The Legal World
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The banquet which ended the meeting his opening address as president of the was successful. Following are the officers organization, made a clear and concise elected for the ensuing year: president, statement of the situation in Illinois Robert McMurdy, Chicago; vice-presi with respect to practice. He advocated dents, Edward C. Kramer, East St. a number of reforms and favored the Louis; James M. Sheehan, Chicago; change from unanimous verdicts in civil William F. Bundy, Centralia; secre suits to a two-thirds verdict. He urged tary-treasurer, John F. Voigt, Mattoon. limitation of the right of appeal, to Mr. McMurdy, the new president, who bring about the determination in the was vice-president last year, is a native trial court of all suits involving small of Kentucky and the son of a clergy property rights and no questions of law man. He was educated in Chicago and of general importance. received his law degree at the Univer Edgar B. Tolman, chairman of the Committee of Law Reform, said that it sity of Michigan in 1880. He has held is essential that something be done to many public or semi-public positions, lessen delay, something to make more including those of lecturer on Medical certain the final result of a trial, and Jurisprudence at Hahnemann Medical College, member of the Illinois legisla something to lessen the expense of litiga ture, president of the Chicago Alumni tion. Association of the University of Michi Edward C. Kramer of East St. Louis gan, president of the Chicago Law Insti in discussing the proposed reforms main tute, member of the Illinois Practice tained that it is not proper that judges Commission, lecturer on Legal Ethics in should be mixed in politics, and urged the John Marshall Law School, and in the non-partisan election of judges. 1904, one of the Roosevelt Presidential Herbert Harley of Manistee, Mich., electors. He also wrote a legal novel who spoke on "The Courts of Ontario," called "The Upas Tree," which has advocated life tenure of judges and attracted much attention. showed how the Canadian courts avoid the delays incident to the Illinois sys tem. Albert M. Kales described "The Illinois Society of the American Institute English Judicature Act" in an informing of Criminal Law and Criminology paper. These two papers contrasted the certain and speedy methods of Eng Justice William N. Gemmill of the lish and Canadian courts with those Municipal Court of Chicago, in an ad prevailing in Illinois. dress delivered April 8 at the second William E. Higgins, Professor of annual meeting of the Illinois State Pleading and Practice in the Kansas Society of the American Institute of University school of law, who is investi Criminal Law and Criminology, criti gating methods of procedure in other cised the administration of the criminal states on behalf of the state of Kansas, law. In Cook county during the past with a view to further improvements year, Judge Gemmill said, 21 per cent in the system of that state, made an ad of all criminal cases in the Municipal dress on "The Popular Dissatisfaction Court were nolle-prossed before trial, with the Administration of Justice," in and 14 per cent of the quasi-criminal which he pointed out what might be cases were non-suited. To remedy this done to reduce the delays and expense of practice of the prosecuting attorneys, Judge Gemmill urged legislation that litigation.
