Richmond daily times. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1853, 1852-05-03
THE DAILY TIMES.
HOUSE OF DELEGATES.

HOUSE OF DELEGATES.
Substance Of Heremarks fMr. SPEED, IN reply
10 Mr.. Tonnes, Of Pitsylcania, on the subject of
the location ETA District Court for Tie end Ju-
| dicial District
Need L say any more about the question of
centrality! 1t cannot be necessary. The gen
tleman has submitted the statement of his friend;
have offered mine. [ am willing to subject them
| to any tests. Mine believe to be accurate =
certainly it is substantially so, and it establishes
In my favour the argument of centrality so zeal
| ousy urged by the gentleman in support of has
cause. He hhs shown TINT he regards the ques-
ton of distances as an important one-for he has
| urged warmly the claims of Pittsylvana, based
upon The statement Of his friend. When that
statement is necessarily assaied and shown to be
worse than worthless, what becomes of the argu-
ment I submit it to the House to decide. So
much as to cemtrality Of position ~.
2 As to cOnreniencles Of access On this point
think the gentleman from Pittsylvania showed
clearly that the facts were SO plainly against him
that he could scarcely give them more than pas
sing notice. He spoke, however, SO much of the
| easements furnished by the Danville Rail Road,
that one might almost have inferred that that i'm
proyement was completed now, and that it passed
by or very near to Pittsylvania G. II. deem it
| proper to remind this house that the DanviIle
OpcfUttoN
| District, and that when it shall be completed
(which incline to think is in the distant future)
it will not nearer to Pistsylvania C.. H. than
| twenty miles. When it is in full operation
(Which desire to see at the earliest period,) you
will find, by referring to the map, that twill afford
very limited accommodations in the way Of facili-
| ties to The people of the District. This Danville
Rail Road is the only facility referred to by the
gentleman for reaching his Courthouse. An inn
provement not yet made, and when made not fur
nishng facilities for getting to Pittsy lvania C. H.
comparable to those IN existence for reaching
Lynchburg! There is noturnpike reaching
Pittsylvana c. H., and the means of access are
the common highways known throughout the
country. How is it with Lynchburg! We have
the James River and Kanawha Canal extending
along the entire northern border of the District
the Virginia and Tennessee Rail Road extending
through the county of Bedford within % miles of
Franklin Court house-and five turnpikes pene-
| trating different sections of the District. The
South Side Rail Road is under contract to point
within 25 miles of our town. These are our ia
cilities while Pittsylvania can scarcely be said to
| have any at all
| And on this point beg leave to suggest an idea
that has been presented to me by friend 1t is
said the travel made necessary by these District
| Courts will be very great. I confess l think it
has been exaggerated. But if all the white pop
uation have direct interest in their location las
seemsto be in cradle from the argument in favor of
Pittsylvania drawn from the fact that the counties
preferring Pittsylvania have a majority of three
thousand) then the travel to and from these courts
will be immense. Now the idea of my friend is,
that it ought to be the policy of the State, when
her citizens are to travel, to induce them travel
| on the lines ofanprouement-for the double reason,
| that the citizens would thereby be best accommo-
| dated and the State would reap her separate ad-
vantage by an increase of her revenue Place the
| District Court at Pittsyvania G.. H. and all the
travel to it will be thrown on common county
roads, with very limited ception-whereas if
it be put at Lynchburg, canal, two railroads
| and five turnpikes Tin all of which the State has
| an interest) will derive icreased revenues from
the increased travel. 1t seems to be but reasona-
| BILE that we should encourage our public improve
ments and if at this session we cannot vote mo-
| ney to aid them (which l greatly desire we
should do in all proper cases) surely we ought
not so to legisate as to divert travel from them,
| and thus to injure them. | would not locate a
District Court at an improper pace-at one incon-
venient to those who are to attend it-tor the pur
pose OF giving aid to any improvement but in
selecting between two points, equal in other res
poets, one to be reached by private county
roads, and the other by public improvements, JUS
tice to the people of the District and duty to the
State would seem to require us to choose the lat
| ter. l.s-
This question of the facilities of access becomes
a more important one when recollect the sea-
son of the year at which the District Court is to
he held-the 1st of December. That is a most
| inclement with us, and the difference be-
tween canal boat or a rail-car and the back of
a horse up to his knees in mud becomes an inn
porthnt one. We Provincial lawyers are not ac-
customed to luxurious travelling and l say not
word on our behalf :-but | may be permitted to
refer to the convenience of Judges, who would
certainly be more readily and pleasantly carried
to and accommodated at Lynchburg than at Pitt
sylvania Courthouse.
But the convenience even of the Judges ought
not to be so much respected that of the people.
What people? Surely not the entire population,
as we'll those who have not as those who have
business in the Courts. But we should look to the
convenience of the sustors, in having their bust
ness done and we'll done. If this is matter to
be regarded, think we again have great ad-
vantage over Pittsyvania G. H. If we are to
consult the convenience of suitors we should look
to the accommodation not of minority, but of
majority of Them have the abstract of the reports
from the Clerks, printed for the Of this House,
and have made table from it showing the num-
| Der of suits at law and in chancery, commenced,
| pending, and decided in the several counties in
| the District; the number of criminal prosecutions
and the number of days in which the several
| courts were in session in the year 1851. l read
the statement for the information of the House.
factions at Suits in EQUITY Prosecr 2