Connecticut western news., 1872-10-04
Enc New District Court.

EDITOR NEWS: The editor of the Litch- field Sentinel has a fair reputation for candor and intelligence, but if the article in his last paper in relation to the proposed new court in our section of Litchfield Co. speaks his honest belief, his good standing in the respects just mentioned can hardly be sustained. We had hoped, after the full hearing of the question before the last legislature, and after the act constituting the court had been passed by very great majority of each branch of that body, that that we should be allowed to go into the enjoyment of the great privilege that it conferred without further hindrance; but it seems that prejudice is to be excited against it by misinterpreting it's provisions, and by misleading the public mind in re- gard to it's probable operations.
 The statement in the article in the En- quirer, which deserves the seYerest repro. hension, is that which represents that the expense of the new court, aside from the salary of the judge, will amount to $2,O47, and the idea is held out that there Is to be that amount added to the present expense of judicial pendency in the county. But is the editor of the Enquirer so blind as not to see that aside from the judges salary every .sitem of expense incurred by the action of the court here, diminish to that amount the expense incurred in the into @ minute estimate of the expense of jurors, sheriff, rent, fuel and lights, but does he not. know that every item of these expensu& goes into the cost of main taining the courts at Litchfeldp which would not be counted if the business were done elsewhere. The jurors must be em- ployed in trying the case there, the sheriff must be there to preserve order, and as to fuel and lights, everyone knows that the expense of warming and lighting our new and comfortable court room in this district would be very small compared with what is necessary to make comfortable our old shaky court house on the bleak hill of Litchfeld. In regard to the rent of court room, the Act itself provides that the ex- pense shall be paid by the towns in which the courts are held, and there is not town in the district but that would bid something for the privilege of furnishing the accom- modation.
 | The only additional expense which the new court would induce will be incurred by the payment of the salary of the judge, and this is to be paid from the State treas ury, and the state Gof the business in this county now and for several years past ren- ders such payment very proper. One year ago there were. more than three hundred cases on the docket in this county and every effort to reduce the number made by the bar and the judges has failed. There are full as many cases there now as there were Q year ago. The addition of two terms ito the session of the court in New Haven County will compel the judge te spend less time in this county, and the pros pect is that the number of cases will be in- creased rather than diminished. The diff ficulty has been met in several of the coun ties by establishing courts of common pleas, with limited jurisdiction, and judge! of high legal standing have been appointed by the courts and they have the same pow } CT and duties within the limits ot their ju- risdiction that are given to the judge of tho Superior Court. Our court has been estab- lished on the same principles, but it's juris- diction is confined to only part of the county. A fudge has been appointed t inaugurate the court and to preside in iti proceedings who would have a ssas on the