The Houston daily post. [volume] (Houston, Tex.) 1886-1903, 1897-01-29
The Harris County Court BiIl.
TO the Editor of Tho poet

To the Editor of The Post.
Liberty, Texas. January Eff -, io,s,
one-half OF the facts laid before the ,eris-
lature in regard to the necessity for an
o'her district court for Harris county be
correct the seeming opposition to the hill
now pending for this purpose Is, to me. in.
explicablc. Governor Culhersons plan for
redistricting the State certainly should no,
postpone the formation OF this much need
ca new district until the entire State has
becn redistr'ctod II 1t be demonstrated
mat the present status of the judicial mn,
cn,heiy o. harris county amounts practic-
ally to denial Of Justice in many Instance
can not believe that the governor oS
Texas would hold the friends of this meas.
ure up so to speak, until the remaining
districts Of the state have been oyerhsuIed
rms would. indeed, be a species OF political
brigandage of which no governor of TEXAS
could be guilty. Mind, | say this II the
iac's nave properly been laid before the
governor and the legislature.
have formed the foregoing onirion No,
from hearsay, but from actual experience
having practced law in Houston during the
years 1923 and 1864. am still counsel in
several cases pending there. which have
been on the docket for more than two
years. II has been impossible to try these
eases oitnoush Dotn sides IN several of
them have always been ready for trial To
use the prevailing expression Of tho Hons.
ton bar, the cases were simply Crowded
out III this is the case where both parties
are anxious to have the cause dismissed nj
what must be the result in cases where tho
detendant desires to invoke the Shakespear
can laws delay?" | answer this with tho
statement, which will be corroborated by
numerous lawyers in Houston that In
manX suits rro
closure of vendors liens. the defendants,
Tor the sole purpose OF obtaining time. file
general denials and have the cases placed
upon the jury docket, when there is prob
ably not a shadow of defense Several
cases have come directly under my cbser-
walton where such tactics have been sue
cessful In getting case of the kind mem
toned continued eight times. 1t is true
mat In some cases, which are continued by
agreement, trial might be had IL the lti-
giants their counsel and their respective
witnesses could wait from day TO day upon
the court for thirty days or more Some
times the parties and their witnesses will
wait for as much as ten days, and then, out
= of sheer desperation fearing that the cause
VIII not be reached before the close of the
term, and, in order to save themselves
heavy expenses. daily flor 1t must be re-
membered that both plaintiff and defendant
are responsible MS the litigation progresses
FOR their witness fees), the cause is con-
tinued by agreement. will venture the
assertion that there are cases now pending
In the district court nj Harris county in
which the costs have been qnadrupled on
account of the continuances incident to the
condition OF the docket. In the last state
ment do not Include expenses outside of
court costs. For instance, ii is well known
that railroad companies generally brig
their employees. who are witnesses. from
distant counties. As they could not COM
pei these witnesses to leave their home
counties, they usually allow them pay for
their time.
The influx Of settlers TO the coast coun-
try has instilled value irio the property
adjacent to Houston. Lands that were
drug on the market ten years since at 81
per acre are now readily saleable at $50
per acre. This fact, alone has trlpled tho
actions for land. in the district court Of
Harris county within the last five years.
The increased wealth OF the city has, in
the same ratio increased the litigation.
am aware that during the last session @.
the legislature there was some opposition
from Harris county to the new district
court. The lawyers who represented rail-
road companies either opposed the bill or
were non oommittal. I heard one promin-
ent member of the bar make the statement
that he represented 100 cases on the civil
dockcts, and all of his clients were the de-
PENDANTS with the exception Of three cases.
lie added, I've got more courts than can
conveniently attend to now. My clients.
the defendants. do not generally want
trials" take pleasure in saying that this
gentleman. as well as the corporation law
yers generally, in the city of Houston, are
now warm advocates OF new court. Yours
truly, c. F. Stevens.