Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 24.pdf/494

This page needs to be proofread.

The Legal World The constitutional amendment ap proved also provides that "no law shall be held unconstitutional without the concurrence of at least all but one of the judges" of the supreme court, "except in the affirmance of a judgment of the court of appeals declaring a law unconstitutional and void." Under the old constitution a law may be declared invalid by a mere majority vote of the supreme judges. The three-fourths verdict proposal was also approved after some debate. A resolution was adopted almost un animously disapproving of a proposal that no injunction issue id any contro versy between capital and labor, except for the actual protection of property from injury, and that jury trials be provided in contempt cases. The three-fourths verdict proposal was also approved after some debate. A resolution was adopted almost unan imously disapproving of a proposal that no injunction issue in any controversy between capital and labor, except for the actual protection of property from injury, and that jury trials be provided in contempt cases. The annual address was deliveered by by President Fred L. Taft of Cleveland. The following officers were elected : president, Simeon H. Johnson of Cincinnati; secretary, Charles M. Buss of Cleve land; treasurer, C. R. Gilmore of Day ton.

Miscellaneous

There have been one hundred and fifty-five men put to death in the electric chair in New York state since the law went into effect some twenty-two years ago. Nine men awaited execution of sentence during the week of August 12, making the total one hundred and sixtyfour.

455

John Mitchell, vice-president of the American Federation of Labor, who with President Gompers and Secretary Mor rison was adjudged guilty of contempt of court in renewed proceedings several weeks ago, was on July 23 sentenced by Justice Wright of the Supreme Court of the District of Columbia to serve nine months in jail. Mitchell's counsel im mediately noted an appeal. Gompers and Morrison, who had both been sen tenced June 25 to one year and nine months in jail, had already filed an appeal. More than 90 per cent of the em ployers of industrial labor in New Jersey have virtually subscribed to the provi sions of the elective workmen's com pensation act now in operation. The disfavor of manufacturers, intense when the law was in the throes of enactment, has been practically eliminated after studying the operation for the last twelve months. It is said that there are now only two large manufacturing concerns in the state not operating under the provisions of the compensation sched ule of the act. Of these one has a compensation rate of its own, in excess, in most classes of accidents, of the state's schedule. The facilities for arbitration of com mercial disputes furnished by the New York Chamber of Commerce, through its Committee on Arbitration, of which Charles L. Bernheimer is chairman, are open to every business man in this country, or doing business with it abroad. The fee paid to the arbitrators is purposely restricted to that of a referee, ten dollars a day. The New York Times said recently in an editorial: "Two of the biggest merchants of this city this year selected an arbitrator of the Chamber and submitted papers.