Short reports from the Committee on Communist Activities and the Committee on Juvenile Problems, along with the report of the Committee on Resolutions with the text of adopted resolutions

Short, Kenneth P.

Thompson, L. L.

English

UW Law Digital Commons (University of Washington)

Washington Law Review Volume 31 Number 4 Annual Meeting of the Washington State Bar Association 11-1-1956 Report of the Committee on Communist Activities Kenneth P. Short L. L. Thompson Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/wlr Recommended Citation Kenneth P. Short & L. L. Thompson, State Bar Journal, Report of the Committee on Communist Activities, 31 Wash. L. Rev. & St. B.J. 355 (1956). Available at: https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/wlr/vol31/iss4/12 This State Bar Journal is brought to you for free and open access by the Law Reviews and Journals at UW Law Digital Commons. It has been accepted for inclusion in Washington Law Review by an authorized editor of UW Law Digital Commons. For more information, please contact cnyberg@uw.edu. ANNUAL MEETINGPRESIDENT HAROLD W. COFFIN: I will now call the question.All in favor of the motion as amended signify by saying "aye".MEMBERS: "AYE".PRESIDENT HAROLD W. COFFIN: Contrary?MEMBERS: "NO".PRESIDENT HAROLD W. COFFIN: The motion is carried.Thank you very much, Mr. Schweppe, for your report.The report of the Committee on Communist Activities has beenpublished in the Washington State Bar News, Vol. X, p. 11. Mr.Kenneth P. Short, Chairman of the committee, amplified the reportwith informal remarks. Mr. Ralph Rogers of Tacoma pointed out thatthe resolution of 1954, providing that the claiming of the fifth amend-ment before a court or properly constituted congressional or legislativecommittee as to possible communist affiliation or other subversiveactivities should be an automatic ground for discipline or disbarment,was the action not of the Board of Governors, as stated in the report ofthe committee, but rather the action of the association in conventionassembled. Mr. Short agreed that Mr. Rogers' recollection was correct.The report of the Committee on Juvenile Problems has been pub-lished in the Washington State Bar News, Vol. X, at p. 12.REPORT OF COMMITTEE ON RESOLUTIONSBy L. L. Thompson of TacomaMr. L. L. Thompson, Chairman of the Committee on Resolutions,reported the following resolution, with the recommendation that it dopass:WHEREAS Rule 5 of the Rules for Admission to practice asamended December 2, 1955 requires as a condition to admission topractice that the applicant take an oath which includes the followinglanguage:"I will support the Constitution of the United States, the Constitu-tion of the State of Washington; I am not now and never have been amember of any organization or party having for its purpose and objec-tive the overthrow of the United States government by force orviolence."andWHEREAS the foregoing oath is applicable to candidates for per-1956]STATE BAR JOURNALmanent admission to practice in the State of Washington but as a matterof practice such oath has not been administered to non-resident counselwho seek admission to practice temporarily for the particular cause inwhich they are interested, andWHEREAS such custom tends to permit non-resident practioners topractice before our courts, who, if residents, could not qualify, nowtherefore,BE IT RESOLVED that an amendment to the rules be requestedfrom the Supreme Court of the State of Washington to the effect that,as a condition to the admission to practice of non-resident counsel,whether such application be made for temporary admission for a par-ticular cause or not, that such non-resident counsel be required to takethe "Oath of Attorney" prescribed by Rule 5 of the Rules for Admis-sion to Practice.On motion of Mr. Ralph Rogers of Tacoma the resolution wasamended, causing the first clause of the last paragraph to read asfollows: "BE IT RESOLVED THAT this association recommendthat the Board of Governors request from the Supreme Court of Wash-ington an amendment to the rules to the effect that..The resolution as amended was adopted.Mr. Thompson moved the adoption of the following resolution:WHEREAS, it is necessary under the Uniform Code of MilitaryJustice, 1950 that lawyers who are graduates of accredited law schoolsbe employed to perform the most important functions of the judicialsystem in the military forces of the United States, andWHEREAS, the prestige of the legal profession of the military is ofgreat importance to the civilian component of the same profession andit has come to the attention of the latter that certain studies have beenmade concerning the Judge Advocates of the United States Air Force,andWHEREAS, it appears from such study that fifty per cent of all theofficers assigned to the Judge Advocate Department of the Air Forceare in the grades of first and second lieutenant although the strengthauthorization tables indicate that only eight per cent of assignedofficers should be in these two lower grades, andWHEREAS, it further appears that those lawyers serving as JudgeAdvocates of the Air Force who are in the