Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1890-02-19

1t will be seen that, making reasonable al
lowance for what may properly be called the ma
tional jurisdiction of the Supreme Court Of the
District OF Columbia by setting aside fair
complement of the six judges as being required
to do the work which the country at large inn
poses upon the court as distinguished from
purely local litigation, we in the District really
have to attend to our own court business only
one judge to every 80, 600 residents of the Dis
trlct
furthermore, any measure providing for a
reorganization Of the courts Of the District
must look to the future we'll as to the present.
That the capital as well as the country will
continue their astonishing growth no one can
doubt. The national and the locll judicial
business of the District will grow with them.
In thirty years at the rate Of progress main
tanned since 1860 Washington will contain over
three-quarters of million inhabitants. The
court now to be created and the judges now to
be appointed will or may have to transact the
judicial business of that great city. Even with
the considerable increase in the number of the
judges which our bill proposes the cases now
In arrears will scarcely be cleared from the cal
endars when the still greater business Of the
future will be upon the courts, tasking the en-
durance of even ten judges to keep 1t from
again accommodating.
INCREASED RESPONSIBILITIES
While theSamount of business thrown upon
the courts here has thus been enlarged out of
all proportion to the increase of the judicial
force there has been, owing to another cause.
great addition to the responsibility which at
taches to their decisions. court crowded
with business may be tempted to slight those
cases which it knows are only on their way to a
higher tribunal, where its decision is to be re-
vised. But when its determination is to bind
the parties and fix the law it must approach
the case with greater care and due de!ibera-
ton. The memorandum. already referred to,
shows that in 1901 Congress allowed an ap-
az 10 TAT q
III all cases in which the matter in dispute eX-
seeded 500. In 1916 the jurisdctional amount
was increased to 81 1000, but at the same time
provision was made for the allowance of an ap-
peal in any case by any Justice of the Supreme
Court where there seemed to him to be involved
questions OF law OF extensive interest and
operation" In 1879 the right of appeal to the
Supreme Court was taken away in all cases
where the amount involved did not exceed
81, 5O0 thus doing away with the special alloca-
tur authorized by the act OF 1916. In 1885 the
determination of the Supreme Court of the Dis
trict was made final unless the amount involved
exceeds $4,000.
Thus, while our population ia nearly three
times what it was when the Supreme Court of
the District was created in 1863 and while we
have but six judges now to five then, the
decisions OF our court which in 1863 were final
only In cases involving 81 1000 or less are now
conclusive unless the amount exceeds $1,000;
and in addition We have in the meantime been
deprived OF the great privilege Of having the
Supreme Court of the United States, by the act
of any one of the members of that court, take
cognizance of any case, whatever the amount
at stake, which involves questions Of law affect
ing the interests Of the entire community.
We have no doubt now that the evils Of
the present system and the great deficiency in
the number and IN the compensation of the
judges Of the District is brought formally to
the attention of Congress, that the proper
remedy will be applied and we submit on
behalf OF the body for whom We speak, that there
is but one remedy that meets all the require
ments of the case, and that is to give to the
District new and stable appellate tribunal, to
give us judges enough to perform properly the
important duties which devolve upon our
courts, and to give to all the judges a compen-
sation commensurate with their labors and
their increasing responsibilities.
The committee has amended its bill so as to
limit the right of appeal to the Supreme Court
OF the United States to causes in which the
matter of dispute exceeds the sum Of $5,OOO
and to cases without regard to the sum in dis
pute involving the validity of a patent or copy
right or in which is drawn in question the
validity Of treaty or statute of, or an author
ity exercised under, the United States