Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-01-15
MORE U. $. COURTS WANTED.
Montana In the Same Fix That
Utah Is I'm.

The following memorial, adopted at a
meeting of the Helena on. t. Bar As
sociation, and transmitted to Washing
ton, is in the main applicable also to
Utah, where the need of additional
United States Courts is yearly felt more
and more:
To the Honorable, the Senate and House
of Representatives of the United States
of America, in Congress assembled:
Your memorialists, the Bar Associa-
ton OF the Territory OF Montana, assem-
bled at the Capital of the Territory, do
most respectfully represent to your hon
orable bodies:
That by the act passed by your honor
able bodies in the year A. d. 1864, organ
izing the Territory of Montana, provision
was made for the appointment of a Chief
Justice and two Associate Justices of the
Supreme Court of this Territory, by whom
all business arising in the District and SUI
preme Courts of the Territory isto be heard
and determined. What was then an ade-
quate judicial force to pass upon the con-
troversies arising in few isolated mining
camps, has now become wholly made
quate to transact the judicial business
arising in an area of country larger than
all of New England, with the Empire
State OF New York and the great State OF
Pennsylvania added. Every part OF
this vast Territory is attracting immigra-
ton, and multiplied industries are spring
ing into existence, in many of which large
sums of money find profitable invest
ment. There are now settlements in
the people of the West is conducted. The
population has increased tenfold, created
wealth has increased at least fiftyfold,
and business enterprise and litigation pro-
portionately.
The result is that litigation in our higher
courts is of such volume that the judiciary
originally provided has become wholly
inadequate, however industrious they
may be, to discharge the dnties which
now devolve upon them. AS a further
result business is done in hurried man.
ner, and Notwithstanding every effort on
the part of the judges, there is at the
end of each term of court number of
cases, the trial of which is deferred be-
cause of the pressing duties of the judges
elsewhere.
One OF our judicial districts is more
than 500 miles in length, and it is not un-
frequently the case that a litigant is COM
PEELED to travel from 200 to 800 miles to
obtain a judicial order.
The organization of every new county
necessarily adds to the burdens of the
judiciary, and the many growing
widely separate centers Of popu-
lation in the Territory require
that new counties should be formed
in order to lessen the expense and loss of
time incident to transacting county busi-
ness at remote county seats. Objections
are also made to the present Supreme
Court because the Justice whose
decision is in review in that court is
himself a component part of the re-
viewing tribunal, condition of affairs
which your memorialists believe should
speedily be removed by legislation !;
wherefore your memorialists pray your
honorable bodies to enact law whereby
there shall be five Justices of the Su-
preme Court of this Territory appointed,
and as in duty bound your memorialists
will ever pray.
w. F. SANDERS, President.
AsHBURN X. BARBOUR, Secretary.