The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1862-06-14
Reorganization Of the Supreme
Court.

On the 4th inst, Hon. j. F. Wilson, Of
this State, chairman of the Judiciary Com
mittee Of the House of Representatives, re-
ported avery important bill, for the reor-
ganization Of the Supreme Court, and &C
companied the same with a very able speech
explanatory ofits provisions. The present
organization of the Supreme Court is very
unjust, especially to the Northwestern States
an injustice which the bill of Mr. Wilson
proposes to remedy by creating three new,
contiguous and COMPACT circuits, one, the
9th, to be composed of Iowa, Minnesota, Mis-
souri, and Kansas. We publish so much of
Mr.. Wilson's speech as relates to the 9th
circuit, regretting that our space will not
admit of the publication of the entire speech.
Mr.. Wilson is entitled to the gratitude of
his constituents for his very efficient, able,
and timely efforts in this behalf.
"The States of Illinois, Missouri, Iowa,
and Kansas, make up the ninth circuit as
determined upon by the Senate The amend
ment of the committee is that this circuit be
formed Of the States of Iowa, Minnesota,
Missouri, and Kansas, thus making circuit
west of the Mississippi river.
The population of the ninth circuit, If the
amendment of the committee be adopted,
will be less than that of most of the other
circuits, under the organization provided for
by this bill but in point of business it will
more than equal some Of the other circuits.
The population Of the proposed circuit, &C.
cording to the census Of 1860, is 1910, 561.
Fit should be objected to the proposed or
ganization Of this circuit that the population
ofthe States asking it is not sufficient to en-
title them to 1t, then would reply that the
objection lies with much more force against
the fifth and ninth circuits under the now
existing organization for the former circuit
has present population Of only 1,673,5s6,
and the latter Of 1.916,s2s
The reasons which have induced the com.
mittee to recommend the formation Of cir
cult west Of the Mississippi river are, berifly:
that no other section of country in the Uni
ted States is so rapidly increasing in popu-
lation that it places together States which
have all adopted similar codes Of practice
and modes of procedure in their courts; that
they are all more or less affected by the laws
peculiar to the old Spanish and French grants;
that their commercial relations are closely
connected by the Mississippi and Missouri
rivers and that by this arrangement pro-
vision is made in advance for the new States
which are soon to be formed from the Ter.
ritories lying west of the States embraced in
the proposed circuit.
Sir, in 1850, the district of country b ,un-
ded by the lines 81 the States Of which it ia
proposed to make this ninth circuit, had
total population ofonIy $50. 1886, represented
by but nine Representatives in this body,
and by four Senator's in the other branch Of
Congress Ten years have added $50, 1926
persons to the population, increased the
number Of Senator'S to eight, and the next
Congress will find the number Of Represen-
tatives increased to eighteen. The increase
has been rapid, marvellous. Nothing in the
history Of this or any other country exceeds
1t. Why, sir, my own State has sent into
the service ofour common country, to aid In
this acrooious rebellion, almost as
many men as she had voters in 1850; men
than whom none are more true, none more
brave. none more gallant ever encountered
a foe on the field of battle. The bloody
fields of Pittsburg Landing, Fort Donelson,
Wilson's Creek, and Blue Mills,
all attest how well and nobly the gallant
volunteers of Iowa have done their duty
On every occasion they have heaped honors
IN their State. and gathered harvests of glo-
y for themselves. e
The second amendment proposed by the
committee relates merely to the time and
,lace for holding the terms Of tie circuit