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Jan.

2-Banks & Bros., proceedings of 1898 and 1899. Jan. 5-H. M. Orahood, extra copy proceedings of 1899. Feb. 19-W. B. Morgan, copy of proceedings of 1898..

Total receipts..

5.00

5.00

5.00

5.00

5.00

5.00

5.00

5.00

5.00

5.00

2.00

1.00

.50

$1,132.58

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Hotel bill of Messrs. Stevenson, Hemingway and Philips
Carson, Harper & Co., 100 menus.

8.25

25.00

Aug. 24-J. H. House, stenographic report of second annual meeting

35.00

Sept. 16-A. E. Stevenson, expenses in attending second annual meeting

150.00

Sept. 21-Merchants' Publishing Co., printing circulars and letter heads

21.40

Smith-Brooks Printing Co., printing tickets..

1.50

Dec.

Oct. 10-Williamson-Haffner Engraving Co., 4 plates.
Oct. 31-Stamps for mailing reports...

1900.

American District Telegraph Co., messengers for deliver-
ing reports in Denver....

4-Smith-Brooks Printing Co., printing report of second
annual meeting..
Envelopes

Feb. 10-Smith-Brooks Printing Co., printing circular letters and pamphlet on procedure in disbarment cases.

20.00

18.00

1.85

221.90

8.00

Apr. 9-Fee returned upon withdrawal of application.
Apr. 28-Kistler Stationery Co., copy book.

June 7-500 stamped envelopes.....

June 27-Lucius W. Hoyt, miscellaneous sums paid out..

14.60

5.00

1.50

10.60

11.11

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Nineteen members are now delinquent in the payment of last year's LUCIUS W. HOYT,

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The Treasurer:

The by-laws provide, if the dues are not paid by the 1st of July, the Executive Committee are privileged, and last year it exercised the privilege, of dropping members for the non-payment of dues.

This report should be approved by the Executive Committee. I sent the bank book of the Association to the bank yesterday to be balanced, and it will be here in a few minutes and will be referred to the Executive Committee. I would, therefore, suggest that this report should be referred to that committee.

The President:

Is there any objection to referring this report to the Executive Committee? If not, it will be referred. It is so ordered. The next business is the report of the Committee on Griev

ances.

Platt Rogers:

That committee has prepared no formal report. The President reported yesterday the work of the committee in detail and at considerable length; and I think it sufficiently advised the members present of the work that we have carried on. I only need to say that the committee has prosecuted the members of the bar who were violating their obligations, and there are a number of cases now pending in the Supreme Court which have not been disposed of. I think every case submitted to us has received action of some sort; and that the delays are the delays ordinarily incident to the action by the Supreme Court on the cases pending before it. A full report will be made and will be tendered for the purpose of being entered in the transactions of the Association.

The President:

Is there any objection to favorably entertaining this request? If not, it will be so ordered.

(For the report of the Committee on Grievances see appendix.) The next order of business is the report of the Committee on Law Reform.

Edward L. Johnson:

Mr. Chairman, the Committee on Law Reform has already in reality made its report by submitting to every member of the Association drafts of two different plans for changing the pres ent system of choosing judges. The recommendation of the committee is that the Association consider the subject of how best to withdraw the selection of our judges, both of the district and the appellate courts, from the undue influence and prejudicial action of political agencies. We have assumed that the purpose would not call out any difference of opinion. We have assumed that every member of the bar and every member of the bench, as well for that matter as the lay community, would agree that if it be obtainable it will be desirable that the bench be not subject to undue influence of a political kind. Some influence, of course, it will necessarily and always be subject to.

That is to say, parties will naturally desire to be represented on the bench, if they can produce acceptable candidates. We have taken it for granted, therefore, that the purpose itself would not call forth any variety or contrariety of opinion. And the views of the committee have been admirably anticipated by the address of the President yesterday, who so ably and thoroughly discussed the theory of the matter.

We have sent out to every member of the Association a copy of a bill which was drafted by the Denver Bar Association, or at least drafted by a committee of that Association, approved by the Association, and, as I am informed, by the judges of the Supreme Court. It was presented to the last legislature. I think it carries with it an amendment to the Constitution; it requires an amendment to the Constitution for its execution; and as the Constitution only permitted one amendment to be submitted to the votes of the people at a time, and as there were several other amendments which were also to be offered for the consideration of the legislature, it was deemed better to postpone all of these matters and amend the Constitution itself so as to allow more than one amendment to be submitted to the people at one time. For that reason, apparently, this bill of the Denver Bar Association was not pressed upon the attention of the legislature. If you have, as I suppose you have, that bill, it will not be neces sary for me to state its contents or nature. It differs in some respects from the bill which the committee adds to it by way of suggestion and submission to this body. The bill of the Denver Bar Association proposes a Supreme Court consisting of seven members with a term of fourteen years, and then it specifies the method by which, by successive elections and appointments, the bench may be ultimately constituted in that form. The bill submitted by this committee proposes a bench of five members and a term of nine years. The other important difference between the two bills is this: The bill of the Denver Bar Association authorizes the Supreme Court to divide itself into departments, for the purpose of expediting the transaction of its business. There is no such suggestion in our bill, which only provides for five judges.

Now, the address of the President yesterday suggested to me, and I suggest to the Association, that there is a third proposal that might be made for the purpose of obtaining the very highest point of excellence in our bench, and that is that the judges be appointed. Both of the bills sent out to you, gentle

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