The New York herald. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1840-1920, 1858-02-08
Meeting OF the Bar ON the Want Of Court
AccOmmOd atAOn.

mee,,ug OF thu bar on the Want vf Court
Accomm 0dstAOn.
A meeting of the Bar was held ON Saturday, in
one of the Superior Court rooms, Dor the purpose
of taking int consideration some means Of procur-
ing better accommodation than is now afforded for
the business of the Superior Court.
ID. d. Lord, Esq, was calied to the chair.
Mr.. Sherwood was requested to act as Secretary.
There were several prominent members of the Bar
present.
Mr. SHERWOOD then offered the following resou-
tions -
Resolved That il is the opinion Of this meeting that
the occupied by the Superior Court Of the city
New York entirely unsuitable and insufficient for
the transaction of the business of said Court.
That the rooms appropriated TO jury trials are so ut
ery deficient in size and extent and above ALL IN proper
ventilation that the health, comfort and OF
the Bench and Of the Bar, we'll Of the public who
have business IN these court rooms, demand immediate
attention Of the authorities Of the city 10 the subject
Resolved That a committee OF = be appointed by the
Chair to call the Board Of Supervisors OF this city 70
provide the d Superior Court with rooms suitable and
sufficient the transaction Of their business that IN
of the neglect Of the said board TO do that the
court be requested TO order the Sheriff TO provide such
rooms that said committee be further empowered 70 take
action may expedient to obtain immediate
relief in the premises
Mr.JosEPR BLUNT seconded the resolutions, and
said that the loss of many eminent members of the
profession who had fallen victims to the pestferous
atmosphere which they were compelled to breathe
in these miserable rooms had been deporcd by them
from time to time. The courts of the city of New
York were worse than the biackhole at Calcutta.
Mr.. EvARTs had drawn up some resolutions, but
as those presented by Mr.. Sherwood embraced some
portions of his, he would omit the first part of his
resolutions, and let them read thus:
Resolved That under the existing law Of the State the
Board Supervisors Of the city and county of New York
have full power to provide for the Superior Court well
for the other courts appropriated by law be held
within this county rooms all appurtenan sccommo
daons suitable and sufficient for the transaction of their
business and such provision for the Court imposed upon
the Board Of Supervisors an imperative duty
Resolved Tha, if the full and prompt performance Of
this duty be neglected by the Board Of Supervisors after
due representations and application TO them IA the
mises the law OF the State has vested the Superior
Court full power to obtain and appurenaut
mocatoDs suitable sufficient for the transaction OF its
business through the action OF the Sheriff Of the county,
at the expense OF the county, and that wall be the i'm
perave duty of the Court to proceed 10 exercise tns
power if the Board OF Supervisors shall not take proper
Resolved That the Judges of this Court, the members
of the profession empoyed it, The sutors Witnesses and
Jurors attending upon It's sessions, not jusded IN
longer submitting the enicnces, dscomforts an
dangers health OF the present court which
never toerabe or tolerated except merely ,eupora-
ny possession for the emergency arising by the desruc.
| toD Oh the new Cl.y Hall by hre.
Resolved that II committee Of mem eors OF the bar
be appointed MAKE application to the Board or Super
vsors Tor their proper action in tue PREMISES and 70 con-
| fer with the Court rs may become necessary.
| Mr.. 0AKEY HALL suggested that the resolution be
| so altered as To have the Committee from the Bar
wait on the appropriate Committee OF the Superv.
sors
| Mr.. MorT. as an ex-member of the Common Coun
Gil said that he did not think they could get much
| from the Board of Supervisors He was one of the
committee to whom the matter was referred some
few years ago, and he gave the courts the best
commOdatiOns he could.
| Mr.. GERARD-Did you furnish these rooms?
| Mr.. MoTT-lt was done under my superintendent
| Mr.. GERARD-You ought TO be indiosed. (Laugh
| ter)
| Mr.. MoTT-They were the best We could get. He
| then went on to suggest the erection of iron
building in the Park, Tor the accommodation of all
the courts and officers, which could be done at cost
| Of $4,000.
Judge EDMoNDs offered the following
Resolved That The subject Of suitable oatiou
for all the held city OFF ers be
referred a committee OF five persons devise
port the proper measures TO remedy the evils under
which these courts ani officers are now suffering.
In supporting this resolution Judge Edmonds re-
fered to the increase OF the business of the courts
| since the adoption of the constitution, and
stated it greater than all the courts of the other
counties in the State. The law had empowered the
| Judges OF the Supreme Court, Superior Court and
| Common Pleas to put up a building which should
| accommodate all the courts and such building
could be put up in sixty days. He Judge E-) had
drawn that provision of the Code. He proposed
that the resolutions read should be taken as whole
Mr.. GERHARD was opposed To waiting for the &C,
| of the Legislature. That body was ordinarily 20
corrupt weak and irresolu,e, and involved in DO
| ltical schemes, that he would not give the snap OF
his fingers Tor thing the bar of New York coult
get from them. He would 60 TO the present Buart
| OF Supervisors, composed of half republicans anc
half democrats He should not have gone to the old
| body, when his brother Mott was there, daughter
| for he could not expect ANY good 10 come out 'o
| Nazareth" He suggested that committee from
this meeting wait on the Board of Supervisors, and
they could tell in fourteen days whether they viii
| act upon the matter or not He therefore would op
/ pose Judge Edmonds' resolution TO go the Legisla
ture and pass by the Supervisors. IL no good is got
from them then let the Judges give their orders &c
the Sheriff. lie could speak OF these rooms from
personal experience. He never had sat there in tina,
very room, that he did not go home with sick head
ache; he was either roasted frozen in IL. Ii the
door is open TO admit air, he Is obliged TO put hi.
greatcoat; IL il is shut, he Is sufocaed With smell
though he could stand as much smell as anybody On
the suggestion Of his friend, Mr.. Cutting ne would
say II they asked too much they would get nothing
| Let them ask for accommodation for the Superior
Court, in accordance with the call of the meeting
| He would undertake himself though he was DC
| builder, to erect building for $4,000 and that
| would be small sum out of the pickngs aud steal
| ings of the city. QIauehter)
Mr.. j. i. BRADY, after q few preliminary remarks
said that he hoped the resolution offered by Judge
| Edmonds would lie adopted. II IL true that this
meeting had been especially called for the improve
! m.nt of the Superior Court accommodation but vet
he In favor Of obtaining for all the courts in the
city suitable for the transaction of their bust
| ness. For himself he would say that he had de
| clined more business than he had performed In the
Superior Court, because he deemed il dangerous 70
his life 10 enter into any protracted trial in such an
| atmosphere. The bar OF New York ought TO d.
something for ITSELF and though il would not be ad
vantageous to make war upon the Supervisors any
other body, they should resort TO jadicious means
Another great complaint il the manner in which
| these courts are scattered about and the dScut,
the members Of the bar had In meeting with or ace
ing their professional brethren unless actually
| gaged In the same They should not Iei
this matter rest until something was done "a
| free them from the pestifereus atmosphere which
they are now obliged to encounter, and II the Anne
rican people can long survive such an atmospser,
they will prove themselves 20 be physically as the
are In other respects. the most remarkable people o.
the age They should also take into consideration
that the jurors are frequently shut up all night II
hlthy dens, and suffering their share Of the incon
venieDoes against which this meeting now complains
He suggested that, having commenced this move
meat the bar should never abandon II until It wa.
seen that they had within themselves power which
they never should lose.