The daily gazette., 1881-02-08
THE OPENING CHARGE.
FULL TEXT OF THE CHIEF
JUSTICES CHARGE TO THE
GRAND JURY.

AN HISTORIC PAPER AND ONE RE
PLETE WITH VALUABLE sUGaEs-
TIoGs.
The following is the full text Of
Chief Justice Comegy's charge tc
the new Court House, yesterday
| GENTLEMEN OF THE GRAND
JuRY:-We are now all assembled
IN new place. This is an i'm mort.
ant event, calling for public notice
In some formal manner; and NO
other having been provided for, il
has been thought meet, that in my
address to you, l should give it such
consequence as is proper.
The seat Of justice has twice be-
fore this been changed-once. and
the first time, In Kent, by an order
made in Provincial Council in 1894:
and, the second time In Sussex In
1871, when the place Of holding the
courts was changed from Lewes to
the more convenient site of George
town. In each place the public con.
venience controlled over all private
interest, or mere sentiment. as il
did when the Legislature, at the ses-
sion OF 1879, voted to change the
place OF holding the courts of this
county from New Castle to this ciLy:
and could wish that all are. 6y
this time, satisfied that-in view OF
all the circumstances law
ought TO have been passed. The
major part Of tho people of New
Castle county reside in Wilmington.
because they find it to their adyau.
tage to 1--we there. All communities
settled, within narrow limits-for
example, cities-have populations
which, trom their aggregation, have
q strong tendency TO yiciousness.
This is shown here by the fact that
almost all the crimes in this county
are committed in this city-to which
the criminally ignorant come, in the
vain prospect of success in their
schemes, and the wiser with a Ger.
taintyA that they will here find
plenty OF their class to aid them IN
their purposes of aggression, or con
ceal them ii they fail to prosper in |
them. Such a city, therefore, as
w Wilmington, has q great deal of |
business for the courts. New Cas-.
tleA ON the contrary, to its credit.
required no local consideration on
hat account; and, therefore, the
Legislature, by the act for that pur-
pose, passed ON the Goth day of
March, 1879, provided for changing
he county seat to this city. There
WOULD certainly, have been no
,hange for years to come had not
he wants of the public and the in
irmities of age-which beset houses.
Is we'll as Northumberland
hat new place for the administra.
ion of justice should be built; and
hen, I. that poblic, being called upon
o determine what site would best
observe their interest, decided upon
his city, and communicated their
ense to the Legislature, which en-
ctsd the law providing for the re
noval OF the seat .of justice from
ew Castle. In accordance with
hat legislation we are here as
The first removal of the seat of
lstice, as 1 have stated, occurred in :
lent. When that county was CALI
d st. Jones', the place of holding /
he court was at the southeastern | /
art of what is called st. jones' /
Jeck, distant quite eight miles from a
lover. The second was in Sussex,
here the removal was from Lewes J
he ancient Whorekill and the first l
sttled place in the State) to George :
own. In the case of both removals, U
he public interest, no doubt, con-
'olled; for with respect to the first,
could be said that the site was the +
ncient place for the county courts d
assemble at just as it was said, D
o doubt, afterwards, with respect &
the second, that the importance O
ri