The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-12-01
Committees Action Sustained by Vote
Of Al to 9.
WILL COME Up AGAIN O-M0RRoW
Judge Robertson TO Renew Ills Flsht-caotain
Parks Presents New Suffrage Clause.
Warm Fight on Judiciary
Report.

4
chair. The first battle resulted in an
overwhelming victory for the committee.
Judge Robertsonis amendment to insert
the words County Court being rejected.
by a vote of IL to 8. The Roanoke leader
Immediately interposed a motion to re-
consider and the fight will be renewed
tomorrow with chances largely in favor
OF the report of the committee being sus-
tanned. The effect of Judge Robertson s
amendment was to have County Courts
as often as once month in each county.
The committee met at 10 O'Clock and
almost the entire session Of nearly four
hours was consumed in the debate over
the above named amendment to section
one Of the judiciary report. The body at
j :35 adiournd until noon tomorrow. Mr..
Parks offered a suffrage plan, which was
ordered printed. AS soon as the prellml-
naries of the morning hour were disposed
OF Mr. Hunton called up his report on
judiciary in Committee of the Whole, and
Mr.. Robertson offered and spoke to MS
amendment He made an able argument
and was replied to in an able manner by
Mr.. Withers. The vote was then taken,
with the result given above. The report
will consume many more days OF the con-
vention's time.
DAY IN. DETAIL.
The convention met at 10 o'clock; prayer
BY DR. Dunaway. Fifty members answer
ed the Toll-can.
MIR. Withers offered a resolution empow-
ering the special Legislative committee 10
investigate and report on what terms a
hall could be secured for the convention
in Richmond, Danville, Norfolk or Char
lottesville in the event the Hall OF the
House of Delegates could not accommo-
date the convention and Legislature.
Adopted.
Mr.. Parks introduced a suffrage resolu-
,;ol, ao5 nd REFERRED
Leaves CT absence were granted several
members.
The convention then went into Commit
tee of the Whole to consider the report of
the Committee on Judiciary, MIR. BoaZ
presiding.
Section was taken up.
Judge Robertson, who had an amend
nent pending to substitute county courts
for the new system OF circuit courts. ask
ed that the matter be further postponed.
He said he was prepared to make his ar
gument, but he was not willing to do so
with only a bare quorum present. He
thought such grave question as the one
under consideration ought to be discussed
before a full body. 1t was not fair to in
sist on his speaking before such snail
audience.
Mr. Summers spoke in favor of grant
ing Judge Robertsons request.
FINALLY TAKEN UP.
lay he said he did not wish to appear
Iisoourteous, but he must insist that the
consideration of the report be proceeded
with.
Mr. Withers said there was no pros
pect of having more than the present
attendance for 4 considerab bic length of
time, and postponement would simply be
stopping work, without gazing large
audience
draw his request, and proceeded to speak
He said it was mistake to suppose
that he was in favor of retaining the
present system of county courts. What
he wanted was a system that would in
sure the holding of court in every county
in the State once each month. judges to
be assigned to districts so divided as to
permit of a monthly court. If he could
not get this system combined with u
system of circuit courts he would vote for
the unit system. as reported by the COM
mittee.
The speaker then gave n history Of the
old county-court system before the war
and read an extract from Judge Staples.
in high enconium of that great insti-
tuition which was almost co-eval with
John Smith and Pocahontas.
WOULDN'T TEAR IT DOWN.
Judge Robertson declared that, however
radical he might be called on some, ques-
tions, the question Of this venerable
and glorious institution Of the past
he could not get the consent of his 4. nd
to ruthlessly tear it down.
Referring to what had been termed the
circus feature of the County Court he
said he firmly believed in circuses, and
thought the social feature of the court
was OF great benefit, from an educational
and financial standpoint Men who
,.lx-. ,y,~,- fNl5C xr No
pillow and attending 10 farm duties, ought
10 have a regular meetng-day to attend
court TO swap ideas, horses, hear politics
or anything else they wish to. He SAID
the people out i'll the country had not
Net awoke to the real situation. # they
understood thoroughly what the abolition
Of their monthly court-days meant, there
would be more counties than Appomat-
tox holding public meetings, and con-
demnins the proposed change.
The speaker then went into long
ANALYSIS OF the statistics as to the COM
narrative expense of the present county
courts and the expense OF the proposed
system He cn6eavored to show that the
figures as to the economy OF the new
system were misleading and unreliable,
because, based on theory and speculation,
no facts eyer having been cstahlisheo.
CLIMBING MOUNTAINS.
Then. taking up the arrangement OF the
counties into Twenty-Five districts. as
proposed by the committee, he said the
Judge who went into Highland county
would have to spend most of his time
climbing mountains instead of holding
court; that the work laid out for
fudge was based on the idea that a man
nowadays was a kind OF automobile tha1
could travel al! the time and never get
out OF order from eating soda biscuits
I'm one place and fat fried bacon in ano-
ther. Uaughter.o
He asked If it was the county court
: or individual Instances Of incompetent or
corrupt county judges that was the real
object Of attack. He said it was not
right to cosdemn whole system because
there were isolated Instances OF abuse.
The county court first got into disfavor
when tho white men We're divtded-at the
time when great economic question
crna IN and the lower Grasses OF whites
combined with the negro against the
higher classes Of whites.
This resulted in an influx OF incompetent
.s.oox,a ,,,d the County Court system has