Page:The Green Bag (1889–1914), Volume 24.pdf/260

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The Sovereignty of the Air thoughtful, law-knowing and law-loving men and women must also increase, or anarchy and discord will be the result. Our criticisms on the law and on the judiciary must ro longer be cap tious and based on lack of knowledge. They must be constructive and in telligent. The state university law school should be ready to furnish to all the knowl edge which all should possess. A clear line of demarcation should be made between the right to study law and the right to practise law. No man should be allowed to practise law who has not a thorough preliminary training, and whose attainments are not of the best. As a rule both a college and a law school diploma should be pre requisites. It would be perfectly reasonable to require an apprentice ship in a law office in addition there-

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to. When it comes to the study of law, however, the matter is an entirely dif ferent one. We can hardly say to the citizen, "You are absolutely presumed to know the law. Ignorance of law is no defense, and yet we will not allow you to study law or to enter a law school until you have first obtained a college diploma." It is somewhat illogical to maintain a system of government under which anyone may be elected to the city council, to the state legislature, or to Congress, in which anyone may make the law, but to say that no one shall study the law unless he has first obtained a college degree. The privately endowed university may teach what it pleases and restrict its advantages to whomsoever it pleases. The state university must be prepared to meet the needs of the parent state that maintains it.

Bismarck, N. D.

The Sovereignty of the Air BY DENYS P. MYERS I" EGAL thought has followed closely,

  • -* in fact preceded, the solution of

the problems of flight. Legal regulation of air traffic was studied as early as 1901, and the question has received more or less continuous attention since that time. With the advent of actual flying by monoplanes and biplanes of numer ous design, the activity of writers with ideas on the legal effect of opening up a new element grew rapidly. Almost before there was a case before any court in the world dealing with a purely aerial problem, provision had been made to solve the legal questions bound to arise. Late in 1909 the Inter national Juridic Committee on Avia tion was organized at Paris, and it began

issuing a monthly periodical devoted to aerial locomotion in its legal aspects in January, 1910. This committee, while private in character, aims to be representative of the civilized world, and the International Committee is accordingly made up of national dele gates named by the National Commit tees which have been extensively organ ized in the countries of Europe, the United States and Canada. The International Committee began work by outlining a code of aerial law and is elaborating it article by article. The method of work allows full discus sion and opportunity for the expression of opinion. National committees decide upon a text under a given head, trans