REVIEWS.

THE LAW OF MOTOR VEHICLES.

By Berkley Davids.

Published by Edward Thompson Company,

Price $5.

Northport Long Island,

New York.

The latest complete work on the law of motor vehicles has just been published by the established and reliable firm of Edward Thompson; this firm never turns out that which is not standard. In this work of Judge Davids the law as it now exists, and the authorities adjudicating the cases that have arisen are both to be found. It is not a padded book but one in which theauthor at once goes into the kernel of the matter stating only what needs to be stated and leaving nothing unsaid that ought to have been told or discussed.

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The great importance of a thorough knowledge of the law on this subject is self-evident to every lawyer. It is more important than a knowledge of the law governing street cars one may almost say than that governing railroads for the reason that almost every family that can afford is securing and operating automobiles. Often operating them themselves without the requisite experience to safely propel them, causing injuries to person and property. So that a comprehensive knowledge when the owner of one of these machines is liable and of when not is of the utmost importance to the profession. In this work all these points become clear. Again the necessity of this volume is an absolute one to dispel the erronous view held at the outset: that an automobile was a dangerous instrumentality per se, and that the law placed their operation in the category of bringing ferocious beasts into a community and that the owner was held to the

highest degree of care. This doctrine has been modified, and the rules governing the liability of owner and operators based upon rules peculiar to itself in many instances, all of which are made clear and fortified by the many actually adjudicated cases; as these machines have been in use in the eastern states a number of years and many hundreds of cases that have arisen, decided by the highest courts.

This volume is divided into 19 chapters and an exten. sive appendix, which contains all the leading legislative enactments, not only in the various states of the Union, but English and Canadian.

While the whole book contains nothing useless and all should be carfully studied, the chapters on 'Regulation and Use,' 'Mutual Rights of Operators and Others on Highway,' should, as Bacon says, not only be studied, but "chewed and digested." It also contains a chapter on the possible rules of law on Aviation that will hereafter obtain.

The volume contains a good index and is well printed and most substantially bound.

EDITORIALS.

The Supreme Court of Oklahoma will meet on September 1st. in order to install the new court of Supreme Court Commissioners and assign them work. A few other matters may come before the Court incidental to the work of the coming term, but the regular work of the Court will not begin until the second Tuesday in September.

We desire to notify our readers that hereafter the post office business addresses of all officers: State officers of Supreme Court, Court of appeals and that of their stenographers whose names have heretofore appeared in this Journal as at Guthrie, must now be addressed at Oklahoma City. But Remember that anything to be addressed to The Oklahoma Law Journal, or its editor must, as yet, be addressed to GUTHRIE, Oklahoma.

Attorney-General West.-In this State quite a number of officers are busy men, and the office is not a snap. But among all State office-holders there is no incumbent with more arduous and exacting duties than those of Attorney-General. A few moments in his office and one is convinced of the immensity of his duties and the untiring energy and devotion Mr. West gives to the interests of the State. His constant contact is not with ordinary men and ordinary lawyers, but with officials and lawyers who have been selected by reason of great experience and ability in their respective lines. As it has been said of corporations, that they are "born with teeth" and contain no infants, so their counsel and officers are not novices-and the business of the AttorneyGeneral is with experts who generally have "been through many a mill," and require the greatest vigilance in interview, agreement and correspondence, as well as with the requisite care and caution, with the legal work proper, of pleading practice and court conduct. So that the ordinary citizen can hardly estimate the magnitude of his labors and the untiring zeal which he expends in its performance and accomplishment.

On July 24 an almost unprecedented scene occurred in the British House of commons. Premier Asquith arose to declare, with his reasons, that if the house of Lords would not restore the veto bill to its original form, without amendments, and pass it, the government would be compelled to insist upon the creation of enough new peers to overcome the Unionist majority in the House of Lords.

While Asquith was trying to speak, the younger and uncompromising members of the Unionist party kept up such hubbub that it was utterly impossible for the Lib eral leader to make himself heard. All sorts of insulting cries were yelled out. "Traitor!,' being the most prominent. Finally, after three-quarters of an hour, Mr. Asquith gave it up. A continuance of the disorder when other members of the Liberal party attempted to speak forced the Speaker to suspend the sitting.

The Unionists are badly divided, one section of the

party urging the no surrender policy, and the other section counselling retreat from an untenable position rather than give the Liberals a majority in the House of Lords as well as the House of Commons, and by a proceeding that would bring into disrepute the entire peerage of Great Britain.

Joy Riders Guilty.-Louis Davis, a doctor's chauffeur, disregarded his instructions to put the automobile in a garage, and at about 12 o'clock one night went out for a spin with his chums, whom he met at a "blind tiger." The automobile, going at a rapid speed, 35 or 40 miles an hour, and wabling from side to side, soon struck a horse and buggy, threw out the occupants, but fortunately without serious injury, and was itself badly wrecked. The defendants were sentenced to imprisonment for five years. This sentence was upheld by the Supreme Court of South Carolina in State v. Davis, 70 Southeastern Reporter, 811. Criminal conspiracy to use the automobile of another without his consent was one of the counts under which defendants were found guilty, court holds that the criminal conspiracy is not restricted to unlawful acts which affect the community or public, as distinguished from the individual, a conspiracy being a combination of persons to accomplish a criminal or unlawful object neither criminal or unlawful by criminal or unlawful means.

The

HUMOR.

Inadequate Cross-Examination-"I was counsel for the railway," said a lawyer recently, "and I won the case for the defense mainly on account of the testimony of an old colored man, who was stationed at the crossing. When asked if he had swung his lantern as a warning, the old man swore positively: "I surely did.'

"After I had won the case I called on the old negro, said the lawyer, "and complimented him upon his testimony." He said: "Thankee, Marse Jawn, I got 'long all right; but I was awfully scared, 'cause I was fraid dat other lawyer was goin' to ask me was my lantern lit. De oil done give out befo' de accident,'

Virg. Law Reg.

THE

OKLAHOMA

LAW JOURNAL

EDITED AND PUBLISHED MONTHLY BY

D. H. FERNANDES, GUTHRIE, OKLAHOMA.

VOL. 10.

September, 1911.

No. 3.

FORM OF A DECREE FOR PERMANENT INJUNCTION AGAINST INTERFERENCE WITH INTERSTATE COMMERCE.

At a stated term of the Circuit Court (after Jan. 1st, 1912, district), of the United States for the

came on to be heard at this term, and was argued by counsel; and upon reading the verified bill of complaint in this cause, it is ordered, adjudged and decreed, that, (here name the defendants), and all persons combining and conspiring with them, and all other persons whomsoever, absolutely to desist and refrain from in any way or manner interfering with, hindering, obstructing or stopping any of the business of any of the following named railroads (here insert the names of all railroads named in the bill), as common carriers of passengers and freight between or among any states of the United States, and from in any way or manner interfering with, hindering, obstructing or stopping any