STANFOR LIBRARY

Twenty-fourth Annual Meeting

OF THE

Pennsylvania Bar Association

BEDFORD SPRINGS, PA., Tuesday, June 25, 1918.

The Twenty-fourth Annual Meeting of the Pennsylvania Bar Association was called to order at the Bedford Springs Hotel at 2 o'clock p. m., President WILLIAM H. STAAKE in the chair.

FIRST DAY, AFTERNOON SESSION

THE PRESIDENT: The members of the Pennsylvania Bar Association will please come to order. The Twentyfourth Annual Meeting of the Association is now open, and it is made the duty of the President to read an address. Therefore I will begin by saying:

PRESIDENT'S ADDRESS

Ladies! and Gentlemen of The Pennsylvania Bar Association:

Your President is one of eleven Presidents of the Association, who has been privileged to greet the members and guests of the Association at Bedford Springs, Pennsylvania.

Beginning July 10, 1895, the Association has met here in 1896, 1901, 1905, 1906, 1907, 1909, 1911, 1916, 1917, and now again in 1918.

With absolute fidelity to the expression of the majority of the members of the Executive Committee at its meeting in Philadelphia in December last, the officers of the Association, and the members of the Committee of Arrangements, sought to carry out the instructions then given, but the existing war and other unusual conditions made it impossible to do so. The Executive Committee will report to you upon this subject matter.

There must, however, be a "something" about this place, which has drawn our membership to it, in eleven out of twenty-four years. Is it because here we have always found the "home fires burning" for us, or is it because, in these days of possible National or State Prohibition a place with so many choices of potable water of excellent quality and unlimited in quantity, is, with the natural scenery and purity of atmosphere, a "something," which at this time we could not resist?

Twenty-three years ago in the year 1895, the Association had 659 members and 6 committees, viz:-Executive, Law Reform, Admissions, Grievances, Legal Education and Legal Biography. Today we have approaching 1400 members with thirteen committees, seven standing, six special, and four lists of delegates to other associations and organizations.

Your President desires to suggest to the members and others of our profession, the value of the twenty-three volumes of the Reports of this Association. If these volumes are, upon publication and delivery, simply given space upon the shelves of your individual law library and allowed to rest there without subsequent perusal and study, you are doing yourself an injustice. It is perhaps natural to feel that because you have taken part in the proceedings of each annual meeting, and have heard the addresses delivered, the papers read, and the reports made, that you know all that is in them. But, my friends, you are mis

taken. There is much which can be read, and read again and again, with both pleasure and profit.

As the Secretary of the Association for sixteen years, your President has noted that too often after the report of a committee is read, and partially discussed, it is at once followed by a proposition to postpone its consideration for another year.

It is said to be a matter of record that in a certain National Association a report of an eminent Committee on Commercial Law was postponed so long, that its distinguished Chairman died before it ever got before the Association. While postponements are frequently justifiable, let us put the stamp of our disapproval on that thief of thieves, "procrastination."

In a certain State Association, it is recorded:

In the year 1908 a resolution was offered, as follows:

"Resolved, That the question of contingent fees be referred to the Committee on.. .to report at the next annual meeting what steps, if any, should be taken to correct abuses, if they find any to exist, and for the better regulation of such contracts."

This resolution was amended so as to read: “Referred to a special committee of three to be appointed by the Chair." The Committee was appointed.

In 1909 there was an interesting report of this "Special Committee," which recommended "that the number of the Committee be increased to seven, and that the Committee, as enlarged, be instructed to report at the next annual meeting, and then submit such bills as it may deem wise for the Association to recommend to the Legislature for enactment.' An appendix to this report contained the legislation in 16 States of the United States upon the subject of "Contingent Fees."

In 1910 the Committee, having formulated an Act of Assembly, reported, "An Act to regulate contracts between Attorneys at Law and parties claiming a right to recover damages in actions of trespass, protecting Attorneys complying with the Act against settlement made with the client, without notice, giving the Courts the right to reduce the fees contracted to be paid or to refuse any compensation and providing for disbarment in certain cases."

There was a long, learned and most interesting discussion of the proposed legislation by the members of that Association, in which a number of amendments were moved, after which the matter was referred back to the Committee for further consideration, it being felt that the Committee could come back next year with a bill that would satisfy, not everybody, but nearly everybody.

In 1911 the Committee reported "progress," and was continued.

In 1912 the Committee was continued, the Chairman being unable to be present and the Secretary being in the City of Baltimore in search of "pure democracy," the Committee assuring the Association that the "major part of the subject committed to them is being considered by the Committee on Industrial Accidents;" the Committee was continued.

In 1913 after some twenty-five pages of discussion, by a vote of 45 yeas to 40 nays, the report was referred back to the Committee for further consideration.

In 1914 the Committee being deprived of both "head and tail," action was postponed until the next meeting of the Association.

In 1915 an Act containing four sections was reported and discussed, as contained in some twenty pages of a report of that Association, when it was resolved that the second Act be returned to the Committee for the same purpose as the first, "to see what light you can get from