Morning journal and courier., 1880-12-21
SouruaI altO Courier.
Tuesday Morning, Dec. e1. 1880.
Local News.
The Proposed New County

The RrOpOS6O N0W COUnGys Provisions of the Constitution Regarding
 County and Senatorial District Changes
 Work of the Courts.
 There has been considerable talk recently regarding the formation of a new county in this State, which will take the title of Waterbury" with the seat at Waterbury and including, beside the county seat ortown, Barkhamsted, Beacon Falls, Bethlehem, Cole brook, Harwinton, Middlebury, New Hart ford, Norfolk, Naugatuck, Oxford, Plymouth, Prospect, Seymour, Southbury, Thomaston, Torrington, Waterbury, Watertown, Vol colt, woodbury and Winchester. It would appear plain that if the proposed change is carried into effect new Senatorial district will be created.
 Article 2d, of the constitution adopted November, 1928, reads as follows:
 ''The General Assembly which shall be holden on the first Wednesday of May in the year one thousand eight hundred and twenty nine shall divide the State into districts for the choice of Senators, and shall determine what number shall be elected in each, which districts shall not be less than eight, nor more than twenty-four in number, and shall always be composed of contiguous territory, and in forming them no town shall be divid- ed ; nor shall the whole or part of one coun- ty be joined to the whole or part of another county, to form district, regard being had to the population in said appointment, and ;n forming said districts in such man. ner that no county shall have less than two Senators The districts, when established, shall continue the same until the session of the General Assembly neDt Gfter the compilation 0f the 7aert census of tue United States j, which said assembly shall have the power to alter the same if found necessary to preserve a proper equality between said districts in re- spect to the number of inhabitants therein, according to the principles above reeited !; after which said districts shall not be altered, nor the number of Senators altered, except at any session of the General Assembly next after the completion of a census of the Uni ted States and then only according to the principles above described"
 The questions arising from the constitu-
 tional amendment as quoted are:
 First-Must not Senatorial districts be
 changed in order to make a new county?
 Second-Can this be done except after the
 completion of 8 census?
 Third-Has the census been officially an
 nounced as taken.
 Fourth-Can the whole or part of one county be joined to the whole or part of an other to form a Senatorial district; or, in other words, can any Senatorial district lie part in one county and part in another? Fifth-If these questions are answered in I the affirmative will not the proposed change make another Democratic Senatorial dis | trict
 These and many other questions come uI | in the proposed change of counties. The records of the Superior Court in thil | city shows that at the March term in 1873 | there were six hundred and seventy-fou1 court cases and seventy-six jury cases, anc that the court was in session forty-one days | At the May term in the same year in this city | there were seven hundred and nine cour cases and fifty nine jury cases, and the court ! was in session eight days. At the September | term, 1880, there were four hundred and | eighteen court cases and forty-ive jury cases | and the court was in session thirty two days At the Waterbury term of the Superior Court, February term, 1873, the court was il l session seventeen days, and at the June tern l in the same year nine days. At the May tern of this court in Waterbury eleven days were | found sufficient for the court term. At the October criminal term (188O) large
 number of cases, mostly for violations of tho l license law, were disposed of in about three days, and nearly one-third of these were against Waterbury parties.
 Many other facts might be stated, but these will suffice for one article, and from them wt leave our readers to form their own opinions regarding the thew county agitation. From the Waterbury American of last evening we learn that a meeting of citizens | was held in that city on Saturday evening tc | consider what course it was best to pursue | towards insuring the success of the measures ! inaugurated to secure new county. At this | 4l.o nE l sidered, and 1t was stated that jail could be built for $25, ,OOO.
 Attorney Terry said that the point at issue was for the citizens of Waterbury to really | make up their minds whether they wanted | the county sufficiently to put their shoulders l to the wheel and work with the vigor and ! energy that is necessary to bring about the | desired results. He knew and everybody
 knows that 1t has got to bedone by hard blows. ! Litchfeld will oppose the lessening of her 1 county boundary lines, and he understood that Judge Seymour had been elected Representa- tive for the purpose of opposing any change in the county lines or Senatorial districts. The real question to decide is whether the people here are willing to do their part to- ward insuring reasonable hope of success. He suggested the calling of a town meeting which should appoint committee to look af- ter the interests of the town, and that the
 town be responsible for expenses that must
 necessarily be incurred by bringing the matter
 before the Legislature in the way of printing,
 etc. He thought the towns comprising the northern part of the proposed county had
 better be left alone, as their severance from
 Litchfield county would make greater opposi-
 tion to contend against.
 The following resolution presented by Mr.
 B. A. Smith was adopted:
 Voted, That committee of five be appointed to
 have special town meeting called and to ascertain
 and report at said meeting the probable jail and necessary county buildings
 A. E. Rice, E. A. Smith, R. w. Hill C. B. Webster and George H. Cowell were appoint ed as said committee. Before the meeting adjourned the requisite twenty names were obtained to a petition for town meeting, and the selectmen, who were present, signi- fled their willingness to call meeting on Monday, the 27th, at D. m.