Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 25.pdf/112

This page needs to be proofread.

The Legal World so admitted applies for admission to practice in the other courts of this Com monwealth"; (3) "An Act providing that no judgment shall be set aside or reversed or new trial granted unless the error complained of has injuriously affected the substantial rights of the parties"; (4) "An Act relating to the beginning of elections." Cape May has been selected as the place for the annual meeting of 1913. 'Philadelphia Law Association At the annual meeting of the Law Association of Philadelphia, on Dec. 3, the following resolution was adopted, after the submission of a report from the Special Committee on the Judicial System of Philadelphia County, of which George Wentworth Carr was chairman : — "Resolved, That the report of this Committee be adopted; that the Com mittee be continued with power to cause to be introduced into the next session of the General Assembly, and to take all proper measures to secure the passage of, an act adding one judge to each of the five Courts of Common Pleas of Philadelphia, and for securing an amendment to the Constitution to permit the establishment of a Muni cipal Court along the lines of the Chicago Municipal Court." Mr. Carr, in presenting the report, said that the chief arguments in favor of a Municipal Court were a more rapid trial of cases and a special judge for domestic relations cases and juvenile court work, both of which could be ob tained at once by increasing the num ber of our present Common Pleas judges, and that the trial of small cases without juries, which was another ad vantage of the Municipal Court of Chicago, could be facilitated by a spe cial statute to be introduced in our next

101

legislature, giving our present Common Pleas judges that power. There was some debate on the subject, several speakers questioning the advisability of asking the legislature to increase the Courts of Common Pleas and also to take the initial step toward amending the Constitution so as to provide for a Municipal Court. A proposed resolution opposing the principle of the recall of judicial deci sions was opposed by Dean William Draper Lewis and referred to a com mittee for consideration. The following officers were elected: Chancellor, Hampton L. Carson; vicechancellor, Frank P. Prichard; secre tary, Meredith Hanna; treasurer, Wil liam W. Smithers. The Governors' Conference The fifth conference of the Governors of states was held at Richmond, Va., early in December, dealing with a variety of subjects criticized by the New York Evening Post as not concerning the majority of the Governors assembled. The newest subject to come up for con sideration, that of agricultural credit, was discussed at Washington at the invi tation of President Taft. A committee of five was appointed to draft uniform state legislation under, which old style farm mortgages could be replaced with short or long farm bonds. Governor O'Neal suggested that a committee should be appointed to prepare a bill to authorize the organization of land mort gage banks for incorporation under state charters and similar to those that exist in Germany. The subject of the punishment of criminals attracted most attention. Gov ernor Shafroth of Colorado advocated lenient but certain punishment, and cited his own state as an example of the successful working of this system. Gov