To the Bar Association of Tennessee:

This Committee adopts and resubmits the report of same Committee presented at the meeting in 1887, recommending a statute which shall authorize the issuance of a license to practice law in the State of Tennessee to a student by the Supreme Court of the State alone, upon a full examination by them in open Court, and then only upon the applicant producing a certificate from the County Court of the county of his residence that he is twenty-one years old, and is of unimpeachable moral character; and also a certificate from the Chancellor of his District, and a certificate from the Judge of his Circuit, that he has diligently studied law under some reputable lawyer, or in some law school, or partly in each, for the space of at least two years altogether; and that after a thorough examination of him as to his knowledge of law, and inquiry as to his moral character, they each are of opinion that he is properly qualified to practice law.

This Committee further recommends that persons removing to this State with license from other States shall also be required to obtain license from the Supreme Court of Tennessee upon same certificate as to character as is required of students, and upon such examination, as to qualification, as the Supreme Court may deem necessary.

We further recommend that the Committee on Legal Education and Admission to the Bar, appointed for the ensuing year, be charged with the duty of preparing a statute embodying the above, and having same introduced in the next Legislature of Tennessee, and that it accompany the same by such argument or memorial as they may deem proper to induce its passage. Respectfully submitted,

L. B. MCFARLAND, Chairman. These things were in the report of last year, but it was thought did not cover the exigencies of the case. I have just submitted the report of last year, except the second clause, covering the case of persons removing here from other States.

Mr. Turner. I move that the report be received, and the recommendations of the Committee concurred in.

Mr. Gaut.-Mr. President: I was not present at the meeting of the Association last year, and did not have the benefit of

the full argument; but it strikes me that the Supreme Court will not undertake the duty of examining law students, and if it does they will not perform it with any thing like the thoroughness with which it ought to be performed. It seems to me a better way would be to have them appoint a Commission for that purpose.

THE PRESIDENT.-Is it recommended to leave to the Supreme Court the labor of examining applicants for admission to the bar.

Mr. Savage. The question is, will they take the labor to do it?

Mr. Morris.—They will do it as much as the other Courts now do.

Motion seconded and carried, and recommendation unanimously approved.

THE PRESIDENT.-I want to say to the gentlemen that I do not deem it proper that a committee should be appointed, inasmuch as there is no Legislature in session.

Mr. McFarland. -I move that we resolve ourselves into a committee of the whole to eat dinner.

Motion seconded and unanimously carried.

AFTERNOON SESSION.

The Association called to order at 3 o'clock P. M., by the President.

THE PRESIDENT.-The first thing for the afternoon is the report of the other Standing Committees. We have had reports from the Committees on Jurisprudence and Law Reform and Judicial Administration and Remedial Procedure. The next Committee is the Committee on Grievances.

Mr. Morris.-I will make a verbal report. I understand that

the other members of the Committee have had nothing to report, and consequently we have no written report, not because there is nothing to report, but because the Committee did not act on them. The sun shines on the just and on the unjust alike.

THE PRESIDENT.-Having heard the report of the Committee on Grievances, what will the Association do in reference to the subject-matter offered in it, or omitted from the report?

Mr. Bryan.-Does the Chairman of that Committee make no recommendations?

A voice-None.

Mr. Bryan.-Then I suppose we may proceed. Motion that the report of the Committee be received.

Motion seconded.

Mr. Morris.-That has been the report of the Committee in a great many cases.

THE PRESIDENT.-The next report is from the Committee on Publication.

