Governor Gardner desires me to express to you his deep regret at not being able, personally, to welcome the Association, which he earnestly characterized as being unequalled in learning and usefulness by any other organization in the world. We of the Missouri bar wish you might come to know our Governor in person. While not of our profession he is a fine type of successful business man who recognizes in the Bench and the Bar a most valuable asset to a successful administration. Proof of that fact is shown in the high order of men appointed by him to judicial positions since the beginning of his administration. You have appropriately brought this assemblage of American lawyers to the very center of American life. "At the heart of this wonderful country, Where the East grips the hand of the West, She stands with an air that is royal, She's a queen with her title complete, Missouri, rich in resources and generous in yield; Missouri, with the seal of Divine approval stamped upon her fruitful farms, her productive mines, her comfortable homes, and her general prosperity; Missouri, with the best of her brain, brawn and spirit, is yours today. And you, honorable members of this great Council, called together for the advancement of law, justice and the common good of humanity, are ours by adoption for three whole, precious days. One of the oldest and most satisfying definitions of hospitality is implied in the Scriptural quotation which states in simple words, "I was a stranger and ye took me in." You came to us as strangers this morning-we pledge you our word of honor that we shall make no attempt at "taking you in" in accord with the modern slang interpretation of that phrase-but be very sure that St. Louis and her fellow Missourians, with characteristic cordiality, stand ready to take you into an engulfing fellowship which we hope will make you feel thoroughly at home. The sentiment of true hospitality needs no dress of resplendent rhetoric, no declamatory drapery. Therefore, without more ado, I wish you a happy sojourn among us, pleasant and profitable recollection of your stay here, and oft repeated returns to Missouri. The President: On behalf of the American Bar Association I express our appreciation of the very cordial and graceful welcome which has been extended to us. When the invitation from the City of St. Louis reached the hands of the Executive Committee last January, supported as it was by earnest representations from bodies of trade and of the profession, and accompanied by a very dexterous but skilfully concealed suggestion, that the State of Missouri was putting the question that Missourians are credited with asking, What is the American Bar Association? we felt that we should accept this invitation and demonstrate by our presence and by our cordial cooperation with your local committees that the American Bar Association represents no single state, no special locality, no exclusively cooperative organization, but that it is a voluntary association of members of our profession from all of the 48 states in the union; that lines between the states are invisible, and that we are in reality, as we are under our constitution, the representatives of the American Bar. President Carson then delivered his address. (See Appendix, page 151.) The President: We have drawn the foundation and the living principles of our Government largely from Great Britain. The common law is the basis of our administration of justice. It gives me not only personal but official pleasure to have the honor of presenting to this audience His Excellency, The British Ambassador, Sir Auckland Geddes. Sir Auckland Geddes then delivered his address. (See Appendix, page 171.) The Secretary's report was then read by Secretary Kemp, and was received and filed. (See Report at end of minutes, page 90.) Julius Henry Cohen, of New York: Mr. President, I rise in obedience to an impulse that is aroused by the mention of " the report of the Secretary." I move that the members of the Association rise and stand for a moment out of respect to the memory of George Whitelock, our Secretary for so many years, who is now with us no more. The audience arose and remained standing while the President read the following memorial tribute: "George Whitelock, born at Baltimore, Maryland, December 25, 1854, chosen Secretary of the American Bar Association in August, 1909, and ten times re-elected, died in office on January 8, 1920, faithful to every trust. "Mourned by the Bench and Bar throughout the nation, missed by his colleagues, and affectionately remembered by his friends, his memory and service form an honorable and conspicuous part of our record of useful and distinguished achievements. His energy, his zeal, his knowledge and his skill were supported by his devotion to our interests which he served with unstinted selfsacrifice up to the day of his death. His legal learning was accurate and profound, graced by unusual accomplishments in literature, history and languages, while to the Bar of his own state and city he was known as an advocate of great and varied powers, a safe adviser in matters of difficulty, a strong colleague, a prompt and efficient dispatcher of business, an untiring and useful worker in the field of reform and procedure. The Bench and Bar of Maryland have united in asigning to him the gifts which made the names of