The sun., 1916-01-31
THE RENTED COURT HOUSE.
Distressing Picture Of q Texas TEN.
ME Of Justice.

pie Of Justice.
To THE EDITOR or THE SuN-Sr. In
the article on the public buildings bill
IN THE sun of January 2S In some cases
only half of the truth has been told
The new court house at Texarkana, Tex.
has no roblng room for the Judge.
have been In the room referred to by
your correspondent, and l know tho
Judge, having walked with him along
the streets OF Texas in shirt sleeves
when coats were uncomfortable.
The room Is for reference library.
with the United States statutes and
United States court reports. An adjoin-
ing room is for consultation between
Judge and counsel When several inter
ests are involved, at least Ave lawyers
will be In this room at once with the
Judge and his stenographer
This building Is occupied by the clerk
Of the court and tho United States
Commissioner and recruiting officers for
the army and navy.
Heretofore the Government had to
rent quarters for all these Federal &C.
tivites. do not know how much rent
was paid for the navy and army re-
cruiting offices, but I do know that
$1,000 year was paid for the use of
"A court room and one small room for the
clerk. Judge and s,enographer. District
Attorney and his assistants Marshal and
his deputies. witnesses. jurors. &C.
No room was set apart for a library
for the Federal court The result was
that the books and reports usually sent
out from Washington were retained at
Washington for the reason that no room
was available In the rented quarters to
receive the law books.
The building was the hest one avail
able, although the walls were cracked
| and the plaster had fallen from the CELL
Ing in large patches, exposing the wood
lath. The building was noisy. No
Commissioner or Judge could give undi-
vided attention to a case. because Of the
traffic IN and around the building.
The fire station was adjoining on one
side, and the jail on the other. with only
a pathway between.
The $1,000 rental is equivalent TO the
| interest on $4,000 at . per cent, this
being the rate given by postal savings
banks. Allowing your correspondent y
own valuation. the taxpayers have TO
pay an additional . per cent. for the
additional facilities secured In the new
building. Tho value OF the building site
| has doubled since the Government be-
came owner.
| All the Government officials IN that
| district. including many miles OF terri
| tory, can now be housed under one roof
| The heating, lighting and ventilating are
now under Government control. and not
AT the whim OF some careless landlord
| | attended q session of the United States
| court in the old rented quarters. which
were supplied with natural gas for
heating and lighting. The stove pipe ex.
| tended about forty feet across the cell
| ing and had fallen down near the stove
so that the fumes were choking and
| gave headaches 10 many Of the Lawyers
and jurors who were too busy to notice
| the accident.
on my way out Il had stood II Ions
! enough | called one of the attendants
of the rented building. telling him the
! whole room would be hlled with sick
people IL he did not have the pipe con
nected TO the stove al one. His reply
| was that IL would not hurt them "be.
cause We are burning natural gas
Not far from this court house Is an.
other attended by the same Judge. IBIS
triCt Attorney. Marshal &c. The Grand
Jury. witnesses and pistiic, Attorney are
compelled t. meet in the basement of the
court house. The ceiling is SO low thai
the average District Attorney will strik,
his head every time he enters th'
room. Untl recently this Grand Jur,
room was lighted by oil lamps
WA any member Of grand jur.
IN such quarters long enough to assur'
substantial justice:
After the cases ave submitted To- tn,
jurors thes" twelve men have 20 retir'
INTO an attic room, dark and often al
temperature above 90 degrees Napo
leon said there was nothing too good 70
A soldier. There should he nothing t.,
good FOR the officials in whom We trus
our lives and property
a ..al
heated and unsautary We cannot expec
Judges and Jurors TO give the neccssar,
dc,ihcrat.on In deciding their cases.
| When you read of jurics tossing up
com to determine whether or not TN" de
fcrdant should he hanged you can rcucr
ally trace such actions to desire t.
get away from dark and unsinitary sur
rouudiuEs.
Every Jury room should have
shoNcr bath and all tho farilitics for IN
usual comforts found IN tho ordinar.
. American home.
when our court houses are dcsiGrc,
, 10y men who have attended few meet
luCs ~ jurles and grand jurins we shll
, no; have so many unsanitarY rooms II
our court houses as We now have.
The foreign applicant must go to thos
buildings for his FIRST papers and fo
= his naturalization papers. He natuall
. taxes lht OF MS lpftlGn or near Tor
eien friends with him. What impresso
do these new citizens receive from thel
adopted country when they find tn
Judge is in "A rented building, sits ON
rented bench, signs their naturAl,za
: tion papers on rented desk. ana IN
, even strip Of red. white and blue I
sight to remind them that they must at
jurc allegiance to the mother country?
, To establish "A court house, state q
Federal separate and apart from n
, pos, Office buildings, with the flag POI
as prominent feature in the frur
= yard and not on the roof. is one of III
a best ways to keep before our adopte
4 citizens our interest in them.
I Send them TO rented court hous
4 where the landlord cannot or will nr
| afford "A nag pole or proper farlltie
' and nil the best influences are lost.
= II. l'MsTEAn
$ FORT JERvs, January 81.
=. ND WILSON TO TUE HdJSEI