The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1905-06-21
AsI rlHEIc RIMINALE I'LL.

AsS 10 TIE RIRiNALs uRT5 RlELsbl
The Times % this city thinks that
up to the ecisions Of the Supreme
Court Of Appeals on the leasehold
question the West yirginian has not
been In o good ihumor since the Leg;
stature turned down the Criminal
Court bill for Marion county. We fear
that 1t will be necessary during this
hot weather to show how little we.
cared for that measure. We only
cared for it to the extent that we
were disappointed at the time that Mr..
w. S. Meredith did not become Judge,
rs he would IL the court bill had pass
cd. Some dirty Falrmont Democrats
said the bill was Id the interest OF
Harry Shaw, and they got John Corn
veil to fight it in the Senate, and with
the aid Of the 'insurgents"-l
old long.haired Marshall, Cole,
Baker. Montgomery. Snyder and
cthers--who always stood shoulder
to shoulder with Cornwell and
the other four Democratic Sena.
tors, It was defeated Charley Pow,
ell, Letcher Jones and Walt Conway,
by petition and otherwise, got Corn
well and Ran Stalnaker TO take up the
6yht and they defeated the bill, as
they did a number of Republican
measures. Whatever Cornwell and
Ran said always went with the in
, surgents."
We say w. 5. Meredith would have
; been Judge Of the Court. Why do We
say go? Because Governor Dawson
/, said he would appoint him, and We
r know His Excellency SO well and
stand SO close to him that we know
lie would have done SO. We know
: furthermore. that Harry Shaw did not
want and did not expect the judge.
: ship. II was remarked by more than
one Republican Fairmont lawyer al
Charleston that Mr.. Meredith's ap'
!, 3ointment would be great help to
lie struggling members Of our bar,
as they would be apt to get share
= OF his large and lucrative practice.
When the bill was amended in the
), Senate, making the election Of the
Jddge next year instead Of in 1908
; at the writer's request our then Sena
l. ter Swisher moved to strike out the
caacting clause, and this was done
Glad we were that 1t was done, fol
\ we did not want to see Mr.. Meredith
friend Of ours, make fight for The
Iudgeship in year and half o.
less after his appointment, and we die
b not believe that the Office would b,
i. acceptable to him under such circum
4. stances.
- We may say here that we neve
IS -'ould have consented TO the abolition
OF .rr Intermediate Court If ,Iulg
ie Kendall had not told us time an
Il: ain. as he told others. that he II
n .nded to resign before his term e,
e FIRED. We have no doubt that sue
was his intention when he so talked
believing that his large lumber inter
IL tsts in Maryland would require a
he hG tine. We are glad indeed that
d. has not resigned and still sladder tho
he no longer has such an Intention
OH S,.iIl he n
% pecially palatable to some who foust
'e ne bill. but they will have to swallo
" 1t. 1t is wholly true and will bear III
~ fullest investigation.
81 We may add that the Criminal Cou
90 bill was framed by Judge W. S. Ha
" mond and Harry Shaw. When the b
DIS was introduced for the adjustment
es the Intermediate Court the Repub
GU can members of our bar sent prote
lre ,ra,ns, Il a. once Thev mot only Il
Il at but sent amendments increasil
the power of the Court, among 10th
W. things giving it grand Jury. tt
a., matter was discussed at some lengt
~ Judge Raymond being present, and
~, finally remarked that "if they wa
,ho II court with such powers, why n
.,, make 1t criminal court and so call
10 as all such courts are called in 9th
.nuntles OF the State?" This led
rn the preparation of the bill, the Jud
and Mr.. Shaw embodying the OF
,,,. county criminal court bill so far
49, applicable.
Personally we never cared anythi
about the bill-felt no interest in Il
only so far as TO see Mr.. Meredith
~. the ben cha place for which he is
ably end well fitted-and in thus c
~. waiting him thereby aid the yount
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