by its counsel, Henry Galbraith Ward, by Hon. David B. Hill in person, and by his friend and counsel, Charles A. Collin.

Mr. Hill made a statement, and the following members of the Bar made statements at his request: John E. Parsons, John M. Bowers, DeLancey Nicoll, Charles B. Alexander, Frank S. Black, Benjamin F. Tracy, William G. Choate and John F. Dillon.

The Committee invited no additional witnesses for the reason that it appeared that Henry B. Hyde, who first retained Mr. Hill, is dead, that James W. Alexander, who continued the retainer, was too ill to appear, and the Committee could learn of no other persons who might be supposed to have any information upon the subject. The only officer of the Equitable Society before the Committee was Charles B. Alexander, who for a portion of the period covered by Mr. Hill's retainer was of general counsel of the Equitable Society, and for the rest of the period was associated with his father who was general counsel.

The Committee consulted with Mr. Charles E. Hughes on this subject, who said he had no information whatever beyond the knowledge that Mr. Hill had received the retainer in question, and that Mr. Hill was asked by him to testify before the Armstrong Committee without the least intention of impugning his motives, but simply that the circumstances connected with it might be explained. All the statements made by the witnesses who appeared before the Committee are filed herewith.

As a result of a consideration of these statements the Committee reports its conclusions as follows:

(1) That there was nothing improper or unprofessional in David B. Hill having acted as counsel for the

Equitable Life Assurance Society under an annual retainer during the period from 1892 to 1905.

(2) That the compensation received by him for the services rendered under this retainer was reasonable and not excessive.

(3) That this compensation was not received for any political purposes or services.

New York City, May 11, 1906.

(Signed)

E. W. HUFFCUT.

JOHN H. BURke.

AMOS VAN ETTEN.

ARTHUR H. MASTEN.

The President:

JAMES F. DOUGHERTY.

Gentlemen, you have heard the report of the Grievance

J. Newton Fiero, of Albany:

Mr. President, the Committee on Law Reform is not prepared to report. The announcement was made it would meet at the office of the chairman, 100 State street, this afternoon, and I ask leave to report to-morrow morning. There is also a sub-committee on the judiciary. I have just received a telegram from one of its members that that report will be ready to-morrow morning, and Ì ask to have that made a special order at that time. I am on my feet, will you allow me to make a motion in

While

regard to another matter? It has been the effort of this Association to keep in touch on the one hand with the local county associations and other associations in the State, and upon the other hand with the American Bar Association, and delegates have been received by this Association from the local associations and sent to the American Bar Association. By way of acknowledgment and reciprocation of the sending of delegates to the American Bar Association we are to have two of the former Presidents of that Association with us. One of them is to speak this evening at the banquet, and in recognition of the courtesy of these gentlemen and of the courtesies that have been extended to us by the American Bar Association, I move that James Hagerman, of St. Louis, one of the ex-Presidents of the American Bar Association, and Henry St. George Tucker, a former President of the American Bar Association and now President of the Jamestown Exposition, be made honorary members of this Association.

Rastus S. Ransom, of New York:

I second the motion.

The President:

You have heard the motion made by Mr. Fiero and seconded, that the two ex-Presidents of the American Bar Association be made honorary members of this Association. Those in favor of that motion will please say aye.

The motion was carried unanimously.

The President:

I hope Mr. Hagerman will allow me to ask him to step on the platform that he may become immediately acquainted with all the members of the Association and they with him. (Applause.)

Mr. Hagerman :

Mr. President and Gentlemen of the New York State Bar Association, I esteem this as one of the great honors of my professional life. It is entirely unexpected and I hope I may prove a worthy and honorable member of your Association. I am somewhat familiar with the history of your Association. I know it is second to none of the State Bar Associations of the nation. It is a great and prosperous Association and doing great work. I think I have been in a position the last few years to observe the growth of our American Bar Association and of the various state and local associations. I think this growth will continue. I trust that it will lead up some time, and not in the remote future, to a great international Bar Association, built up along the lines of our American and State Associations, so that the lawyers of the world—I mean by the lawyers the fighting force of the Bar, the lawyers who deal with the courts and try the shall meet face to face and that that great association will occupy the same relation to the nations of the world that the American Bar Association does to the State Bar Associations. This is not a fanciful idea. Some such movement has already been inaugurated. The American Bar Association has such a movement in charge, so to speak, and has partially set it in motion. I remember a distinguished Englishman, Sir Frederick Pollock, when he was at the meeting of the American Bar Association at Hot Spings, in Virginia, said they had nothing in England that took the place of the American Bar Association, and he hoped that some day he would see a great English association in which all the colonies would be represented, and that it would come across the ocean and invite us to meet it in Canada. So the

cases

movement is on foot. I do not know how long it will take to mature. I do not know certainly that it ever will, but if our American Bar Association keeps alive and grows as it has been growing, certainly something of that kind is sure to result. I do not know a greater pleasure than to see the lawyers of the world meet much as the American lawyers do and much as the lawyers of the different States meet. We started something of this kind at the St. Louis Exposition. We had there a World's Congress of Lawyers as it was called. It committed to the American Bar Association the idea of taking part in the formation of an International Association. The recommendation of the American Bar Association many of you no doubt remember was that the delegates to that congress should, after consultation with the delegates from the foreign nations, take into consideration the formation of an International Bar Association, and it was referred to the Council of Nations as the governing body of the Congress of Lawyers, so-called, and they passed a resolution approving it and referring it back to the American Bar Association, and it is under consideration by that body now. If that time shall come, we hope to have the co-operation of this Association as well as of the American Bar Association. I repeat I esteem it a very great and unexpected honor to become one of your members. (Applause.)

John Brooks Leavitt, of New York:

Mr. President, I would like to offer a resolution which I believe does not need any argument to support it. If it calls out any discussion I would like to say one or two things in its favor. I think the address of our President to-day will supply any argument that may be needed.