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Report presented as follows:

To the Officers of the Illinois State Bar Association:

The undersigned has been acting as Chairman of the Committee on Law Reform for several years. In this capacity he, aided by some members of the committee, has spent much time and labor in preparing important bills on several subjects, which bills can be found in the report for the year 1899. Since said report the establishment of a practice commission by the General Assembly of this State, seemed to make it unnecessary for this committee to formulate other bills; hence, at the last session of this Association, the undersigned omitted to present a written report, but contented himself by submitting an oral report to the effect that the establishment of the practice commission had rendered the labors of the committee less important, in view of the further fact that the practice commission had adopted some of the propositions formulated by the committee, and were then considering the adoption of others.

The printed reports of the practice commission, as published in the legal journals of this county, show that some of these propositions have been adopted by the practice commission, while others have remained unadopted. It is unfortunate that none of the work of the practice commission has received recognition at the hands of the General Assembly, and the large and important work thus undertaken will likely be dealt with at the next session of the General Assembly.

It must also be considered that no legislative session will take place until 1903, and that at said session the election of the United States Senator will likely interfere with much of the legislative time being devoted to general subjects of legislation. The committee has. therefore, concluded not to enter upon new propositions for new legislation at this time.

The "Negotiable Instruments Law" was also introduced at the last General Assembly, but did not come out of the committee. Although this law is now in existence in seventeen or eighteen states, much discussion has arisen by eminent writers criticising the law unfavorably, and some of these suggestions have been adopted by the legislature of New York. It might be advisable if the committee to be appointed hereafter will gather this material, and consider the "Negotiable Instruments Law" in connection therewith, and also in connection with the well settled jurisprudence of this State bearing upon negotiable instruments. It is believed that some benefit will arise from such a consideration.

It is also believed that the corporation laws of the State, which

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have not undergone any special amendment for nearly thirty years, should receive a thorough overhauling, in the light of legislation which has been deemed necessary for the protection of the people in other states. The committee would recommend the appointment of a special committee for this purpose, charged with the sole duty of examining the corporation laws of other states, and strengthening the corporation code of this State. There are many mischiefs in the management of corporations, which have never been treated on the criminal side of the law, and a comparison of the corporation code of New York and that of Illinois will prove that there are offenses provided against in New York which are left unprovided for in the State of Illinois.

Respectfully submitted,

ADOLPH MOSES,
Chairman.

PRESIDENT HOLDOM: If there is no objection the report will be received and take the usual course and be published.

The next in order is the report of the Committee on Increase of Federal Judiciary for Seventh Circuit, Mr. Charles E. Kremer.

MR. KREMER: Mr. President and Gentlemen: Relying upon the prognostications of the man in charge of the weather at this building, I concluded to make a very brief report, and I feared if I undertook to put it in writing it might be too long; therefore, I did not do so. I have to report that there is still a great necessity for an additional Judge in the Seventh Circuit and that necessity has not been recognized by Congress as it should be, but that early in the session, before the present chairman of the committee was appointed, there was introduced in the House of Congress at Washington a bill providing for a division of the northern district of Illinois, creating an additional district and providing a Judge for that district. Subsequently there was introduced in the Senate a bill for an additional Judge for this district. That bill passed the Senate, it was sent to the House and there was referred to the Judiciary Committee of the House, and that

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committee had before it, therefore, the first bill which was for a division of the district, and the bill for an additional Judge as provided in the Senate bill. There was immediately a conflict between the two bills. Many of the members of Congress outside of Cook county were in favor of a division of the district; Cook county members were in favor of the additional Judge. The Judiciary Committee was in a quandary, and having other things to do besides filling the offices that they had in charge and for which their constituents were urging them, they concluded to postpone the little matter of an additional Judge in our circuit. It is, however, I think, important that the committee, or some committee, should be continued, and that we should again make an effort as we have heretofore and endeavor to succeed in getting an additional district Judge, or a division of the district. The committee, however, feel that it is better to have an additional district Judge, as most of the litigation in the district arises in Cook county. The committee have to say, however, that Judge Kohlsaat has done very much in bringing up the work in the district, he has gained upon it, notwithstanding the fact that the additional burden of presiding over the Bankruptcy Court has been imposed upon him since his appointment. But, then, there is still a great deal more work there than any one, or I might say even any two Judges could perform and not be worked over time, and with the magnificent salary of five thousand dollars a year you can not expect them to work much overtime.

PRESIDENT HOLDOM: You have heard the report of Mr. Kremer and the recommendation contained in that report that the committee be continued. This is a special committee and that suggestion is well made, if you desire to act upon it. What is the pleasure of the Association?

MR. STEVENS: I move that that committee be continued.
The motion was seconded and adopted.

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JUDGE GROSS: I understand that a goodly number of applications for admission to this Association have been filed with the Secretary, presumably referred to the proper committee. I would like to suggest that it is not more than due these applicants that their applications should be acted upon at as early an hour during this session as is practicable. I would like to ask, Mr. Chairman, if that committee can not now make a partial report?

PRESIDENT HOLDOM: There is a by-law upon that, Judge Gross, that requires them to be posted all day today. Am I right, Mr. Matheny?

MR. MATHENY: Yes, sir.

PRESIDENT HOLDOM: It will come up tomorrow morning. Under the by-laws the report of the committee can not be acted upon until they have been here all day the first day and until the second day. I would be glad to forward it if it could be done under your by-laws,-how is that?

MR. MATHENY:

the second day.

That is right, no vote can be taken until

PRESIDENT HOLDOM: You may assure all the gentlemen, -I think we have read the names, some of us have, others not, that they are entitled to all the privileges of the Association from this time forward until their names are acted upon; they will also be welcome guests at the banquet.

The next order of procedure is the appointment of a committee for nomination of officers for the ensuing year; sometimes it is three and sometimes it is five.-is that right, Mr. Matheny?

MR. MATHENY: Usually five.

PRESIDENT HOLDOM: What is your pleasure, gentlemen, about the number of the committee?

JUDGE GROSS: I move a committee of five be appointed by the President.

MR. MOSES: I second the motion.

The motion was adopted.

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PRESIDENT HOLDOM: I will appoint as that committee George T. Page, Judge J. B. Bradwell, Charles L. Capen, Benson Wood and Stephen S. Gregory.

The next in order is the report of the Committee on Grievances, Col. Frank O. Lowden.

MR. MATHENY: Col. Lowden wrote me yesterday that he would be in the camp of the Illinois National Guard all day today, and asked that his report be passed until tomorrow and he would arrange to get here.

PRESIDENT HOLDOM: If there is no objection I will pass that to the order of business for tomorrow. Hearing none, it it passed.

The next in order is an address on The Character and Trial of Aaron Burr, by Mr. John S. Stevens, of Peoria. (The address will be found in Part II.)

JUDGE BRADWELL: If I might be permitted to state in this connection, I would like to say that I was chairman of the Arms and Trophies department of the Sanitary Commission and Soldiers' Home Fair in 1865, and had in my possession and exhibited for four weeks the pistol with which Aaron Burr shot Hamilton, and also the original indictment of Burr for treason, and that no articles exhibited attracted more attention. It was fully shown by the conduct and speech of the people that the American people fully detest the memory of Aaron Burr.

PRESIDENT HOLDOM: The report of the Committee on Legal History and Biography.

Mr. GregorY: Before proceeding in the regular order I move that the thanks of the Association be extended to Mr. Stevens for his scholarly and lawyer-like address and a copy be requested for publication.

The motion was seconded and adopted.

MR. CHAPMAN: As it is a quarter of one, I move that we take a recess until two o'clock this afternoon.