The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1900-12-18
TWO FEDERAL
DISTRICTS, FOR,
WEST VIRGINIA.
Bill Dividing the State Into North;
ern and Southern District Passed
Lower House Of Congress.
For Northern and Judge and Clerk
for the Southern Circuit to Be APP
pointed-other News Notes.
Special pIspatcll. to tho 1n,ellIrcn,,cer. !, !.

.sa.
Special Dispatch to, tho IntellIEcncer.
WASHINGTON Dec. 17.-Thc bill In
troduced by Mr.. Dayton at the last scs-
sion Of Congress to divide West Vlr-
slnia into two federal districts. and pro-
viding for appointment of the officers
necessary to carry the bill into effect,
was passed through the house to-day
by the suspension of the rules. AS here
tofore stated In the 1ntclligencer, ,thejud-
iclal committee of the house made a
favorable. report upon the measure last
Friday. 1t now goes to the senate, with
fair prospect OF passing that body. be-
fore the holiday recess.
Senators Elkins and Scott were on
the floor Of the house to-day, when the
bill came up and had the satisfaction
Of seeing 1t 60 through without u dis
sentlng vote.
Report Of GEN. McKenna.
Accompanying the favorable report
upon the bill. as made by the judiciary
committee, was the report Of approval
made by the Hon. Joseph McKennn,
January 20, 1898, when he was serving
~. attorney general OF the United States
and there were also extracts taken from
n letter written by Attorney General
Rueket, Of West Virginia. in which,
ambng other things. he showed that
ltSgants In the entire southern half OF
the state have to attend federal court at
CHARLESTON and citing that from the re-
cords 1t Is demonstrated that three
fourths OF the business OF the state Is
brought into this court and that three
fourths Of the criminal business OF the
court comes from along the line OF the
Norfolk G WESTERN railroad. These
and other matters were presented in de-
tall by General Rucker, who also en-
tered into statistical exhibit OF the
business transacted at the Charleston
court. 's.
officers Continued in Office.
The present Judge and present clerk
OF the courts are placed in the northern
district and by the terms of the act are
continued In Office. The northern dis,
trict embraces the counties OF Hancock,
Brooke, Ohio, Marshall. Tyler, Pleas
ants, Wood. Writ, Richie. Doddridge,
Wetzel, Monongalla, Marion, Harrison,
Lewis, Gllmer. Calhoun, Upshur, Bar
bour. Taylor. Preston, Tucker. Ran
dolph. Pendleton. Hardy, Hampshire.
Grant. Mineral. Morgan, Berkeley and
Jefferson. comprising thIrty-onc coun-
ties. All the remaining counties, twen-
ty-iour in number, are In the southern
district, the line running rs nearly as
possible in direct course from east to
west, through the state. E
The new law. when It shall become
effective, will necessitate the appoint
m-nt OF marshal and an attorney for
the northern district. and a judge and n
clerk for the southern district. The
clerk OF the United States circuit court
Is not affected by the bill.
Successor to Gaines.
Tho retirement OF District Attorney
Gaines. to enter Congress. win, how
ever. necessitate the appointment of an
attorney for the southern district. The
bill as originally offered by Mr.. Dayton,
was so amended as to provide that
courts shall be held as follows:
In the northern district at Wheeling,
beginning the first Tuesday in April.
third Tuesday In September: Clarks-
burg, third Tuesday In April, first Tues
day In OCTOBER, Martinsburg, third
Tuesday in October; Parkersburg. sec
ond Tuesday in January, second Tues
day In juno. In the southern district,
at Charleston, first Tuesday In May,
second Tuesday in November; Hunting
ton. first Tuesday in April, third Tues
day In September; Blueheld, first Tues
day in December. The act Is TO take
effect July !. 1901.
Hon. w. P. Hubbard, OF Wheeling,
whose interest In tho Dayton bill to d.
vide West Virginia Into two federal dis
trlcls brought him 10 Washington, was
an interested observer OF events in
Congress- to-day. 81.
o-->->------