The Legal World bois. Chief Justice Johnson was ad mitted to the bar in 1879, and during his first year as a lawyer was elected to the legislature. From 1881 to 1886 he was clerk of the House, and in 1886 he was made justice of the state dictrict court. In April, 1903, he was elected Associate Justice of the Supreme Court. The vacancy in the Supreme Court was filled on Jan. 28 by the selection of Justice Darius Baker of the Superior Court. Revolution of the courts impends, unless the courts purge themselves of outworn methods and thus quell the merited impatience of the masses, said Justice Wesley O. Howard of the appel late division of the Supreme Court of New York Jan. 27, before the alumni of La Salle Institute at Troy, N. Y., in a broadside leveled at antiquated laws and the "timidity of judges." The recall of judges and judicial decisions promises no cure, Justice Howard said, but anarchy instead. "All men are supposed to be equal before our laws, but that seems not to be so. The road to justice should be straight, short and simple. Revolutionary measures are to be avoided. The movement should begin from within; it is well for the great jurists of the land, the judges of last resort, to take heed of the temper of the times, unbend from their conser vatism and work out the reform them selves. Let us not deceive ourselves; the spirit of recall is spreading, the im patience of the masses grows deeper. Unless the judges act the people will act; if they do not resort to the recall they will revise the constitution and create new courts — courts to do rough justice; courts to do summary justice; courts close to the common people; courts without technicalities, sophistry and delay, and where substantial right prevails."
153 Bar Associations
American Bar Association. — The next annual meeting of the American Bar Association is to be held in Montreal on September 2-4, 1913, at the invita tion of the Bar Association of Montreal.
Connecticut. — Speaking at the annual dinner of the Connecticut State Bar Association at New London Jan. 27, Hon. Alton B. Parker, president of the New York State Bar Association, made an urgent appeal to the Connecticut association to joirr the New York body in defending the courts from attack through the recall of judges and judicial decisions. It was voted that a com mittee investigate the matter and report at the July meeting of the Association. At the annual business meeting officers were re-elected as follows: President, Hadlai A. Hull, New London; vicepresident, Charles Phelps, Rockville; Secretary and Treasurer, James E. Wheeler, New Haven. District of Columbia. — At the annual meeting of the Bar Association of the District of Columbia held Jan. 14, the special committee appointed to recom mend changes in the present methods of taking testimony and to consider the cost of appeals, reported that they had been in conference with Justices Wright and Stafford, of the Supreme Court of the District, in regard to conforming the rules of that court to the rules of equity practice promulgated by the United States. Should changes in the equity rules be made by the District Supreme Court, the rules of the District Supreme Court of Appeals will be con formed thereto. The officers elected include: President, John E. Laskey; first vice-president, Wm. Meyer Lewin; second vice-president, John Lewis Smith;