Wallis, Steele and Carter conspicuous, and with these he must be enrolled. For 31 years he was our fellow member, active and alert while serving on committees; and for the past ten years was especially well known to the profession throughout the nation as Secretary of the American Bar Association, an office of increasing importance which he did much to magnify. His talents fitted him for the place. His personal acquaintance was widely extended. He knew men and their positions. His vision was broad and his sympathies were free from local narrowness; he appreciated in a rare degree the scope and purpose of our Association and sustained them with all his strength. His temperament was ardent, and he threw himself into his work year after year without abatement of interest and without neglect of detail. "He realized the importance of solidifying the efforts of state bar associations in support of a national policy, and exerted himself with tact and judgment to the accomplishment of this end. He never abused the confidence of others, and never used his position for personal advantage. He regarded his office as an honorarium. He served all these years without compensation. At all times accessible, courteous, and at all times firm in his convictions, and outspoken in their support, he never wounded the self-respect of any man and never shirked the performance of his duty. In serving with ten executive committees, under ten administrations of the presidency, he earned the hearty commendation and respect of all. He did this without obsequiousness and without the surrender of his marked personality. Those who labored with him knew best his worth and learned to trust, as well as to admire, the manner of his performance. He never used his knowledge in an arbitrary fashion and never overstepped the bounds of official propriety. His colleagues could at all times rely upon him. They never encountered dictatorial assumption of superior knowledge nor petty discontent if he were overruled. "A strong man, a true friend, a faithful officer, these are the amaranths we twine about his urn." The Treasurer's report was then read by Treasurer Wadhams together with certificates of a firm of public accountants, and of a committee of two members who have examined the report. Upon motion the report of the Treasurer was received and filed. (See Report at end of minutes, page 93.) The Secretary presented the report of the Executive Committee, which was received and adopted. (See Report at end of minutes, page 99.) Thereafter 209 nominees, duly certified by the proper State Local Council and recommended by the General Council, were elected to membership by the Association. The Association then adjourned until 3.30 P. M. The President: SECOND SESSION. Wednesday, August 25, 1920, 3.30 P. M. The business for this afternoon will be conducted under the title: "How Can We Best Promote the Welfare, Influence and Scope of Action of the American Bar Association?" The discussion will be opened by Thomas C. McClellan. Thomas C. McClellan, of Alabama : The open forum, of course, suggests informality; and I want to talk to you just as if I had dropped into your office to discuss the affairs of the American Bar Association, its welfare, its improvement, its advancement, its expansion. Now, some one has suggested that an open forum would be the place where the malcontent would voice his destructive purpose. I do not think we have any such. It is not a place for destructiveness: it is a place to come together, to collaborate; and, if a good suggestion comes out of Nazareth, let us take it and apply it, employ it for the Association and its advancement. In looking back over the history of the Association since the year 1886, I find that it had up to that time progressed steadily towards the formal in its programs. We have now arrived at a time when the formal program has usurped almost every possible function that might be fulfilled by an informal program. I do not mean to disparage the importance of an address by a distinguished American, or a distinguished citizen of any other country; but I believe you will find, if you consider the program through a series of years, that there has not been a proper apportionment between the formal and the informal upon the program of a three days' session. I think this Association, in the 42 years of its life, has enjoyed, as no other body of men in this country has, the services of distinguished speakers. Nobody enjoys intellectual entertainment more than the American lawyer. Nobody appreciates the thought that comes from matured men, men of wide experience, and men of great renown, more than the American lawyer. But the American lawyer does not wish always to be a mere spectator. He likes to see the pageant pass; he enjoys even the brass band, but every now and then he wants to become himself a participant. Now, this open forum is intended to answer that inspiration. I have thought that perhaps the best illustration of the condition to which our programs have gravitated may be found in the modern church service, that is, solo singing. If I may appropriate the figure, the program of our Association is composed rather too largely of solo singers. In the old days the pastor gave out the hymn, and sometimes lined it; but the singing was done by the congregation. Now, my suggestion is that we divide |