Wesley Smith Morris The life story of Judge Wesley Smith Morris is one that tells of toil-hard, consistent and unremitting. Briefly stated, this was his life. He was born on a farm in Harrison County, Ohio, on November 20, 1850, and was educated in the public schools and received the degree A.M. from De Pauw University at Greencastle, Indiana, in 1879. In 1878 he was married to Sarah May Boling, and in 1879 he began the practice of law at Rushville, Indiana. In 1886 he removed to Wichita, Kansas, and in 1893 located in Colorado Springs. In Wichita he served two terms as prosecuting attorney of Sedgwick County. After coming to Colorado Springs he served two terms as City Attorney and two terms as a member of the Board of Education. In 1906 he was elected Judge of the District Court of the Fourth Judicial District for Colorado Springs, and was again elected in 1912 to succeed himself for a term of six years. Judge Morris died April 14, 1918. He has been for many years one of the leaders of the Republican Party in El Paso County, and has always taken a very active interest in civic affairs. He was a leader in the First M. E. Church of this city, being a member of the Board of Trustees, and has been the teacher of a Bible class there ever since he came to this city. He was a member of Pike's Peak Commandery No. 6, Knights Templar; of El Paso Lodge No. 13, A. F. & A. M.; of the Junior Order of United American Mechanics; Knights of Pythias; Woodmen of the World, and several other organizations. Surviving Judge Morris are his wife, Sarah M. Morris, and four sons C. C. Morris, of Colorado Springs, Colorado; James Morris, of San Francisco, California; Wayne S. Morris, a mem ber of the 115th Engineers, at Fort Kearny, California, and Robert Morris, a student at Colorado College. As a man, Judge Morris was upright and conscientious; as a citizen, he was ever alert to uphold the highest standards of civic virtue; as a lawyer, he was learned and able; as a judge, kindly and just. His death closes a career of long and useful service. We who knew him as a friend and fellow practitioner and jurist, offer to his memory this tribute of respect. COMMUNICATIONS Hon. Thomas H. Devine, President Colorado Bar Association, Pueblo, Colorado. My Dear Mr. Devine: Denver, Colo., July 6, 1918. Will you do me the favor to see that the enclosed resolution is moved for adoption before the Colorado Bar Association at its coming meeting, if you do not care to present it yourself? You can either move it yourself or as coming from me, and being done at my request; or, if you do not care to do this, I am sure you can find some member who will. I think we should never let our great transportation system slip back into the competitive stage. All lawyers realize, I take it, that there is no more excuse for competition between railroads than for competition between other public highways. The costs of competition are borne by the public, and, unlike charity, which blesseth him who gives as well as him who receives, these costs had almost ruined those who paid them and those who received them before government interposed some measure of restraint. The crude political economy which permitted competition as a means of regulation had only been partly abandoned prior to the taking over of the railroads as a war measure. The logical force of regulation was not fully recognized, and so we found our great railroads-the greatest transportation system of the world-crippled by regulations so inelastic that they failed to respond to changed conditions, and operating under the burdens imposed by the competitive system which had been largely abolished by regulation. I am not, myself, prepared to say today what the people, whose delegated sovereignty permitted the construction of the railroads, the people who have paid or are paying for the construction of the railroads, the people who pay for the upkeep of the railroads, the people who pay for the equipment of the railroads, the people who pay the salaries of those who operate the railroads, should do with the railroads. I take it that the lawyers of the country can perform no greater public service than to devise a plan which will carry out the spirit and purpose of the resolution. It is needless to say I hope that no reputable lawyer will be found who will advise or recommend anything which partakes of the nature of confiscation of property in the roads. I regret my inability to be present. You are probably aware that I have accepted an invitation to deliver the annual address of the Alabama Bar Association this year, and the meetings of that Association occur on the same days as the meetings of our Association. With my kindest regards to you personally, and wishing the Association a profitable meeting and a prosperous year, I am, We note the meeting of the Colorado Bar Association tomorrow and next day at the Broadmoor Hotel. We should much appreciate a resolution from the Association urging upon the President of the United States and the Senate the immediate passage of the federal suffrage amendment now before the Senate. By this request, it may appear that we are asking your Association to do something more than its general custom, but because this Constitutional Amendment is of fundamental importance to democracy and thereby differs from any general legislation, and also because of its significance as a war measure, as expressed by President Wilson in his recent message to the Louisiana Legislature, we venture to ask for a resolution. The President's statement is as follows: "I cannot help regarding the settlement of this question as of world-wide significance, and as affording a standard by which to judge our present interest in the complete establishment of democracy. I am moved to send you this expression of opinion by a very profound sense of the public interest." Hoping for favorable consideration of our request, Sincerely yours, BERTHA W. FOWLER, State Chairman. |