Mr. Pilcher.-As Chairman of that Committee, the only thing we have to report is, that we have published the Minutes of the last meeting, and consequently I have not made a written report. I remark in connection with the report, however, that we exercised all the care we could, but that some unimportant mistakes have crept into the report that I regret very much. I hope the members who are not reported correctly will feel disposed to excuse the mistakes, as there is no matter in connection with them that is perhaps of sufficient importance to call attention to them. I would say that it takes a great deal of work to bring out the Minutes, and, as a matter of fact, as soon as all material was in the hands of the Committee, they went to work with all reasonable speed to get the report out. I think it is of special importance that the Association shall, by some rule, fix and make arbitrary the time within which the Minutes shall be published. While I have nothing matured, I would suggest that this is a matter that should properly come under the consideration of the Association, and ought to be acted upon. It was suggested yesterday that there ought to be some time fixed within which the Minutes should be published. In all probability the delay for last year was more

objectionable than it will be again, as the leading subject at the last meeting was on the subject of a Constitutional Amendment, and a great many people were anxious to see the discussion. While the same thing would not apply this year, or perhaps any other year, yet still I think it is a matter of sufficient importance to have a rule requiring the publication within a certain time.

Mr. Stokes.-I would like to hear Mr. McFarland on this subject. I suggest that he be permitted to rise on a question of privilege.

Mr. McFarland.-I will say that from my experience last year, I do not desire to have any thing more to do with it.

THE PRESIDENT.-What will you do with the subject-matter of the report of the Committee on Publication? Do you desire to take any action in regard to it?

Mr. Gaines.-I move that the Committee on Publication have till the first of the following January to get out the proceedings of the Association. I believe I was on the Committee this last year, but I did not know any thing about it until I received a copy of the proceedings. I do not know who is to blame in the matter.

Mr. Pilcher.-I will say that we succeeded in getting four of the members of the Committee together-Mr. Bryan, Mr. Robt. Jackson, and Mr. Bradford. We could not get hold of Mr. Gaines at the time. There had been so much delay in getting the matter into the hands of the Committee that we thought we had better go ahead. We tried to get Mr. Gaines, but could not do so.

Mr. Figuers.-Is this a Standing Committee?

THE PRESIDENT.-Yes, sir.

Mr. Figuers.-It seems to me they ought to be at one place. THE PRESIDENT.-They are.

A Member.-What is the use of putting it off till the first of January?

Mr. Gaines.-The President made some such suggestion in his address.

Mr. Stokes.-I think the resolution embodied the suggestions in the address. If in order here, I have a small matter to bring up which was embodied in the President's address. It is that

the Committee on Publication shall publish the report of the proceedings of the annual meeting of the Association, which shall in no case be delayed beyond Christmas.

Mr. Gaines.-Does that mean Christmas day or week?
Mr. Stokes.-It means Christmas day.

Mr. Gaines.-It will take these four men all the time to get it out. I think they do well to get it out at all.

Mr. Figuers.-It seems to me that six months, the time at which the minutes are to be brought out, is a long way off.

Mr. Stokes,-I think it could very easily be done by the first of December.

Mr. Morris.-Make it the first of December.

Moved and seconded that the Committee on Publication be instructed to make publication of the proceedings of each meeting not later than the first of December.

Mr. Bryan.-The matter, it seems to me, before the Association is action upon the report of the Committee, and then to change the By-laws and Constitution. I did not understand the Chairman whether he made such a recommendation or not; but preceding that there should be a motion to receive the report of the Committee, and until that is done the matter is not properly before the house.

THE PRESIDENT.-The Chair understands a verbal recommendation was made by Mr. Stokes.

Mr. Pilcher.-I second that motion.

Mr. Bonner. I desire to say in regard to the delay in publication that there were several causes for it. The main trouble was that each one of the gentlemen had to withdraw his paper for correction, and some of them insisted on the proof being sent to them for revision. Unless the Committee is to have the power to say that all matter shall be in its hands by a certain time it cannot be done. Four years of experience have taught me how this is. Unless the Committee has this power, and is authorized to close down upon the articles, it will not do much good; but if that authority is conferred upon them, then I heartily approve of the resolution, because I want a time fixed, and then I can say to the gentlemen who want to withdraw their articles that they will have to be in by a certain time.

If I were to refuse without this power being conferred