The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1901-12-03
WORKING ON
THE JUDICIARY
Some Progress Made on the
Report.
AMENDMENT is WITHDRAWN.
MI. Roesassa sarrenders His Fight for
Comfy sceur,sa Petit TO Offer
a Ssu0siitu,e for the
Whole.
AMENDMENT is WITHDRAWN.

Tho Constitutional Convention was in
session but two hours yesterday. and
nearly all that time was taken UP IN the
further consideration of the judiciary re-
port
There were ifty-ninc members present
and great many prominent Virginiaas.
including Governor Tyler. We're on the
floor. There was nothing OF interest pre-
scented in the morning hour.
When the body went into a Committee
of the Whole (odr. Boaz in the chair), Mr..
Robertson withdrew his motion to re-
consider the vote by which his amend
ment to section Of the judiciary report
was rejected on Saturday. Mr.. Summers
offered an amendment TO section strik-
ing out the words "of appeals after Su-
prcmc Court, and it was rejected.
Section was passed by on account of
Governor Camerons absence he being
indisposed at his home in Petersburg.
Section three was adopted and section
four, relating to the jurisdiction of the
Supreme Court. was pending when the
committee. at 1:55 P. NJ. arose. The con-
vention, a few moments later, adjourned
until 10 o'clock to-day.
THE DAY IN DETAIL.
Tho convention met at j o'clock;
prayer by Rev. C. z. Williamson. of the
Christian Church.
FIfty-nine members answered to the
roll call.
Only one memorial relating to liquor
license was presented. This was by Judge
Robertson, OF Roanoke.
On motion of Chairman Hunton the
convention went into Committee of the
Whole to consider the report OF the Com
mittee on judiciary.
Mr.. Robertson moved to pass by his
motion to reconsider the vote on county
courts.
Chairman Hunton opposed postpone
ment. saying that the whole work Of the
committee depended on The final DISPOSE
ton Of the question Of county courts.
Judge Robertson withdrew his motion
TO pass by and proceeded to speak. He
said he realized that he was in hope
less minority, but when he made a state
rlent on the floor he desired to put him
self right. He presented and had read
by the clerk a copy Of the report made
by the clerks Of Circuit Courts to the Leg
sslatures of 1890. 1892 1S94, 1896 and 1885,
showing the number of days these courts
had been in session for those years. There
was some difficulty in deciphering the
statistics. and Mr.. Withers, saying he pre-
pared them. proceeded to read them for
Judge Robertson, amid a ripple of laugh
ter.
Judge Robertson analyzed the figures
and showed that the present circuit
Judges We're continually employed. and
the proposition before the convention was
to have only twenty-foT judges and
placing upon them the work that one
hundred and four judges now do.
NO EVIDENCE PRODUCED.
He said there had been no evidence be-
fore the committee as to the amount of
work transacted by the county judges.
He declared that Mr.. Withers was going
eft on false trail when he was trying
to establish a new system of courts on
such figures as he had read. which no
one but him could read. and not even
he could understand. He said members
forgot that judge often devoted one,
day to the hearing Of a case in court,
and often had to spend q whole week IN
his Office to properly decide it
The extra expense of keeping prisoners
sn jail awaiting trial had hot been COM
truted, and il they had been. the enor-
NOUS additional expense would have
startled even the committee. He said the
people of Virginia loved the County
Courts, and the one hundred members
of the convention could not by a wave
of the hand destroy this sentiment.
MIR HUNTON KEPL1ES.
Chairman Hunton in reply to the state
ment Of Judge Robertson that the. COM
.nittee had acted without due informa-
ton. called attention to complete statis-
tics Of the business transacted by the
County Courts. which had beer pub
lshed in the proceedings and obtained
from every clerk in the State
He then made a brief statement of the
manner in which the committee had in
Sestigated the whole question, taking
weeks and months to reach safe and
careful conclusion. before making its rec
omnendation to the convention.
Mr.. Brown renewed the motion to pass
by consideration of the motion to recon
slider. He thought the very fact that the
whole report of the committee depended