AFTER DINNER

THE PRESIDENT: Before we begin our after-dinner programme, I wish to announce that United States Senator Seldon P. Spencer has been unavoidably detained on account of official business in Washington, and just this morning I received word from Judge Brearton that he was unable to come on account of serious illness in his family. I know that we all regret that these two gentlemen are not to be with us tonight. However, I think there will be no lack of good speakers.

It is certainly gratifying to see such an unusually large number of representative lawyers and distinguished judges present tonight at our dinner of the Illinois State Bar Association and the Judicial Section.

In all our undertakings and endeavors we are counseled to begin right. Keeping that in mind, we chose for our first speaker a loyal friend and tireless worker in this Association, an eminent lawyer, a former president of the Illinois State Bar Association, now President of the American Bar Association and but recently appointed United States Circuit Judge, Honorable George T. Page of Peoria, who will now address us. (Applause.)

HONORABLE GEORGE T. PAGE: Mr. Toastmaster, Ladies and Gentlemen: I am requested by the management to announce that, notwithstanding the absence of Senator Spencer and one or two other speakers on the program, there will be, after this number, some good speaking. (Laughter).

The Illinois State Bar Association, and the Judicial Section, which represent the earned increment of a lawyer's life, seem always to have run and to be running now true to form. When I had something to do with the Illinois State Bar Association, it was always customary for the Association every year to discuss the Supreme Court in general and its one-man decisions in particular. Sometimes the things that were said were more than a discussion. Then the Supreme Court always came back with the kid of the court, who, to the best of his ability—not being hampered by any experience-refuted the idea that any one-man decisions came from the Supreme Court. Tonight they have taken the kid judge of the Federal Bench to discuss courts generally. In candor, I must admit that I have heard of considerable criticism of one-man decisions made in Federal Courts since I have been there. (Laughter.)

I suppose no speaker is a real gentleman that does not have something to say to the ladies. I found up in my room this afternoon a book that I discovered to be a Gideon Bible, and not being otherwise seriously occupied, I looked through it a little bit.

JUDGE PAGE: It is to the bench. (Laughter and applause).

I found in the twenty-seventh chapter, I think, of Numbers, the first recorded report of a law suit, and, strange enough, it had to do with the ladies. The daughters of Zelophead, whose father had died without any sons to take his inheritance, went before Moses and the Council and