Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 17.pdf/55

 THE GREEN BAG EVENTS of the past month of national im portance have had also a special interest from a legal standpoint. Chief among these are the recommendations in the President's message relating to national regulation of railroad rates and insurance companies, and the bill already introduced in Congress providing for circuit courts of commerce. The constitu tional questions involved and the possible changes in practise implied will at once com mand the thoughtful consideration of the bar. The hearing before the Privy Council of Eng land in the Greene-Gaynor extradition pro ceeding, which will doubtless be decided by the time this is printed, presents subject for interesting discussion. The decision of the New York Court of Appeals in the "Transfer cases" apparently establishes a startling pre cedent if we may believe the early reports

which state that they purport to overrule the Legislature on other than constitutional grounds. The opening of many state legisla tures recalls the perennial problem of hasty and ill-considered legislation that seems in evitable under present political conditions, and the opportunity afforded to men trained in the law to perform a valuable public ser vice in detecting and preventing these costly errors. Finally, the inauguration of Governor Folk of Missouri, the reward for his services in uncovering by skillful and persistent crossexamination and consummate handling of men, the sources of corruption in a great mu nicipality, should afford inspiration to every patient and fearless attorney. We are glad to announce that all of these topics will be discussed in our next number by authors qualified to speak with authority.

CURRENT LEGAL ARTICLES THE magazines of the month have been characterized by the publication of many in teresting and important addresses, most of which were delivered before the Congress of Arts and Sciences at St. Louis in September. They deal with a wide range of topics, from problems of policy of bench and bar to dis cussions of ancient legal history and from in ternational law to equitable conversion. • Per haps the most striking of the first mentioned, both from the prominence of its author and the bearing of his personal experience on the topic discussed, is the commencement ad dress of Hon. Elihu Root at the Yale Law School, entitled "Some Duties of American Lawyers to American Law," which is pub lished in the Yale Law Journal for December (Vol. xiv., p. 63). It opens as follows: — "In this country of common opportunity for exceptional success, no career opens so many and such varied pathways to great use fulness and to fame and fortune as does that of the lawyer. The conditions precedent to a lawyer's success are severe. He must ac quire sound learning; he must be trained to clear thinking and to simple 'and direct ex pression; he must be both intellectually and

morally honest, and he must have the quality of loyalty to every cause in which he enlists. He should have the tact which comes from real sympathy with his fellow-men, and he will be far better for the saving grace of sense of humor, which brings with it sense of pro portion and good judgment." "The lawyer who exercises these qualities is certain of professional emoluments greater than those received by the members of any other profession, old or new. But he is cer tain of far more than this. As he goes on in life, a multitude of personal relations grow up between him and his clients. Some of these clients are strong and able, and with them the relation is of mutual respect and helpful ness. Others are weak and dependent, and to them he furnishes not merely learning, but support and strength of character and moral fiber. The feeling of all is characterized by confidence and trust. The growth of his own character responds to the requirements of this esteem. In time other people come to feel and to adopt to a great degree the opinion and attitude of the clients who know him best. And so he rounds out his career in possession of that priceless solace of age — the respect