Daily Republican., 1881-02-08
AN APPROPRIATE CHARGE

AN AfFhUfhhAEk CHAkGE.
what Chief Justice Com sgYs ua
80 bay 60 the Strand Jury In th
o. New COurt House - HtstOFtCa
Facts OF tho Courts Removal
lDgcTsOlI Liable 20 IuaieEmen "a
for B 0sphsuiN -O4her Matter
Touched Upon.
The charge Of Chief Justice Comegy
to the Grand Jur- yesterday was onl,
briefly given in the tlftu edition OF tn
'RRPupLlcAE. 1t is printed entire be
low.
| IHR CHARGE.
| The Chief Justice said:
GENTLHNRE or THH GRAND JrRV. W.
are all assembled in u lew place
This is au important event, csllinI
for public notice, in some formal man
ner; and no other having been rrov
ded for, 1t has been thought meet, ths
ia my address to you, | should give
Il suoh consequence as is proper.
The seat of justice has twice before
this been ohanged--onoe, and the irs
time, in Kent, by an order made in thu
Provincial Council In 1854; and tn,
second tlmo, in Sussex, i'll 1871, when
the place of holding the courts was
venient site OF Georgetown. In each
Gaze the public convenience controlled
over all private interest, or ms,e sen.
timelt, as it did whom tho Legislature,
at tho session Of 1879, voted to change
the place Of bold'Dg the courts OF this
county from New Csslle to this city;
and could wish that all are, by thi.
time, satisfied that-in Wow Of all the
CireumStances-the .sw ought TO have
been passed. The major part of the
people of New Castle county reside in
Wilmington, because they fnd it to
their advantage TO live there. All com
munities, settled within narrow limits
for example, cities-havs populations
which, from their aggregation, have q
strong tendsnly TO vioiousEess. This
Is shown hare by the fact that almost
all the crimes in this county are com
mitted in this city-to which the
cr!minally ignorant come, In the vain
prospect OF success in their schemes,
and the wiser with q certainty that
they Will, here, find plenty OF their
c!a5s to aid Them in their purposes OF
aggression, or conceal them Ii they
fail to prosper in them. Such a city,
Therefore, as Wilmington, has great
deaf OF business for the courts. New
Castle, on the contrary, to its great
credit, required 10 local consideration
on that account; ard, therefore, the
Legislature, by ,he act for that pur.
pose, passed on the Goth day Of March,
1879, provided for changing the county
seat TO thiso,ty. There would, certain
ly, nave been
NO CHANGE FOR YEARS TO CONF,
had mot the wants of the public and
the iuirmlties OF age-whlch beset
houses, as we'll as indlviduals-requir-
ed that a new plaoo for the admiulstra-
ton OF justice should be built; and
then. that public, being called upon to
determine what sits would best sub
serve their interest, decided upon this
city, and communicated ther sense to
the Legislature, which enaotsd the Law
providing or the removal of the seat of
justice from New Castle. In accord
ance with that legislation we are here
The first removal of the sest Of jus. |
tice, as have stated, occurred in Kent. |
When that county was called st. Jones' |
the place of holding the court was at
The southeastern part OF what is st.
Iones' Neck, distant qnite s miles from
Dover. The second was in Sussex,
where tbs removal was from Lewes
the ancient Whorekill and tirst settled
plaza in the Ssate) to Georgetown. In
he case Of both removals, the public
interest, no doubt, controlled; for with
'espect to the first, 1t could be said that
he site was the ancient place for the
county cou Is to assemble a.; Just IS it
Vss said no doubt, afterwards, with re.
poet to the second, that the impor-
ance Of the place, by reason Of It's his
orioal consequence should not bs TAX L
u away FROM it. But, in both cases, q
he authorities consulted the then pres 6
mt interest OF the public at large, and g
Drecasted that Of the future. The wis {
ON OF such forecast is quito apparent. Q
|sither Lswes, with all its old asso.
iations, and all its PRESENT advanta-
es, would Compensate for the benefit
hat the people Of Sussex derived from t
aying to 90 10 farther than Geor6s- I
own TO attend the courts and transact !
heir business; nor could the most SEN 0
mental, or conservative now hnd any Il
ood reason why the Penn government a
hould have required jurymeu, wit
esses and suitors iD the middle ooun- t
? to travel to the bottom Of St. Jones' o
IeoK, to attend to theirs. L
While tho people of this State will v
ever, hope, cease to be nfusnoed by q
le sentiments which associat on and G
nIiquity Inspire, yet feel quite sure s
icy will not, at any time, be controll- n
by them when their true interests a
"a in opposition. The want of a new o
'urt house building for the use Of the B
lblic Of this county, was presented 10 ii
le Legislature by the action Of it's 81
ivy Court, and authority to erect it to
as asked for. Then came the quss- Il
on--wbere the new court house re
lould he built-and tho decision was b,
,re, in this city, whence almost all OF
10 business Of the courts has, for q at
ng tims past, come to the seat of jus tn
90 at New Castle. The change OF
unity seat, therefore, seems to have W
zen at least rs quits necessary as
as the case in Ksnt and Sussex. 'to
ORB OF FHB MANY REASONS In
r removal, was this: That II the IN
urts we're held In Wilmington, there sp
,uld bs less crime. II was argued ia
at the Lolding Ct courts here, would 'pt