Litchfield enquirer., 1881-12-29

tiSs Ot uuyS oi cdCu tcrul uctu dt IN0W U1ilIOfu in 1880 and 1881, we find the following;
 1880, April Term 1 day s ~ t... ' Sept. !. days
 T. 1" Dec. .gla g s4..g ..,. 1881, April ats.7oi Il !" .35y u
 |" Sept -s During the past year but one civil case that we can remember has been tried in the Supe- rior Court from the four towns forming the New Milford section of the District court i; and we and but nine cases from that section of the county (divorce suits excepted) now on the Superior Court docket. That a section which, if given Superior Court in place of District Court would probably bring less than half a dozen cases to each term, should claim special court privileges, is simply preposter- ous
 An incident which happened few years since shows how little real demand there is for the better court facilities the lawyers of New Milford have so long claimed. The only expense thrown on the towns included in the Judicial District for the court maintained there, is that of furnishing court rooms This expense New Milford had at first assumed but an act was slipped through the legislature experiencing the cost of the rent of court rooms between New Milford, Kent, Bridge water, and Roxbury. At the very next ses- sion of the General Assembly petitions came in from .Roxbdry and Bridgewater, signed by nearly all the taxpayers of those towns, pray ing to be taken out of the Judicial District. Thus, thepeopls of Roxbury and Bridgewater, while ready enough to ask the State to fur nlsh them judges, jurors, sheriffs, &c., at an expense of perhaps thousand dollars year, were themselves unwilling to pay their pro- portion of the rent room for the court to sit in--an expense of less than $50 to each of these towns if our memory serves us. A bet ter answer to this cry for improved court ia. cilities could hardly have been conceived than this, furnished by the very towns who are assumed to need it most l Nor was the opposi- tion to the apportionment of court room rent confined to the New Milford end of the Dis trict. Other towns in other parts of the Dis trict were also in rebellion, and to save it from immediate disintegration, the towns Tn which the court holds its session were obliged to consent to the passage of an act repeating the apportionment law. s.r ~s.,.y
 The District Court usually finds business at it's Canaan circuit for four or five days ses- sion, and at Winsted it usually holds term of some three weeks. Neither the Canaan nor the Winchester section of the District now furnish much but divorce business for the Sn- perior Court. Aside from divorce suits, we cannot fud thirty cases from those sections now on the docket of the Superior Court.
 r The truth, is that Litchaeld county, though covering much ground, furnishes little law business. Our dockets are now 60 small that little work, or even mere threat of work, produces great impression upon then. At the opening of the recent .term of our Supe- rior Court, out of list of 10 jury cases, not one could be found ready for trial the first week of the term. The first week of court business was almost as bad. and during the whole three weeks of the term there were barely half dozen short trials with witness. es. A county which furnishes SO little bus iness cannot, it seems to us, expect the State to furnish it with two Superior Courts instead of one. or the people to support two jails inc stead of one. tssf'aea st' 4t ls there then, any, real necessity that the existing order of things should be disturbed ? The District Court, having jurisdiction of all actions demanding Sl000 damages. or less, gives the far-otf parts of the county all the re. lief they have right to expect. The towns composing that District, as careful exami- nation of the dockets for two years past ahows send up to the Superior Court only about twenty eases year tdivotcs suits excep.edo. Most of these cases ate collection suits, fore ciosures.5 or rao,her matters involving no trial with witnesses If any section. sf the county -Winsted, fof instance -can furnish the su. perior, Court with weeks or two weeks bus iness. nothing is easier than for the court to adjourn to that place for the transaction of such business. A section of our, existing stat. tesexprsssly provides for such adiournmenss, and there are several towns inwhicA there are convenient rooms for holding courts. l. We do not see what more can be reasonably asked. gasse Hoax iiog s5se, l We have dealt above with the demand fer tive county seats for civil business For crim. inal business there is even poorer showing. Shsuld the two jaiis be built by the towns where they ars to be located, there would still be . heavy burden on shs county for their maintenance. The Stsis, indeed, psys fos 1 prisonsrs' board. but the county must hire jailers. furnish fuel, clothing. medical attend. ance. &c.. at its own expsnas. The jail has. for the last three years. cost the bounty at lsas. q, 900 . year above sll receipts. To say that this amount would be doubled with i've jails to maintain, would be moderate essi. mate of lncres~d cost Anosher ditsculsy would be the delays sad increased expense in. evitable in transacting the criminal business of the county in two courts. Indeed the necessity for two jails and double criminal courts has never been hilherso seriously press cd.