EDITORIAL DEPARTMENT ing to the original text. Occasional additions to text are made on subjects that have been conspicuous of late, such as the admissibility of evidence to disprove facts said to have been communicated to a party where the fact of communication alone was the object of the direct proof as in the Thaw trials and the problem presented by the immunity statutes. The notes also contain a wide range of quota tions including many practical hints on the use of witnesses seldom found in a work as carefully reasoned as Professor Wigmore's. " Wigmore on Evidence," Vol. V., Little, Brown, & Co., 1908. S6.oo net. GOVERNMENT (Election of Executive Offi cers). " Arc Too Many Executive Officers Elective?" by Bradley M. Thompson, Michi gan Law Review (V. vi, p. 228.) A breezy article answering the question in the affirma tive very positively. It is of general interest although written specifically in regard to Michigan, the constitution of which . . . "Provides for the election of every judicial officer from police magistrate to chief justice, and of every executive officer from pathmaster to governor. The constitution expressly pro hibits the appointment of any judicial officer. The people having observed that the judge who held office by appointment never suc ceeded in pleasing each of the litigants and often angered both, concluded that his failure to please everybody was due primarily to the fact that he was appointed and not elected. That if the judge was elected, he would be in sympathy with the people, in touch with them, and could not, unless actuated by malice aforethought, render a decision that would not be entirely satisfactory to both sides.
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the precaution to skin the animal and save his hide. "Listen to the conclusion of the whole matter. Give the people an opportunity to govern the state. Amend the constitution and provide for the election, of just two state executive officers, a governor and a lieutenantgovernor. Give the governor power to appoint by and with the advice and consent of the senate, the other state officers now elected, with power to remove at will; such officers to constitute his counsel or cabinet. Give him power also to appoint for the same term as the governor holds office, one sheriff and one prosecuting attorney in each organized county of the state. Clothe him with all the power necessary to enable him to enforce the law and hold him responsible for the faithful perform ance, of his duties." HISTORY. " Wig and Gown," by Richard Selden Harvey, January American Lawyer (V. xvi, p. 31). HISTORY. " Historical Lights from Judi cial Decisions," by Edward Cahill, Michigan Law Review (V. vi, p. 215). Pointing out the value of legal decisions to the historian, as throwing light on the customs and struggles of the period. HISTORY (Pennsylvania Courts). "The Courts of Pennsylvania Prior to 1701," by William H. Loyd, Jr., American Law Register (V. Iv, p. 568). INSURANCE. (History.) "The Early His tory of Insurance Law," by W. R. Vance, Columbia Law Review (V. viii, p. : ). An inter esting review of the insurance law history from the beginning and through Lord" Mansfield's time. INTERNATIONAL LAW. The American "What would one think of the wisdom of conducting the business of a great railroad in Lawyer for January (V. xvi, p. i) publishes the same manner? If the stockholders should " Legal Aspects of the Hague Conference," by hold annual meetings, or meetings once in two Hayne Davis, with illustrations. An interest years' and elect a general superintendent, a ing outline of the work of the Congress and the manager of the passenger traffic, a manager of plans agreed upon for the next Congress. JURISPRUDENCE. "Roman Law and the freight traffic, all the necessary conductors, engineers, brakemen, baggagemen, trackmen, Mohammedan Jurisprudence," by Theodore P. Ion, Michigan Law Review (V. vi, p. 197). train dispatchers, etc., assigning to each sepa rate duties and making each independent of This second installment is a comparison of the all the others? Just a duplicate of the plan by systems of law named, is devoted to examina by which the citizens of Michigan manage and tion of the Roman gens and the Arabian akila conduct state affairs. Xo one would ship a and of the respective provisions as to citizen dead dog over that line without having taken ship and slavery. To be continued.
