EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT was nullified an impossible requirement. Since the formation of the association the volume and variety of legislation has so increased, and it has become so difficult to obtain copies of the statutes of all the states within a reasonable time before the annual meeting, that the preparation and reading of this portion of the annual address had become a serious burden both on the president and the association. The establish ment of this new custom is a sad commentary on our voluminous state legislation. The address, which we print elsewhere, while referring in a general way to the progress of legislation deals chiefly with the great con stitutional question of the time. It was admirably delivered. Mr. Parker's enuncia tion is perfect, but without the slightest sug gestion of artificiality. The ideas he expressed he has declared many times before on similar occasions, but the subject is of such import ance that it requires repetition, and it is fortunate that we had on that occasion so thorough a discussion of the question from all points of view. In the evening the address of Judge Amidon, which we also print in full in this number took extreme ground in the direction of liberal construction. This contrast was entirely accidental, since the subject of the president's address was not known to Judge Amidon when he prepared his own. The address of Mr. Justice Moody at the annual banquet touched upon the same subject with his usual vigor, and dis tinctly took a middle ground between the extremes of conservatism and radicalism represented by the two addresses which we publish. He insisted that the powers implied in the express grants of the states were broad enough to sustain all the needs of a strong national government " if the people are not wanting to themselves." We regret that we are unable to publish his extempo raneous remarks. The second paper of Monday evening was entitled, " A Fundamental Defect in the Act to Regulate Commerce," by Hon. Charles A. Prouty of Vermont, Chairman of the Inter state Commerce Commission. Owing to an accident, which prevented his attendance, the address was read by Judge Staake of Phila delphia. It criticised the duplication of the
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functions of the Commission. Mr. Prouty doubts much whether the same body can properly discharge both the executive func tion of enforcing the provisions of the Act and its judicial functions. He says, " in the end it will either become remiss in its executive duties or will in zeal for these become unfit for the dispassionate performance of its judicial functions. Whatever may have been true in the past, the time has come when the Commission should be relieved of all duties except the hearing and deciding of com plaints." We regret that owing to lack of space we have found it impossible to print this address in full in this issue. Monday afternoon was held the first meet ing of the Association of American Law Schools. As usual this was of lively interest. Professor Kales of the Law School of North western University read a paper advocating the preparation of systems of case books which will give all possible emphasis to the law of particular states. While in form a discussion of defects in the present system of case books, it was in its essence a return to the old contention of the desirability of law schools devoted chiefly to the law of the particular state for which most of its students are to prepare. The meetings of the Bar Association on Tuesday were devoted to reports of com mittees and discussion thereon. The first in order was the report of the committee on insurance. It took the entire morning. The representatives of the legal department of the New York insurance companies were present in force, and since the recommendations of the committee, which for once showed remark able unanimity, related rather to questions of policy than to questions of law, the gentle men from New York had a decided advantage in the debate. Resolutions condemning the distribution of insurance commissionerships as political prizes, recommending the require ment of a deposit by all foreign companies in at least one state before transacting business in any other states, the repeal of the valued policy laws and the creation of a fire marshal in each state were adopted. The recom mendation to forbid the use of the mails to fraudulent insurance companies was opposed as confirming an unfortunate precedent and
