The Birmingham age-herald., 1909-08-02
ALBERTYILLE WILL
 ASK FOR COURT

Albertville, August 1.-(Specjal.)- Much interest in the proposed branch circuit court at Albertville has de- veloped throughout the entire county and petitions are being signed freely in every precinct calling upon the leg islature to pass the bill at this special session.
 For many years the court docket in Marshall has been so badly behind that parties litigant lose sight of the origi- nal cause of action in their anxiety as to who shall pay the cost long be- fore the trial is had, and In some in- stances small law suits have bank rupted men of some means on account of the enormous cost accumulated while waiting for trial from term to term.
 One cause of the trouble has been that Guntersville, the county site, is often cut off during court by the back waters of the Tennessee river and an- other is that the people of the Sand mountain section of the county can not reach Guntersyille over the Nash vile, Chattanooga and St. Louis railway every morning until about II o'clock, and thereby the court Is often de- tained while waiting for the parties and witnesses to arrive.
 The friends of the branch court claim that 1t will save expense to the county and relieve the congested state of the docket at Guntersville as special term after special term of the circuit court has been held and they have failed to bring relief. By placing the courts close to the parties and witnesses 1t is argued that the courts will be able to put in a full days work every day of the term and tn ereby save the special terms that have heretofore been held at great expense to the county.
 One of the interesting features about the proposition Is that the town of AL bertvtlle proposes to furnish the court house and jail If the court is estab- lished The Albertville people are very enthusiastic at the prospect of getting the court, and at a mass meeting of the citizens recently, which was well attended, every citizen voted for the following resolutions:
 "Whereas for many years the circuit court docket of Marshall county has been crowded and parties litigant, as well as the witnesses have been and are yet being caused to pay out large sums of money unnecessarily on ac- count of delay in the trial of causes; and
 Whereas there appears to be no re- lief in sight, although an additional week has been given for the trial of the causes on the docket and many special terms of the court have been held for the purpose of clearing up the docket and the congested condition still remains; and
 Whereas one of the chief reasons why said condition exists Is that the court at Guntersvi1le has to wait every day for the morning train to reach Guntersville to bring the parties and witnesses from the Sand mountain sec tion of the county, and tn ereby much time is lost; and
 "Whereas by the establier ment of a branch circuit court at Albertville the parties and witnesses on Sand mountain could reach the court in time every day, the business for the day could be disposed of on the day set the ex- pense of litigation much lessened, and the congested state of the docket at Guntersville be overcome, thereby re- ducing the expense of litigation in the balance of the county. Now, therefore, be 1t
 Resolved, That we, the people, citf- zens and tax payers of Albertville and Sand mountain, in mass meeting as- sembled do hereby indorse the bill as published in the Marshall Banner pro- posing to create branch circuit court at Albertville, and pledge our hearty cooperation in securing it's passage in the special session of the legislature now in session."
 The bill will in all probab bility be in- troduced in the early part of the week and a lively fight Is likely to occur as Guntersville Is fighting the measure and a delegation is already in Mont gomery. So far as can be learned the people of the county favor the meas ure and have signed petitions In its favor, which will be presented with the bill when introduced. The only opposi- tion seems to come from the people of Guntersville, who fear that Albertville has some ulterior motive behind the measure. The center of population of the county having within the last few years moved in the direction of Sand mountain, and Albertville being the metropolis not only of the mountain turally makes Guntersville solicitous about the county seat.
 Boaz Protests.
 Boaz, August 1.-(special)-At mass meeting today the following protest was passed without dissenting voice:
 we the citizens of Beat 20 one of the beats designated in the bill of Mar shall county, Alabama, hereby unani- mously enter our protest against there being a branch court established at AL bertville. We unanimously condemn the move as one devoid of patriotism and burdensome expense to the taxpayers.