tinguished gathering of jurists, at
torneys and leading members OF sew
eral other professions at the annual
dinner Of the District Bar Associa-
ton at the Mayflower Hotel, "neyer
would have been adopted in Mas
sachusetts had there not been a
cooperative spirit such as is mani
tested ~here this evening.
Here you have gathered" he de-
clared, Ito show your sense of con-
fraternity, of a common RESPONSE
bility. That common responsibility
is the obvious duty to make our
judicial system an effective instru-
ment for the rendering OF justice y
Laws Among Those Honored.
Justice Bolitha J. Laws Of District
Court, who has been in charge OF
pre-trial procedure here since last
September, was one of the large
group of judges of District tribunals
honored at the banquet.
The Bay State attorney general
said that after one year of expert
ence with pre-trial system I'VE had
doubts" but added that now after
five years experience with it, we
are convinced" He reported that
between 1885 and 1899 the time
elapsed between the entry date OF
a case and it's trial had been reduced
from Az years to only years. One
fourth of all the trials in the county
in which Boston is located he said,
had seen "amicably settled under
the deft guidance of an under
standing judiciary
To do away with "unconSclonable
delay, unjustifiable continuances and
interposition of technicalities to de-
feat the ends of justice" Mr.. Dever
said the "cure" was not provided
by legislative action, but by Co
operation between the bench and
bar" through a change of rules.
The pre-trial system he praised as
a harbinger of the day when speedy
justice will be available to all"
1T takes a Judge of patience and
human understanding, explained
the speaker. land, above all, COM
mon sense, to rip away the maze OF
legal technicalities, to rest his elbows
on the bench, call lawyers by their
first names and get an agreement
on a justifiable settlement that will
be satisfactory to all
Homer S. Cummings, former At
torney General and guest at the
dinner, was highly praised by the
speaker as one who never confused
dignity with aloofness, who is a
great liberal without being a radi-
cal, and one who gained affection
even from those who differed with
him."
Would Preserve Rights.
Calling attention 70 the rights Of
individuals in this country. Mr..
Dever called on both bench and bar
to preserve these rights so that after
the European War is over this coun-
try shall have kept freedom" and
proven that Democracy alone is
the instrument for maintaining hu-
man happiness.
Bellamy Partridge, author of "The
Country Lawyer declared that
during many years past while the
medical profession had been the
subject of laudatory literature the
legal profession had been lin the
doghouse." He entertained with a
number of stories from his best
selling book, praised both Irwin Cobb
for his Judge Priest stories, of a
kindly but "too political" judge, and
had a good word to say for Arthur
Train, who also had interpreted
lawyers.
Tribute to Justice Cox.
Walter M. Bastian, former presi.
dent of the Bar Association, as
POSTMASTER called the assemblage tc
stand in tribute to the deaths last
year of the late Justice Joseph w
Cox, and several members OF the
bar.
Seton Darr, president Of the Bal
Association, in welcoming the hon
ored guests from District benches
pointed out that the organiza 5ior
was carrying out tradition of CO
years standing. He referred to the
judges as both distinguished and
beloved"
Arthur Reilly was master Of cere-
monies for the entertainment talent
of the evening, who included Miss
Enid Mitchell, Ruth Altman and
Frederic Schweppe in songs, and
Bob Hall in a hilarious speech clos
ing the occasion.
The following is list of the
guests at the dinner last night:
Guests of Honor.
Chief Justice Groner.
Justice Stephens.
Justice Miller.
Justice Edgerton.
Justice Vinson.
Justice Rutledge.
Chief Justice Wheat.
Justice Let's.
Justice Luhring.
Justice Gordon.
Justice Adkins.
Justice Proctor.
Justice Laws.
Justice Goldsborough.
Justice Norris
Honored Guests.
Attorney General Cummings.
Chief Justice Finis j. Garrett.
Senator William H. King.
Representative Jennings Ran