Morning journal and courier., 1883-02-10
The Supreme Court.
The New Haven Bar Opposed to Going
 HnrfforsR

VppO6S0
 Hartford.
 The meeting yesterday afternoon of the New Haven county bar had an exceptional interest owing to the circumstance that it was intended to take some action in regard to having the sessions of the Supreme court all held at Hartford. Judge Andrews, after presiding at the meeting for the purpose of making assignments, when the bar voted that when the Superior court adjourn it shall be until Tuesday, February 20, vacated the chair. John W. filling was called upon and presided during the discussion of the affairs relating to the Supreme court.
 Mir. Doolittle, as chairman of the commit tee to whom at the last meeting had been re- ferred the subject of 8 permanent location of the Supreme court at Hartford and the mat ter of deVising some method for expeditihg Supreme court business, made Q verbal report, the bar library at the time being well filled with lawyers. Mir. Doolittle said the lawyers were oppos- ed to making any change from the present ar- engagements regarding the sessions of the Su- preme court, so far as the committee had been able to ascertain though he had not seen all who might be interested, he had been unable to find any who favored the suggested change. Previous to 1855 it had been the practice of the court to decide their cases, when they were argued, before leaving the place they were in. In '55 there were four
 judges of the Supreme court on the bench. The number was reduced afterward to three and they always decided their cases prompt ly, though in one case there had been delay of three months. Ten years ago there was more business done than. now. The cases were then decided in one month and half, while now it is five months before they are decided. The court as now constructed was ! arranged in 1866 and there has been an in- creasing delay in decision although the busi- ness has been decreasing since the date last
 mentioned. The judges used to begin at 9 E o'clock and go at o'clock. They now begin at 10 o'clock and quit at and did not re- main to consult and decide cases. AS soon
 as court adjourns they separate and do not meet again. The court does not now appear to be as alive and attentive as they used to when they gave hours.
 MT. DoolittIe further repeated that some provision should be made for expediting de- cisions No one wants to go to Hartford with their cases. Such an arrangement would be an embarrassment on account of the terms of county courts. It would be terrible inconvenience to the bar. The Su- preme court when enthroned at Hartford would not be inclined to favor certain mo- tions. The majority of lawyers could see no reason why the judges should not follow the customs handed down to the present day There was another reassn why New Haven lawyers should not bs compelled to carry their cases to Hartford. The population here was increasing. So were the accommo- dations and railroad facilities, and the judges could come to New Haven easier than the bar could go to Hartford.
 Charles s. Hamilton moved to accept the report, and he also moved vote of thanks to Mir. Doolittle and the passage of vote in with the views of the meeting as to the inex- pediency of making changes in the time and place of the Supreme court sessions.
 Julius Twiss suggested that the vote of thanks should be first passed. He moved to accept the report. Chairman filling was Whedon said the vote offered by MT. Hamil- ton should be divided.
 c. H. Fowler inquired if it would not be best to present the views of the meeting to the Judiciary committee of the Legislature.
 vote to that effect was passed
 Dexter k. Wright referred to an opinion expressed by him at the last meeting that soon or later the Supreme court would sit in Hartford, but he was satisfied with the deci- sion of this meeting and had no opposition to offer. He made some suggestions as to the proper procedure in the way of resolu- tions Simeon E. Baldwin remarked that the scheme for concentrating the business in Hartford seemed to have been formed part ly from desire to promote the interests of the Hartford bar and partly to favor the older lawyers. There were many cases in the Common Pleas courts in charge of young lawyers. These cases would go to the older lawyers who had more business, and would result in putting the business before that court in the hands of eight or ten men. In New York there were good reasons in the magnitude of the business for having their Supreme court located at Albany. Our own Supreme court could decide all their cases in fNz ha6 holn ment
 Mr. Hamilton said, in speaking of New Hayen's advantages, that there was 2. better law library here than in Hartford.
 Johnson T. Platt did not think the younger members would suffer by the change. A lawyer could know in advance on what day his case would be reached Going to Hart ford would be an agreeable diversion. He favored the change for one important reason. The court there would be subject to the infla- ence of closer professional criticism. There was no doubt that for three years there had been dissatisfaction at the delays in decisions, not only here, but throughout the State. He was last year on the commit tee to oppose the change but his views were now modified. He did not think the court there would be more arbitrary than it is now.
 c. H. Fowler thought the proposed plan would be reform backward. The judges were hired by the lawyers and should go where they were needed.
 Talcott Fl. Russell thought that one change would favor quick decisions. Instead of sitting on the bench or hours and going to sleep, the judges should sit hours and devote the rest of the day to consultation and making decisions.
 Colonel Wright said something about striking at the root of the trouble, making salaries contingent on labor results. His re- marks were in jocose vein and caused con- siderable amusement.
 haiu h1, Bennett, Hamilton and others, Colonel Wright made some further suggestions, mov- ing an amendment to one resolution and re- quiring the court to furnish with their de- cisions certain data as to time of fixing the appeal, the date of decision, etc.
 Mir. Platt wanted to have copies of the de- cisions furnished to the counties in which the cases arose.
 To this MT. Hamilton added & suggestion, and the outcome of the whole discussion will be found in the following resolutions which were passed
 strongly disapprove the proposed change, by which the cases in the Court of Errors, aris- ing in this county, would be heard in Hart ford.
 Voted, That the chairman of this bar, the Hon. Hilton E. Doolittle, be requested on be- question before the Judiciary Committee at Hartford.
 Voted, That the chairman of the bar be | also requested to advocate the passage of a | bill by which the reporter be required to file | with the clerk of the court from which the | cause came a certified copy of the opinion l of the court within ten days after the same | is filed with the reporter. 1
 Voted, That the chairman of the bar also | be requested to advocate the passage of 8 l statute which shall require the reporter of | the Supreme court to publish with each re- port the date of the argument, the date of the decision and the date of filing the opin- ion.
 Death of Mrs. Fannie A. Goodyear.
 The death of Mrs. Fannie A. Goodyear, wife of Miles Goodyear, of West Haven, which occurred shortly after midnight on the morning of yesterday, was the more sorrow full for her relatives and many friends ow- ing to the entirely unexpected character of the fatal attack of illness with which she had been seized only few hours before. Mrs.