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The Green Bag
a year ago to secure information as to the terms of court held during the past five years by Supreme Court Justices, how many days they have held court, number of contested cases tried with or without a jury, and in short, information which would form the basis for some determina tion of the efficiency of our courts, measured by work accompished. The report stated that it was impossible to present any accurate figures covering the state. Records are kept in such varying forms, and in many cases are so fragmentary that no just deductions could be drawn from any statistics which might be quoted. The first district fur nishes a conspicuous exception to the rule, for there the judges are keeping records of their own, and these are most admirable in form and the matter noted. The report stated that pres ent methods of keeping records in this state are inadequate, with the exception of the first dis trict, and recommended that a committee be instituted to report at the next meeting an ade quate law for the collection of judicial statistics. A general discussion of this matter followed. The report of the Committee on International Arbitration of the Panama Toll Question, sub mitted by Everett P. Wheeler, went deeply into the status of the dispute and advocated the pas sage of a resolution urging the President to submit to the Senate a special agreement for the submission of the question to the Hague Permanent Court of Arbitration. The Asso ciation, after debate, adopted a resolution of somewhat different form, more favorable to President Taft, as follows: — "Resolved, That we reiterate our adherence and devotion to the principle of international arbitration as heretofore announced by this association, and cordially approve the position of President Taft on the Panama question, as stated in his speech of January 4 and quoted in Mr. Butler's minority repoit." The Committee on Amendment of the Election Law with Regard to Judicial Candidates told of the effort that had been unsuccessfully made to secure the passage of the bill taking the judi ciary out of politics by providing a separate ballot for judicial candidates. After the presen tation of this report, Ansley Wilcox, chairman of the committee, introduced a resolution in support of this bill, which omits party desig nations from the ballot, and Judge Hale precipated debate by offering a different resolution recommending bipartisan nominations. Judge Alton B. Parker spoke in favor of bipartisan
nominations. There was a sharp debate, which ended with the adoption of Adelbert Moot's pacific resolution sending back the matter to the committee, with instructions that it take all the suggestions and bring about a resolu tion favoring nonpartisan nominations as against bipartisan. A report was presented by the Committee on Workmen's Compensation, Frederick B. Campbell, chairman. Everett V. Abbott and J. Hampden Dougherty filed dissenting reports. The report was debated nearly two hours and in the end the majority report was adopted. It was an unusual report, the majority saying it was not entirely satisfied that it was right, but believed it best to be submitted in order to get certain matters before the people through ment the Legislature. of the constitution The report to provide favored compen amend sation for men injured in hazardous occupa tions, instead of extra-hazardous as at present. Charles A. Boston delivered a carefully pre pared address on "Disbarment in New York," which was a comprehensive statement of the law and precedents of disbarment, and an exposi tion of marked value as a monograph likely to afford assistance to the bench and bar of all states. Mr. Boston spoke of the activity of the Grievance Committee of the Association of the Bar of the City of New. York, in investi gating complaints against lawyers, and pre senting them, in proper cases, to the Appellate Division of the Supreme Court for disbarment or other discipline. He also spoke of the work of the Committee on Professional Ethics of the New York County Lawyers Association in ad vising lawyers respecting proper professional conduct, and of the latest rules of the Court of Appeals for the admission of lawyers to prac tice, which now require them before admission to pass examinations before the State Board of Law Examiners upon the canons of ethics of the American Bar Association. He said that all these agencies are operating to elevate the standards of professonal conduct, though they merely serve to impress high standards upon all lawyers, and to enlighten youthful ones, in respect to them; for there is nothing novel in their principles which have always been known and observed by the great majority of the pro fession. At the banquet on the closing night the speakers included President Nottingham, who acted as toastmaster, Judge D-Cady Herrick. J. E. Martin, K.C., of Montreal, Judge A. T.
