Opinions upon the Corpus juris Project of our country in producing uniformity and certainty of decision and in avoidance of the "law's delay" that it should appeal to all to aid in its accomplishment. I cannot better ex press my views than by adopting and referring
to the cogent letterof Mr. Francis Lynde Stetson.‘ It occurs to me to observe that the time seems ripe for the undertaking. The pendu lum is swinging more and more towards cen tralization in the national Government, and however much one may from a constitutional standpoint regret this, it is certain that such change of necessity tends to uniformity of law throughout the length and breadth of our land, which is “a consummation devoutly to be desired." I think your undertaking deserving of full success and of the aid of every broad-minded sagacious statesman, professional and business man.
To advance civilization, to render cer
tain the law and its speedy enforcement,is surely appealing to every patriotic mind and to the self-interest of every owner of property. Chancellor S. B. McCormick, of the
Uni
versity of Pittsburgh, who, prior to his entering the educational field, was a member of the Bar in active practice: In the first place, the work proposed by you and your associates is not only desirable and important, but is becoming an absolute necessity. It is unthinkable that the legal pro
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This great work must be kept from any appear ance of commercialism to give it highest value. Fortunately we live in a. time when there are many men of large wealth, who, once convinced that a cause is worthy and will bring good to the people, are willing to supply the money to make it successful. Such a work will be of priceless value to the legal fraternity. It will be of equal value to the general pnblic. It will not be difiicult to make this clear to men who, having large wealth,
are conscientiously seeking to use their wealth for the highest good. I trust you will form your plans toissue your work on such a foun dation. It has always been a marvel to me that the legal profession has been willing to permit the complexity and confusion, which have pre vailed because of the multiplication of enact ments, decisions, etc. This has continued until it would seem almost a hopeless task for any one man to expect to master the subject
of law. This is wholly unnecessary. The plan you have conceived is not only feasible but an absolute necessity. In conclusion, permit me to congratulate you and your associates upon the conception of this plan, and to wish you, and those who may be selected to labor with you, an early and most successful completion of the under taking.
fession, which includes in it men of the pro
foundest scholarship, most brilliant attain ments, broadest culture, keenest analytic and
discriminating judgment, should much longer permit the almost impossible conditions now prevailing in the law. A remedy must be found, and it is to be found in the plan proposed by you and your associates. In the second place, the plan is entirely feasible. That it will involve great and ex hausting labors, together with the most dis criminating judgment and almost limitless knowledge of the law, is true. But you have the men who are able to carry even this gigan tic work to a successful issue. You have in your Memorandum so completely outlined the proper method of going about the work as to convince even the skeptical person that it can be done. In the matter of the practical question of the production of the work, there is, in my opinion,
but one method and that is the second one set forth in your Memorandum, namely, a Foun dation of Jurisprudence.
is‘; pp. 67, as, so, 81 and s4. supra.
President Woodrow Wilson, of Princeton, 0 member of the American Bar Association, formerly in active practice at the Georgia Bar and for twelve years Professor of jurisprudence in Princeton University: The eminent judges and publicists who have already endorsed the idea are most of them men whose practical experience lies very much nearer the field of this matter than my own does, and I can only say that their opinion in the matter confirms my own, that this project is not only feasible, but highly desirable, that its undertaking would be a great stimulation to legal scholarship in the United States and its accomplishment a great service to English-speaking lawyers everywhere, Dr. Lyman Abbott, Editor of the Outlook, and who at one time was a member of the New York Bar in active_,practice:—— The preparation and publication of an American Corpus juris, as proposed in the Memorandum which you have forwarded to me, would be, in my judgment, of very great
