The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1898-03-04

Lackawanna's middle district lob
byists returned yesterday from Wash
ington filled fuller than ever with en-
thusiasm over the project and feeling
quite sanguine of it's ultimate success.
To a Tribune reporter who met the
party on it's return, Judge Archibald
save a very interesting description of
their session with the subcommittee
of the house judiciary committee,
which has the matter now i'm hand
I'VE were received at 1880 o'clock
Wednesday morning in the commit
tees room at the capitol" Judge
Archibald went on to say, being in
troduced to the committee by Mr..
Stratton, Congressman Connells pri-
vate secretary. The committee is COM
posed of General ID. B. Henderson, of
Iowa; Jesse X. Overstreet, Of Indiana;
Richard Wayne Parker, of Newark, N.
j.; William Elliott, of South Carolina,
and David A. De Almond, of Missouri.
All were present except the last
named.
II opened the arguments with a re-
view of the general features of the
case, what occasoned the demand for
the new district, and how the move
ment has progressed since its inception
to the present time. 1 also explained
the boundaries of the district, re-
hearsed the matter contained in my
brief and submitted a printed copy of
the latter, together with a map show
ing the outlines of the proposed new
district.
REASONS ADVANCED.
"The principal question with the
committee was why, with two sessions
provided for we had only one session
year in Scranton. The committee
couldn't understand how the court
business of the territory embraced
in the lines of the new district
was so badly congested and want
ed to know if it wasn't due to the
lawyers having their cases put over
1 explained this by giving the exam
pie of the Dickinson case monopoliz-
ing about the whole of the two brief
sessions, which have taken place here
in the last three years, and how an
other of there cases that has been wait
ing for trial for over five years.
I'm answer to the question as to
why more extended session was not
held 1t was pointed out that Judge
Atcheson, the circuit judge, is the only
judge on the whole circuit and has
to hold court in seven different places,
Pittsburg, Erie, Williamsport, Scran-
ton, Philadelphia and Wilmington and
Trenton. To go over this circuit twice
year or to hold even one extended
session at each place every year would
be physical impossibility. The dis
trict judge is largely occupied with
the business of his own court, and his
first duty is to attend to the criminal
business. 1t is impossible under the
present arrangements, it was argued,
to dispose of the business of the dis
trict. l reminded the committee, too,
that the bankruptcy bill, of which Cen
| eral Henderson is the proud father,
would greatly increase the business of
| the federal courts.
EXPENSE OF DISTRICT.
I'm the matter of expense, 1 gave IL
as my candid opinion that the salvage
in lessened mileage of jurors, witnesses
| and prisoners would about compensate
for the additional expense of another
judge and district attorney. The ex-
| pense of a marshal and clerk, it was
| pointed out, would be practically taken
care of by the fees incident to those
offices. In the matter of buildings, we
| were pleased to show, we had all that
is required, Scranton and Williamsport
having federal buildings, and Harris.
| burg, in anticipation of the establish
ment of federal court there, having sci
aside commodious room for this court
when its new building was being con.
structed.
| "Mr. Watson followed me with ar
elaboration of some of the matters
had touched upon, particularly detail.
ing the large bills of expense fer cart.
ing prisoners, witnesses and jurors tC
such distances as the present arrange
ment requires and the saving thai
would result from division of the
district. He also gave the number OF
cases awaiting disposition in the East
ern and Western districts and the in
crease in business that was shown dur.
ing the past year. Mr.. Torrey followed
at length along similar lines. He wa.
subjected to a number of questions by
Mr.. Overstreet. One of these was a.
to why a second session was not helC
at the various meeting places as The
law requires. The principal reason fol
this, Mr.. Torrey explained, was tha
the appropriation was exhausted by The
| spring session, leaving nothing for the
marshal to draw upon for the Septem
/ Der session.
MR.. OLMSTEAD'S ARGUMENT.
THE closing, and in a way the mos
effective argument in favor of the new
district, was made extempore by Con