The Green Bag

PUBLISHED MONTHLY AT 14.00 PER ANNUM. SINGLE NUMBERS 50 CENTS. Communications in regard to the contents of the Magazine should be addressed to the Editor, S. R. WRIGHTINGTON, 31 State Street, Boston, Mass. The Editor will be glad to receive contributions of articles of moderate length upon subjects of in terest to the profession; also anything in the way of legal antiquities or curiosities, facetiœ, anecdotes, etc.

THOUGH the transition from law to politics moves Mr. Joline to regret in the case of Van Buren, it is a tendency which laymen as well as the Bar have always appreciated. The criminal prosecutor stands on the boundary of the two professions, but it has sometimes been thought that sympathy for the defeated breeds public hostility to the successful public prose cutor. The election of last fall, however, in two notable instances proved that faithful dis charge of duty brings public endorsement and political promotion to even the state's attorney. In recognition of the position their legal work has brought we have deemed it appropriate to publish sketches by associates at the bar of Governor Folk and of Governor Deneen. It is not without significance when a partisan wins the unqualified approval of reformers and independents and it is, therefore, peculiarly fitting that one of the men who realized in Chicago one of the most successful efforts of municipal reform should contribute an estimate of Governor Deneen. Mr. Smith is a native of Pennsyl vania though for most of his life a resident of Illinois. He attended Oberlin College and received his legal edu EDWIN BUKRITT SMITH cation at the law schools of Northwestern and Yale Universities. His early experience in practice was as reporter of decisions. He was later professor of law of Real Property at Northwestern University. Since 1885 he has been in active practice in Chicago and is now a member of the firm of Peckham, Smith, Packard

and ApMadoc. His work has been mainly in real estate and corporation law, but for the last two years he has been special counsel for the City of Chicago in the litigation involving the street railways of the city and the negotia tions Kfor settlement with the traction com panies. It is seldom that a question of international policy involves such important changes in the practice of law as that raised by the recom mendations of President Roosevelt and Com missioner Garfield for centralized control of corporations engaged in interstate commerce. The interest of the profession is already being evidenced by discussion in legal peri odicals, one of which by Professor Wilgus of the Law School of the University of Michigan is reviewed in this is sue. The opinions of men who have guided the development of some of the great cor porations which are the JOHN E. PARSONS cause of the demand for federal control should be of great in terest to the Bar. We are fortunate therefore, in persuading two of the most eminent corpora tion lawyers of the country to take time to contribute to this issue brief outlines of the reasons that lead them to oppose or favor this tremendous change. Mr. Parsons formerly of Parsons, Shepard & Ogden, now of Parsons, Closson & Mcllvane is generally esteemed the leader of the New York Bar. He has been well known not only as counsel in important corporation matters, notably the formation of the American Sugar Refineries, but as one of the most efficient cross-examiners in the State. He has always found time, however, to take an active interest in civic matters. Mr. Curtis graduated from Bowdoin in 1875 and received his legal training at the Columbia Law School. As the second member of the