Shenandoah herald. [volume] (Woodstock, Va.) 1865-1974, 1871-12-21
GOVERNORS MESSAGE

Our system courts is also entirely
too expens i've, and from Fifty to seventy.
Eve thousand dollars can aud ought to be
annually saved in this department alone
We now have eighty-four county. eighI
corporation and sixteen circuit judges
Some time since, for the purpose of OBJ
tanning certain statist ical information, |
prepared and had mailed to each county
and corporation judge in the State blank
form, with the request that he fill the
same up with the information desired land
return it TO ME. About sixty responses
have been received and are on file in the
office of the Secretary OF the Common
wealth. From these statistics, I deduce
the conclusion that the county courts are
doing two-thirds of all the new legal
business in the State, and that the litiga-
ton, except in old cases, or growing out
of old cases, is very light. and what is
more gratifying still. is gradually decreas
ing. We shall hereafter. and for the next
decade, need but one court of original
Jurisdiction. Corporation OF hustings
courts are distinctly provided for in the
constitution. and must be maintained /;
but tho circuit courts are subject to the
will of the Legislature, either to increase
their mum Der, and the jurisdiction Of the
county courts may be enlarged or dimin.
ished at your discretion, Now. the Leg
slaturc may either enlarge the number
of circuit courts sufficiently to transact all
the current legal business necessary to be
done in court of record, except probate
business, and reduce the county courts to
courts of probate only, with compensation
derived from fees alone ; or, it may en-
large the jurisdiction Of county courts and
diminish the number of circuits to one or
more, and limit their jurisdiction to
cbancery business only, although the
jurisdiction Of the circuit court of the
city of Richmond, as now provided by law,
must, of necessity, be retained. If
authorized by the constitution, | should
prefer the abolisbment of all circuit
courts except that of the city Of Richnon
and the constitution of our corporation
and county courts as the only courts Of
original jurisdiction, and the diminishing
of the number of county judges, say to
one for every twenty thousand inhabitants
or as nearly 30 as circumstances would
admit of. The number Of county judges
might thus be reduced to sixty-one and
the corporation judges to six. and includ-
ing the circuit judge and the judge of the
chancery court of the city of Richmond,
sixty-nine judges in all. At the present
time, the salaries of the one hundred and
FIVE county, corporation and circuitjudges
amount to $119,975.
He says in his report OF page IA. 1
think every county should pay the sxpen-
ses of the administration of criminal JUS
tiee within its own limits. Were the laws
so framed as to provide for this. feel
satisfied that while the State would be
entirely released from the burden of this
| charge, the counties could reduce it prob
ablv one half And if he had added
that if our courts would in The punish
ment of lesser offences more frequently
resort of fines, our criminal jurisprudence
might be rendered compar atively mex.
pensiye, provided the fines were collected
and applied to the liquidation of these
charges. A reform is also demanded in
our laws for the trial and punishment oil
these lesser offences.
1t appears to me that all cases of petit
larceny, except for a second offence, and
all cases of assault and battery, except
with deadly weapon-in fact.all crimes
of a lesser grade than felonY-should
be summariiy tried by justice of the
peace. with or without jury, at the op-
ton of the accused, reserving, of course,
the right of appeal to the county court
upon questions of law; and in cases o.
conviction. the punishment inflicted to be
a fine, or Imprisonment in the county
Jail, or hard labor upon the public roads
or elsewhere. message Of 9th FEBRUARY
1900
Now, If the suggestions herein made
for ecohom izisg and retreuchiDg our ex-
penditures are carried into practical oper-
atiobh, and they are all susceptible Of 1t; il
f~ill ~ found that Se0o,eoe will b