The Indiana State sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis) 1868-1895, 1874-03-03

AS "lawing" forms a good share of the or
binary life of many it is only just that tie
machinery be made as easy of access as pos
sible to all parts of the commonwealth.
Looking at the question in this light the
hankering of Fort Wayne for a United States
court is not surprising, nor unreasonable.
The press of the town are clamorous for the
passage of Mr.. Shanks' bill, which sets the
city up in trade very handsomely as the CEN
ter of the northern circuit, reaching to the
very doors of Indianapolis and encircling it
o as to take in Lafayette and other convent
ent cities nearer at hand to us than they are
to Fort Wayne. AS to the proprlety and need
of more court facilities, Indianapo-
lis has no word of denial to make.
The state is plenty large and pop
ulous for these circuits, and Evansville,
Fort Wayne and Indianapolis would seem
were central points for them, but not under
the conditions laid out in Mr.. Shanks' Who'll
ly unintelligible bill. Fort Wayne has ma
tional claims as good as, and perhaps the
best, of any competing point. 1t is to The
northeast portion of the state what Evans
Vile is to the southwest corner, a live,
growing, and prosperous city. The strife
about the Shanks bill comes from cities out
side of Indianapolis. AS the Sentinel indi-
Gated in its first notice of the proposed
measure, the cause of Fort Wayne is
prejudiced by the boundaries specified
in the bill. ByiDcluding Tippecanoe county
in the new district, it arrays the bar and
people of Lafayette in determined hostility
to the whole thing. Lafayette will never
consent to run off up to Fort Wayne to at
tend the U. S. court except under absolute
compulsion. The distance is almost doubled,
and then Fort Wayne is not the place where
the folks want to go. They want to visit the
capital as the place where other matters of
business or pleasure can be attended to at the
same time. Similar remarks apply to Rich
mond, Newcastle and even Kokomo. If
Fort Wayne fails of her purpose, it may be
due to indiscretion in attempting to grasp
too much and to embrace unwilling allies.
That city commands q respectable territory,
which comes naturally and necessarily to
that center. Outside of that territory it can
not reach without provoking opposition
where it would need support. Had the bill
introduced, confined the proposed district
north of the railroad lines of the Peoria and
the Pittsburg railroads, taking in Jay
Blsckford, Grant. Miami, Cass, White, JAS
per and Newton counties, it would have
been consistent and escaped opposition from
any quarter. Then if Evansville saw fit, she
could ask with like reason for a southern
district and a court room in her
prospective custom house which it
is perfectly right and reasonable for
her to have at the proper time. By this di-
vision a fair recognition would be given to
both north and south, and thus the conven-
fence of the entire state be abundantly SUBJ
served. 1t is in vain to argue on any other
basis. 1t is moi a question of how good the
towns in question are, or will be. They are
fine and thrifty places, the pride of the state,
and destined to a splendid future. But it is
a question of geography and reason, in which
the wishes and welfare of all the towns and
people must be considered as we'll as of the
particular places to be most benefited by the
change. Let Mr.. Shanks' bill be made feas-
ible and it will probably meet with general
approval AND accom- plish its purpose.