The Clarksburg telegram. [volume] (Clarksburg, W. Va.) 1874-1926, 1898-02-11

/ Governor of the State, Senator
Elkins. the entire delegation in
the house and a number of other
distinguished citizens who have
appeared before and been heard
by q subcommittee of this com
mittee that the passage of this
bill would save the government
double the amount of the extra
cost in salaries of the additional
judge, district attorney, and mar
shall provided by it. A careful
study of the existing conditions
and facts strongly sustain this
estimate.
It has been clearly shown that
the condition OF the dockets is
SO congested that at any one
term of court many cases pend
ing cannot be tried for want Of
time, although witnesses 10 large
numbers may be in attendance.
1t becomes necessary to continue
them and. in many instances.
they are transferred for trial to
another point where the next
term is about to be held. This
involves the extra expense Of
large mileage and per diem costs
TO witnesses, which very quickly
exceeds the amount of salaries
required to pay another Judge,
marshal and attorney. Then,
too, the large costs incurred in
additional fees to deputy mar
shals, by reason of this condition
must be considered. While it is
impossible to reduce tile esti-
mate to an absolute demonstra-
ton, yet the fact that in 1896, an
average year, S4l, 79o was paid
| in costs OF witnesses which was
found to beinsuficient, requiring
an additional sum Of S947.25 to
be paid the following year t6
make up the deficiency, in alI
$42. 1926 for witnesses fees Tor
the year, and that the fees paid
marshals for the same year az
gregated S1s.7o0, shows this estis
mate of saving to be conserva
tive and likely under rather than
over stated. The costs lncurf ed
in this particular IN this court
are only exceeded by two or
three other districts in the coun-l
try covering vast and sparselys
settled territory where mileage
bills are necessarily large.
This measure is entirely nom
partisan and was unanimously
endorsed at the last annual meet
ing of the Bar Association Of
West Virginia, and a committee
Of seven of the leading lawyers Of
the State, belonging to both
leading political parties, was APP
pointed to urge its passage.
The measure has further been
submitted to the department of
justice and is strongly approved.
In speaking of the ex-Attorney
General McKenna says.
THAT from 1885 to 1897 inclu-
sive, the number of cases pend
ing in the courts of that State
appears to have increased from
about 800 tot, 553, although from
1926 to $50 cases a year have been
disposed of /; that the number of
criminal cases pending in West
Virginia district exceeds the
number pending in Delaware,
Kentucky, Maine. Maryland.
Massachusetts, New Hampshire,
New Jersey, Rhode Island, South
Carolina and South Dakota COM
bined,; that from 1890 to 1897
the West Virginia court had had
more criminal prosecutions pend
ing in it than have the courts of
any other State or territory dur
ing the years 1890, 1891. 1898,
1894, 1895 and probably 1892 !;
that in 1895 the courts in West
Virginia had more cases pending
than in the twelve districts COM
bined in New York, Pennsylvania,
Illinois, Ohio, Missouri and
Massachusetts.
.sThese facts are taken from
the reports of the attorneys
general, where other interesting
data on the subject may be found.
=