Alexandria advertiser and commercial intelligencer. [volume] (Alexandria [Va.]) 1800-1803, 1802-04-26

ielS. 1T is ldlu tliSy diC Gil 4ss'S AiAss
biricus nations their rulers Thrift for do
mina,ion, there is no medium between
redffance and unconditional fubnliaion.
! have no difpoftion on the prefent occa-
iion Of entering into minute inyeitlga-
ton of the merits of this controversy, an
attempt Of that fort would prove inefett-
ual, all the minutia Of circumstances nc
cenary to form correct opinion, cannot at
this late period Of time be brought up;
theie circumstances and events have all raf-
fed in review before the people Of the "
nited States; their Judgment has beenmade
NJ, they have rendered Judgment, and the
Judgment is againf thole gentlemen 10
whom we lfand oppofed they lhould &C.
quiefce, they fhouldnot argue after jus g.
ment. Mr.. Chairmanin relationto the ex-
pediency Of this meafure, gentlemen lhould
conGder we have the NOT expeniive
government on earth; il may be demo-
minated, im5es1um IN imperi0, doubly
Narrated with Legislative, executive, and
judicial officers, government 70 COM
plicated and expenfive, ought to be ad-
miniRered with economy we fhoald re-
feet, the bane of all governments has
been the extrayagancy OF their expenees;
government is inttituted for the protec-
ton of property, but when the expence
of protection nearly equals the amount
protected, it defeats its own end. By the.
document on your table relating to thefe
courts, it appears that in period Of ten
years there has been depending therein,
upwards of eight thouiand fuits, which
will fallihort of one thoufanda year the
yearly ialaries of the Judges exceed thirty
thouland dollars. This expence averaged
upon the .iaits exceeds thirty dollars
in each luit, imply for the two falafies
ofshe judges alone, if other expences Of
luits are porportioned, THE bill of colt
mutt be enormous compare this expence
with the eypence of itatescourts In the
fate in which I live the county courts
are The court Of entry for civil actions
or fuits, the compensation of the judges
is paid by the Tutors, their whole COM
peniation when averaged on the filits,
does not exceed dollar ard third Of
dollar TO each. The difpropotionj of
exPence then by this calculation is more
than twenty to one. / am of opinion
the number of fuits in the circuit courts
of the Uni:ed States will be lefs for Ten
years to come, than they have been for
ten years pat feveral cauies have ex-
ifcl which ierved to inereate the num-
Der ofeaufes for the period which is pat.
The troubles in Europe, and the en-
barraied ftuation of our commerce for
the mott of that period, has greatly in
created your maritime fui,s, both civil
and criminal; the probability and al
mott certainty of the relinquiihment of
all your internal taxes is another caufe
which will tend to further decreale
that fpirit Of Ejaculation which was
created and put IN operation by funding
the public debt, and other meafures Of
the government !ince it commenced It's
has been fruitful iource Of
litigation in theie courts; none of the
before mentioned caufes, it is hoped,
will hereafter exit, particularly for
period of time; my reafons
however for the expediency of this rHea-
inre, arenos grounded on calculation of
expence.
] have no idea that the circuit courtssof
the United States ought entirely to be
done away. My opinion IS, the prefent
judges of thefe courts are fupernumsrary
you may preierve the circuits of the Unit
ed States, as they now are, viz. fix: you
may Allocate one of the judges of the fn-
preme cour, withthe three diitriA judges
reGding in each Of thefe circuits let
thefe judges continue tie circuit court in
their REFLECTIVE circuits /; in trials at law
uniformity of decifion is iaid 10 be the