Alexandria gazette. [volume] (Alexandria, D.C.) 1834-1974, 1834-02-07
Extracts from the Law concerning Courts

each county, divided into three classes of five
each; each class to hold an Inferior Court once
month, in regular succession, for four months
in the year. Justices of the Peace to receive
compensation of six dollars day while sitting
in Court, and to do all the duties OF Justice OF
the Peace out of Court without any other COM
pensation. The jurisdiction of single Justice
out of Court to be reduced to twenty dollars,
and executions on Justices judgments to be
issued by the Clerk of the Inferior Court The
Clerk of the Superior Court to be Clerk OF the
Inferior Court.
The Inferior Court to have jurisdiction from
twenty to one hundred dollars: and appeals al
lowed from the judgment of Justice to the In
ferior Courts in all cases over five dollars, and
from the Inferior to the Superior Courts in cases
above fifty dollars. Superior Court tor each
county to be held twice year, by one OF the
Judges of the Circuit Court A Court of APP
peals to be held by the three Judges of the Cir
cult Court twice year in the City OF Washing
ton. Appeals allowed from the Superior Courts
of each county to the Court of Appeals in Wash
ington, in cases above one hundred dollars; and
in all cases from the decisions of the Orphans
Court to the Court of Appeals in Washington.
The Orphans Courts to have additional pow
erS. Appeals from the Court of Appeals IN
Washington to the Supreme Court Of the Unit
ed States in cases of 1000 dollars and over
Witnesses before Justice of Peace and the In
4
ty-five cents for every days attendance. Con-
stables fees raised to 81 1-2 cents for each per-
son on whom they shall serve warrant or sum-
mons.
The Clerks fees the same in the Inferior as
Superior Courts
This, then, is concise outline of the Court
system: and now let us see how it is likely to be
carried into execution as to the Justices of the
Peace, being first in order The Magistrates
will, no doubt, regularly attend the sittings of
the Court for their six dollars day; and al
lowing two days to the monthly term, and that
is as many as the business will justify, and six
days to the quarterly term, being the limit by
law,-each Magistrate will receive as COM
pensation for the four months he holds Court
if he attends every day, seventy-two dollars: for
which sum, however, he must also do the duty
of Magistrate out of Court the whole year,
without any other compensation: and, for this
purpose, he ought to have some public place Of
business for the convenience Of the people;-but
will he do thiS2
VIII any Justice of the Peace rent an Office at
40 or so dollars year. furnish himself with re-
cord books, blanks and other stationary, at an
greater portion of his time for year to the pub
lic,-for the sum of seventy-two dollars? Or
will any of the Justices throw open their dwell
ing houses every day. and have them filled with
civil sutors drunkards, paupers, Migrants and
criminals,-who may be brought before them
for trial,-and their furniture broken spoiled or
stolen? Or will they use their stores or other
Sc fo, nd how
their business interrupted by such characters;
their customers driven from their counters, and
their goods stoen-and this continued the whole
year round for the sum of seventy-two dollars?
apprehend not: and it will scarcely be expect
ed of them by any one who knows any thing OF
the duties of Magistrate in a populous and
commercial city And if they do not, how will
the business be done out Of Court? l answer,
precisely as it was done thirty years ago, when
Magistrates received no compensation, their
fees having been taken from them by act Of
Congress: each one will try to excuse himself
when his services are required by alleging that
he has no Office, or that he is either unWell or so
much occupied with his own private concerns
that he cannot possibly attend to the business,
with the usual apology, Z" You must excuse me,
sir; cannot attend to your business to-day but
you can suffer no inconvenience from my not
doing it, as there are fourteen other Magis-
trates any of whom will do the business for
YOU with pleasure" And thus, unless it is in
cases of Importance, the business will go un-
done, until the inconvenience becomes SO great
that the people can no longer submit to it, when
they will apply the only remedy for it, as they
did Emancipation Congress to repeal the
law, and thereby restore the present order of
things, or to amend it, by reducing the number
of Magistrates, and giving them sufficient sa-
larry to enable them to attend to the business as
it ought to be.
Having thus shewn how this Inferior Court
system will most probably be executed, will
now proceed to show what will be the expense
attending it if carried fully into execution, and
compare it with the expense in similar cases I'M
der the present law, to prove how opressively it
will operate on the poorer classes of society.
If suit is brought on a disputed account,