grades of captain and majorare few in comparison to the overall manning program, andWHEREAS, it further appears that Congress and the armed serviceshave provided incentives to the medical, dental, and veterinary profes-[WINMn~ANNUAL MEETINGsions whereby they receive extra compensation by reason of being pro-fessional officers, andWHEREAS, Congress and the armed services have discriminatedagainst the legal profession by denying to it any status as a professionin the provision for incentive compensation, andWHEREAS, it appears that the number of lawyers leaving theservice of the military is such that the judicial system of the militarywill suffer unless proper measures are enacted to create an incentive tothe military officers to remain on duty.NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED That Congress and thearmed forces be requested to enact legislation and make regulationsthat the officers on active duty in the armed forces be accorded thesame compensation for professional service as is now, or may hereafterbe, given to the medical profession of the military.After some debate, on the motion of Mr. Clay Nixon of Seattle theresolution was laid on the table.On recommendation of the committee the following resolution wasadopted:"WHEREAS, the Committee on Judicial Selection, Tenure and Com-pensation of the Washington State Bar Association has the responsi-bility to report to the Association from time to time on judicial selectionand compensation, and"WHEREAS, it is becoming increasingly difficult to attract lawyersof proper caliber to the Bench because of the financial sacrifice whichthey and their families must undergo, and"WHEREAS, a strong Judiciary is of the highest importance inmaintaining our political freedoms, and"WHEREAS, a strong and vital Judiciary is the primary responsi-bility of the Bar,"NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that immediate actionbe taken by the Bar Association of this State to increase the annualjudicial compensation of our Judges as follows: Superior Court Judges$15,000.00, Supreme Court Judges $20,000.00, and the Chief Justiceof the Supreme Court $25,000.00;"BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that the Washington State BarAssociation direct its Legislative Committee to draft the necessarylegislation and take such other action as is necessary and proper tosecure its passage at the next session of the Legislature."BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that all local Bar Associationsappoint special Committees to work with and encourage their local1956]STATE BAR JOURNALLegislators to support the proposed legislation."On the motion of Mr. John Davis of Seattle the following resolutionwas unanimously adopted:"WHEREAS, the members of the Tacoma Bar Association haveworked diligently and untiringly to make this convention a success, and"WHEREAS, to that end they have provided an excellent programand delightful entertainment which we have greatly enjoyed,"NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED that we, the membersof the Washington State Bar Association, in convention assembled atTacoma, Washington, on the occasion of the annual meeting of theAssociation, do hereby express our sincere and heartfelt thanks to themembers of the Tacoma Bar Association and their ladies who haveextended to us Tacoma's famed hospitality, including gracious dinnerinvitations to their homes."There being no further business to come before the meeting, theconvention was adjourned sine die.SHALL ADVOCAcY VAisH?An Address by Mr. J. A. Gooch, Memberof the Bar of Fort Worth, TexasThe subject of my remarks indicates that at some time in the pastand as of now advocacy has been practiced. To me advocacy is thebackbone and the real strength of justice in this great land of ours. Theterm "advocate" has been linked with the legal profession-and prop-erly so-from the beginning of time. We are a profession that hasalways taken an objective point of view, as contrasted with the negativeor defensive point of view, to the end that principles and ideals shallbe maintained.History records that the lawyer has been one who at all times standsready to fight for principles, and, with every resource at his command,for what is right and for the rights of his clients; one who, by reasonof that trait of character and by training, is ever ready to opposetyranny in any form; one who is ready, or should be ready at all timesto oppose the abuse of power.We, I am positive, are lawyers by choice. In my opinion there aremany ways to make a living in an easier fashion than constantly fight-ing someone else's battles. I dislike very much to see in the movies, onT-V and in periodicals the lawyer depicted as a scoundrel and a cheat.No other profession is so maligned as is the legal profession. It seems(WINTM

Report of the Committee on Communist Activities

https://digitalcommons.law.uw.edu/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=3170&amp;context=wlr

Report of the Committee on Communist Activities

Abstract

Similar works

Full text

Available Versions

UW Law Digital Commons (University of Washington)