The Palatka news and advertiser., 1915-04-09
.PALATKA LAWYERS
OPPOSE NEW CIRCUIT
In a Petition to be Presented
to the Legislature.

| Last week the Palatka News pub
lished a story concerning an effort to
be made in the legislature to pass
bill creating a new Judicial Circuit
| to be composed of the counties of
Clay, st. Johns and Putnam counties.
The statement was made that the bar
of this county generally favored the
measure; this statement being on the
authority of a member of the bar of
another county, who was evidently
misl"d as to the attitude of the Pa
latka bar.
Since the publication of the pro-
posed reorganization of the two cir
cults involved in this Encouragement,
the following petition has been pre-
pared and signed by all but two men,
bers of the local bar. The petition
which follows will be presented to the
Legislature:
WHEREAS is has been represented
through the press and otherwise that
the members of the Palatka Bar ap-
prove certain propose d legislation
whereby a new Judicial Circuit is to
be created, composed of Putnam, Clay
and st. Johns Counties, thereby TAX
ing Putnam County out of the Eighth
Judicial Circuit, and
WHEREAS the undersigned attor-
neys are thereby misrepresented and
placed in a false light, and
WHEREAS the undersigned attor-
: neys desire to make their real posi-.
ton and sentiments known to the
public,
= NOW THEREFORE,, we the under.
: signed attorneys and members of the
Palatka Bar, do hereby affirm that
we are opposed to the proposed legis
lation; that it is our opinion that sucf
l legislation would not be to the bes
: interest of Putnam County; that The
. d. Eighth Judicial Circuit is not congest
ed with business and needs no relief
that there would not be business il
: the new proposed circuit sufficient tt
e Justify the expense to the tax payer!
t that would necessarily ensue; tina
d there would not be one months worl
in each year for the State Attorney
n that the work of the Judge would b,
S very light; that such circuit woulC
: be so small as to be practically far
ClCdI, JlldU GIlc tanning VI Sldy dllI ~
: Johns County from the Circuit il
:, which Duval County is part woul,
}, give very little relief to that circuit
that number of additional Judge
t for the circuit in which Duval Count.
is located, would afford all of tn
needed relief for that circuit; that w
are unable to see any good reason fo
r the proposed change.
e WE ARE THEREFORE oppose
e to the proposed legislation.
d (Signed)
e S. J. Hilburn.
n Henry Strunz.
E. E. Haskell.
I, John E. Marshall.
S J. V. Walton.
h H. E. Merryday.
s Geo. B. Everson.
: J. N. Blackwell.
. However, the fact remains that tn
bar of the other counties involved i
S the proposed reorganization of tn
l. judicial circuits, will urge the re-ol
? ganization and have already mad
l. their plans for pushing the matte
{. before the legislature.
, Putnam comfy is really in les
. . need of the change than any of tn
q other counties involved The matte
y was at first suggested because of es
pecially needed relief in the countie
comprising the present Fourth Jud
- cial Circuit-Clay, st. Johns, Duvs
( and Nassau.
y Because of the great amount of lii
~ igation in DTval there is need of in
y mediate relief, and a committee q
:, lawyers of the Fourth Judicial Gin
4 cult has recommended a re-organizs
- ton. This committee was compose
= of w. H. Baker, A. W. Cockrell, j
Henry P. Adair. Hinton J. Baker. Ir
J. Carter, David R RDunham, Frank I
a Fleming, G. W. Geiger, E. ]. L'Engl
/ and Geo. M Powell. At recer
;, meeting of the bars of these countie