The commercial. (Union City, Tenn.) 190?-193?, 1905-02-03
OBION COURTS.
A Few Reasons Why They Should
Not Be Established.

Not Be Established.
The bills now pending before the
Legislature to establish a Law
Court and also a Chancery Court al
the town of Obion. if passed, will
entail on the taxpayers of the coun.
ty the extra cost of maintaining
said courts, which cannot be less
than from ST, 700 to $1,000 and may
reach 50, 500 per year. They pro.
vide for the payment OF $500 out OF
county treasury to the Deputy Clerk
of the Law Court, and for the ap.
pointment of a Clerk and Master OF
the Chancery Court. There is moth
ing said in the bills about the salary
of the Clerk and Master, and what
he would get might be his tees of
the office unless the bills amended,
which could easily be done.
The bills provide the cost and
expense of these courts, whatever
it is, shall be paid by the County of
Obion. Neither Mr.. Wilson nor the
town of Obicn is under any obliga-
tion to pay any part of the expense.
The rent of a courthouse and of
Offices tor the Clerk and c. & M,
and rooms for the grand jury and
petit jury, and witness room, all of
which would be necessary, would
be at least $500 more. Then there
would be necessity for Sheriff's
office or room or rooms to keep
prisoners in. No provision is made
for any OF these in the bills, except
the county shall pay for all the ex-
penses necessary.
Then there would be the extra
cost of buying minute books, dock
cts, and all such other books as are
usual and necessary to the carrying
on of courts. These would not
probably be less than S100 per year
for each court, or 5000. Then the
extra cost of transporting prisoners
from the Jail to said court and back
three times year, and the cost of
guarding and feeding them while
detained at Obion, all this would
have to be paid by the county. The
of this expense cannot be
exactly figured out OF course, as it
would depend on the number of the
prisoners and the guards necessary.
But it is safe to say that $500 would
be low estimate for it.
In the course of a short while af-
ter these courts have become fixed
a cry would probably be heard that
the county should build a Jail and
perhaps courthouse, which would |
of course be for the County Court |
to decide. No one can now say
what would be done in this regard.
These are only some of the items of
that these courts would
put on the taxpayers of the county.
There would no doubt be much
more from time to time as the ext
gencies of the situation might arise.
Another burden to the people
would be that citizens would be
summoned to Obion as jurors from
III parts of the county from time to
ime for the trial of criminal cases,
ind this would become source of
'ery considerable annoyance and
Expense, and great burden to
hose who live remote from the
own. Also witnesses in other
,arts of the county would be re-
Iuired to attend at this court at the
anne expense and inconvenience
hat it is now claimed they have to
ear in coming from the Obion sec
ion to the county seat.
The lit:gants who have cases in
hese courts (and people in any sec
ion Of the county would be liable
D be sued, or might have to sue in
hese courts), would be put to the
ecessity of attending these courts
t great expense in many instances,
nd paying the extra expenses of
heir attorneys while attending
1ese courts away from their homes
nd Offices, unless they saw proper
, give monopoly of the business :
{ these courts to the two young 6
entlemen now located at Obion. | 1