Muscatine weekly journal. [volume] (Muscatine, Iowa) 185?-1890, 1862-06-20
WASHINGTON C0RRESPON0E nee.
WASHINGTON, D. G., (
lima O 1870 I


tons favorable to the slave power, and a
verse to human freedom, and the Republica
orators of 1856 and go were wont to sa
that when the time came the first among tt
many needed reforms should be the re-col
struction of the judicial circuits, giving Il
North that proportion of the judges whie
its population and wealth made equitable.
Accordingly the matter occupied the a
tention the Senate early in the present Sc
sisn Of Congress, and last week bill was r.
ported in the House by the Judiciary Con
mittee, through the Hon. James F. Wilson
Of Iowa, which, if passed will, of the mir
Judges, give six to the North instead of fou
as is now the case, thus releasing the Mort
from the vassalage spoken of.
In presenting the bill MIR. Wilson took OF
cosion to give his views of the high impor
tance of the measure proposed. As this j
his first effort in the House, and that you
readers may see how he talks 1 give few
extracts from his speech. You will see tha
he not only thinks right, but that hs has
way of saying so that it is both clear and con
vincing.
The extracts are made from the Globe, ant
are somewhat lengthy for the limits of my
letter, yet venture to send them, believing
the facts therein stated will interest a share
Of your readers.
"Mr. Speaker, intend to demand the pre-
vious question on the third reading Of this
bill, but before doing so wish to submit 8
few remarks in explanation of the bill and
amendments.
The subject of the bill is to correct the pres
ent most unjust organization Of the judicial
circuits of the United States, and to so or
ganize them that, as far as practicable, all
parts of the country may receive their DIE
proportion of the benefits arising from the
yrcsent judicial system. A reconstruction
Of the system is not proposed, but simply a
fair and equitable adjustment of the circuits,
so that, whether the system be perfect or im-
perfect, all sections shall share alike in such
advantages as to it may belong. That Con-
gress should take some action in this regard,
| think will not be questioned by any one,
certainly by no one who has given the sub
ject even the slightest degree of thought and
examination.
The present bill proposes to organize the
States of Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Ar
kansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, South
Carolina, Georgia, Florida, Alabama, Missis.
sippi, Louisiana and Texas with an aggre-
gate population of 9 1902 sos, and total val
uation of property of $5,625, ,32s, ,232, into
three circuits, and the States of Maine, New
Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts,, Con-
necticut, Rhode Island, New York, New Jer-
sey, Pennsylvania, Ohio, Indiana, Illinois,
Michigan, Wisconsin, Kentucky, Missouri,
Iowa, Minnesota and Kansas, with total
population of 2O,214.S24. and property val
uation Of $40 ,2l5, 1895, ,233, in six circuits, as
I will hereafter more particularly explain.
desire to present one other view of the
present circuit organization to show the great
injustice it involves Before tho commence.
ment of the present most causeless and wick
ed rebellion, when the commercial and gen.
eral business interests of the country were
pursuing the ordinary but crowded and busy
channels of peace, the fve circuits into which
the Southern States are divided presented
less business to the five circuit courts, pre-
sided over BY five southern judges, than did
the States embraced in the circuit in which
now presides Judge Swayne, to one judge,
the lsmentcd Mclean. IN tis latter circuit
the business has been constantly increasing,
until it hos arrived at a oint of accumulation
which renders it utterly impossible for one
Judge to dispose of it as the interests of the
people and the country demand.
Indeed, so great is the amount of business
in the var GUS Circuit Courts in Judge
Swayne's circuit, that the several States
therein are, to great extent, practically de-
prived of the benefits of such Courts, while
the States of Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin
and Kansas, with their great population,
wealth and business interests, have never
been included in any circuit.
When the present circuits were formed the
organization of them may have been reason
ably fair, for the population of the great West
at that time was very sparse, and its busi-
ness limit, d. Some Of the States now teem-
ing with population, and POSSESSED of great
wealth. were then unorganized, and formed
the hunting grounds of many of the Western
tribes of Indians. What may have been fair
then is most unfair and unjust now. The
rapid development of tho West, its unprece.
dentsd increase in population, its great accu
mutation of wealth, and its almost boundless
commercial interests, demand corresponding
changes in the application of the machinery
of Government to them, and that, to effect
these changes in one department of the Gov
ernment, the pending bill shall become q
law, either in the form reported by the Com
mittee on the Judiciary, or in some not ma
terially diffe, ent form. And when it sc
| Gle arly appears that this bill, if enacted into
law, will deprive no part OF the country o.
its Just and equal share of the advantages O
our present judicial system, but only tend t.
| promote justice and equality in this respect
| it is difficult to conceive of any reason why i
should not be speedily placed among tn
statutes of the nation. .--
The States of Illinois, Missouri, 1oya, ant
Kansas, m.ke up the ninth circuit as deter
mined npon by the Senate. The amenGmen
OF the COMMITTEES is that this circuit be form
cd of the States of Iowa, Minnesota, Missouri
and Kansas, thus making a circuit West o
the Mississippi river.
The population of the ninth circuit, if tn
amendment of the Committee be adopted
will be less than than that of most of tn
other circuits, under the organization proyi
ded for by this bill, but in point of bushes
it will more than equal some of the othe
circuits. The population of the proposed Gil
c:is, according to the census Of 1860, is 2,2l0
SCI. lfit should be objected to the propose
organization of this circuit that the populs
ton of the States asking it is not sufficient
enti,le them to it, then would reply that tn
objection lies with much more force again:
the fifth and ninth circuits under the now e.
isting organization tor the former circu
has . present population of only l,673,5S'
and the latter cf 1,21G.823.
The reasons which have induced the con
mittee to recommend the formation Of ci
cult west of the Mississippi river, ar
briefly that no other section Of country
the United States is so rapidly increasing
population; that it places together Stat
,h,eh b. NO all adontsd similar codes of pra