Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1911-04-23
LAUDS NEW SYSTEM
Judge Bundy Tells Advantages
of Municipal Court.
ADDRESS IN PHILADELPHIA
Tribunal Offers Conveniences to Lit
giants, It Is Stated.

That the new municipal court, as COM
pared with the old system Of administer
Ing justice through justices of the peace.
Is superior in the matter Of convenience
to litigants, economy of administration
and expedition Of authorizations and pos
sesses the advantage Of inspiring re-
spect for its decisions was claimed by
Judge Charles S. Bundy. chief justice of
the court. in a recent address before the
City Club of Philadelphia.
Judge Bundy's address was upon the
subject. Are Municipal Courts Desira-
ble?" 1t was delivered by special invi-
tation of the club composed Of leading
business men and others of Philadelphia
Interested in reaching a solution as to the
comparative merits of the two systems.
Reviewing the administration Of petty
justice by Justices Of the peace and re-
ferring to the difficulties due to condi-
items following the close of the civil war,
both before and after his appointment as
justice of the peace. June is, 1878,
Judge Bundy recounted the reasons that
led to the establishment of the Municipal
Court in Washington.
THAT the act of Congress which er-
fected the change from the old system
to the new he said. was not a mere
legislative device to get rid OF unde-
sirable incumbents is evident from the
fact that the act continued the in
cumbents in Office under the new name
until the expiration Of their terms. and
all except one were reappointed and
commissioned as judges Of the Municipal
Court Of the District of Columbia"
Letters Of Lawyers on Subject.
The circumstances leading to the
change, he said, are clearly and forcibly
set forth in letters Of George e. Hamil-
ton and Wharton T.. Lester of the Wash
ington bar to members Of the House of
Representatives at the time.
Mr. Hamiltons letter, read by Judge
Bundy. referred to the greater jurisdic-
ton given the new court-eXclusive in
cases involving sums up to 500. and
concurrent in cases involving from $500
to $500. This. he commended, would
necessarily increase the business usual
ly conducted before the judges, which
had been sufficient to keep them busy
all the time, SO that when one or more
was absent through Illness, or otherwise.
it was almost a matter of imposs!bility to
have the work properly attended to by the
remaining justices. He declared it most
inadvisable to decrease the number of
judges, because it would greatly interfere
with one of the principal objects in estab-
lisning the new court. that Of giving poor
litigants a cheap and speedy method of
having their cases settled.
Mr.. Testers letter declared the new
system would be a great improvement
over the old. Reviewing the limitation
of the Jurisdiction of justices of the peace
it declared no jury trials could be had in
their courts. but in all cases involving s.
or more an appeal could be taken to the
Supreme Court Of the District Of Column
bia.
.Mr. Lester also mentioned the difficult
ties and annoyance to litigants under lie
old system. which made 1t impossible to
edualize the work of the justices and
necessitated bringing their widely scat
tered offices as near as might be to a
common center.
Discussion Is Reviewed.
Judge Bundy reviewed the discussion of
the subject in the House of Representa-
tives. He quoted Representative Michael
E. Driscoll of New York, who said the
substitution OF municipal court with two