The Birmingham age-herald. [volume] (Birmingham, Ala.) 1902-1950, 1906-02-22
DEMAND MADE FOR
MORE COURT ROOM
Judge D, A, Greene Writes to
Board of Revenue
FACTS ARE SET FORTH
Urgent Need for Additional Quarters
at Jefferson County Court House
Is Presented In Strong Terms.
Statistics Convincing.
FACTS ARE SET FORTH

Judge Dan A. Greene of the criminal
court yesterday completed and forwarded
to the Jefferson county Board of Revenue
the open letter promised on the subject
of necessary additions to the court house.
The letter presents interesting facts and
Judge Greene comments caustlcally upon
the conditions surrounding the second
division of the criminal court. The docu-
ment in full is as follows:
To the Board of Revenue, Birmingham,
Ala
Gentlemen-Permit me to call to your
attention the facilities now afforded the
courts of our county for the proper and
convenient despatch of business, especi-
ally as regards the criminal court, and
urge upon you the absolute necessity
for some immediate provisions to meet
the demand for more room.
AS you know the first division which
is engaged entirely in hearing jury trials.
occupies the room on the second floor
and this is fairly adequate for ordinary
purposes. Adjoining it in one room the
clerk of the court with five deputies
transacts all the clerical business OF the
court, and keeps all the records, which
are more voluminous than In any other
court This room is utterly insufficient
for the proper and efficient despatch of
the business of the office.
A Disgrace.
The quarters assigned to the second
division would be a disgrace to the poor
est and smallest county in the state, as
far as room is concerned. A little room
on the third floor, capable of seating about
twenty-five people altogether, and there
is scarcely a day but that fifty people
are compelled to be In attendance, and
more often a hundred and upwards. As
many as can pack in, do so, sitting on
desk and table, In the windows and stand
ing up, and the balance lounge about the
corridors, and at times it has more than
the appearance of a political beat meet
ing, or horse swappers' convention,
than a court of justice. 1t entirely de-
stroys that dignity that should to a GER
tain extent always accompany the pro-
ceedings of a court, impedes the admins
trations of justice, and tends to lower the
respect for law. This is no over-drawn
picture, as any lawyer will tell you who
has had to appear in this court The de-
mand for enlarged court house facilities
does not have to await the establishment
of new court, or courts. 1t is here now,
and is urgent.
Business Transacted.
Permit me to direct your attention to
the amount of business transacted in this
court during the year, 1905, which was
not an unusual one.
The beginning of the January term,
1905, there were on the dockets of this
court: Capital cases, 81; non-capital
cases, 29S; misdemeanors, $40; making a
total of $50. During the year there were
added: Capital cases, 3d. non-capital
felonies, 400; misdemeanors 1913; making
a grand total for the year of 2712 OF
this number there was disposed of: Cap
ital cases, 80; non-capital felonies, 552;
rnlsdemeanors, 1447; making a grand to-
tai for the year of 2049 Leaving cases
pending on the dockets of 1905: Capital
81; non-capital felonies, 236; misdemean-
ors, 1865; total, $685.
This means, gentlemen, that during the
thrty-sx weeks terms prescribed by law
there is disposed at the rate of about five
capital cases per week, about twenty
non-capital felonies, and about forty mis-
demeanors, and yet as a matter of fact,
we are months behind the docket and no
nearer up than we were a year ago. 1t
would take nearly six months with the
first division doing nothing else, to clear
the capital docket. You ask me what
has all this to do with increased court
room and office facilities, and L answer
everything. If we had the room whereby
we were enabled to have a jury in both
divisions of the court as is now the