The Fairmont West Virginian. (Fairmont, W. Va.) 1904-1914, 1907-02-07
JUDGE IMPORTER
APPROVES REcoMm ENpArIoNsl
OF OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES IN
TEREsTiNe LETTER.

( CHARLESTON. Feb. Judge ].
70. Mcwhorter has written to govern.
or Dawson from summersyille conn
mending him on the many splendid
measures recommended in the gov.
ernor's report particularly for his
advocacy Of the establishment of Grim.
inal courts in each judicial district in
the State.
Judge Mcwhorter's letter will be
of general interest and 1t is given
In fun herewith:
sUAIMERsvILLE. w. va,
January 30, 1907:
Hon. VIM. w. o. Dawson,
Charleston, W. Va,
My dear Governor:
Among the many splendid meas.
ures recommended by you in your
message to the legislature. a copy
of which you kindly sent me. OBJ.
serve one recommending the adop-
ton of resolution to submit an
amendment to the constitution en-.
abling the Legislature to establish a
criminal court in each judicial cir
cult. feel that this is measure
of such supreme Importance to the
people Of this State that you will
pardon me for giving to It, by let
ter to you, my unqualified endorse
ment Of It I believe the establish
ment of such a court will solve many
Of the troubles In which the entire
judiciary OF the State is involved.
Beginning at the top. as You well
stated in your message, the supreme
court OF appeals is behind with its
work, in, fact, is greatly over-worked.
It must have some relief. Too many
cases reach that court for # to handle
with its present force and time. II
fewer cases We're appealed the work
Of that court would be correspond
ingly reduced.
What is true Of the supreme court
Of appeals in this respect is doubly
true of the Circuit Courts. 1t must
be remembered that conditions have
Wonderfully and radically changed
in this State within the last 20 years.
Litigation, owing to the tremendous
increase Of business, has enormous
ly expanded in this time. The cir
cult courts, measured by their rec
ords per year, have and do ten times
as much work as did the circuit
judges IS years ago, and their work
Is still on the rapid increase. Then,
again. law Is practiced more closely
now than formerly. Every point is
raised and holly contested. New and
complex questions of Law and fact
are constantly arising under our new
and rapidly changing business condi-
tons. These questions the circuit
judges must meet and decide with
lightning like dispatch. otherwise
they will be simply overwhelmed
with work, their dockets, civil and
criminal, become congested, and a
sort OF court stagnatien sets in. Ad-
ded to all this trouble is the fact
that owing to the opening up of
numbering and other manufacturing
industries and especially coal
mines, oil and gas fields, calling
into State many classes of people
criminally disposed. criminal cases
have become positively burdensome.
and take up so much time Of the
court that civil litigants can not APP
peal to the courts for redress of
grievance except at ruinons costs
and with diseouraging delay. AS a
result Of it all the circuit Judges
are so pressed with work, and have
to proceed under such pressure and
sense OF haste that It is utterly i'm.
possible for them or at least many
vestigate authorities, and study the
| cases with that care and pains that
their Importance demands. There.
fore too many cases are carried "a
the supreme court. and that court is
unable to handle the business. II .
criminal judge in each circuit could
come to the relief OF the circuit
Judge, trying the criminal business,
greater expeditions as well us great.
er care and pains could be had in
the dispatch of business. There
would probably be less complaint
about the laws delays.
OF course, governor. l do not adj.
vocate this measure from the selfish
standpoint OF being relieved of work
in my circuit. trust no one would
be so unkind as to impugn my mo.
tive in this respect. know there
are only so many days in year
and so many hours in day, and
whatever may be done am sure to
have all the work in this circuit that
1t is possible for any human being