WALKER FOR THIRD COURT IN STATE-JOINS MRS. LANGLEY AND FINLEY IN MOVE FOR NEW FEDERAL JUDGE The Courier-Journal Washington Bureau WASHINGTON, April 4.-Representative Lewis L. Walker, of the Eighth Kentucky District to-day aligned himself with Mrs. Katherine Langley and Representative Charles Finley in favor of the Langley bill for creating a third judicial district in Kentucky. Messrs. Walker and Finley are the only Kentucky Members now definitely committed to the measure which originally was sponsored by Senator John M. Robsion, and on which the House Judiciary Committee will conduct a hearing Monday. "I am in favor of the Langley bill to create another Federal judicial District in Kentucky," Mr. Walker said in a formal statement. "The jurisdiction of Federal Courts are being so constantly extended that it is necessary to bring the courts closer to the people. I shall offer an amendment, which Mrs. Langley approves, to establish a court at Danville, in my district. This will a a great convenience to the people of Boyle, Garrard, Lincoln, Casey, Mercer, and Washington Counties." Danville is only 12 miles from Lancaster, 10 miles from Stanford, 20 miles from Liberty, and 10 miles from Harrodsburg, which makes it one of the most convenient places in the State to hold a Federal court. "The establishment of a new district will also help Richmond, as it will no doubt be the headquarters of the southern district. From the standpoint of travel, both by rail and public roads, it is nearer the center of the district than any other place at which a court will be held, and for this reason, in my judgment, it will be the headquarters for the southern district." The following amendment offered by Mr. Walker: On page 1, line 11, after the word “Carroll" insert the word “Casey.” On page 1, line 12, after the word "Gallatin insert the word "Garrard." On page 2, line 1, after the word "Lewis" insert the word "Lincoln." On page 2, line 25, strike out the word "Lincoln. Mrs. LANGLEY. May I introduce Congressman Craddock, of Kentucky. STATEMENT BY HON. J. D. CRADDOCK, A REPRESENTATIVE IN CONGRESS FROM THE STATE OF KENTUCKY Mr. CHRISTOPHERSON. We will be glad to hear you, Congressman. Craddock. Mr. CRADDOCK. I am going to take very little of your time. I have an amendment I want to introduce to this bill. I have talked to Mrs. Langley. She is the author of the bill and is in accord with the amendment I have to offer. I am in the western district and I am going to offer an amendment. Here is a county, Green County, here in the eastern district which has been in the western district but under the new bill goes over here [indicating]. It has no outlet back this way [indicating on map]. There is a branch railroad that stops right in Green County, coming out this way, into the western district and connects with the main line of the Louisville & Nashville Railroad, and goes into Louisville. There is only one road into the county. It is a loose gravel road that has just been built and it is rather bad riding and runs right back in re. There is another county-Nelson-back here. It has a good outlet. to Louisville and Green this way. My amendment is to leave these two counties in the western district where they are now. The other will be to establish a court at Elizabethtown. You see western Kentucky is very similar condition to southern or the southeastern country, in that they do not have as many good roads as they have over here [indicating]. This bluegrass section up here, I do not suppose there is a prettier country in the world. It is a garden spot, and in our system of good roads they use the plan of allotting the money to the counties that had the money to put up, and that accounts for them allotting it to those counties. And in here are 15 or 20 counties; they have the good roads; you can go anywhere you want to in those counties on a good road. Down here we do not have good roads. A lot of counties do not have a hard-surfaced road in them. They are getting graded roads now and a few rock roads. I want to establish a court here at Elizabethtown, which is about 50 miles from Louisville and Bowling Green, where we have a court now, and about the same distance from here as it is there. The first district will have two courts and the second one, and the third district has a court and the district I live in has no court in it. It has some counties in it that have no roads, and it will be a great help to this district, and I am, therefore, asking it for the same reason that the southern district is asking for that court. Mr. THATCHER. Are you proposing those places Mr. CRADDOCK. Nelson and Green be put back into the western district. Mr. THATCHER. I know the natural line of travel there is toward the western district and toward Louisville. Mr. CRADDOCK. Yes, sir. Mr. THATCHER. But when you put Nelson back in the western district you are adding again to its burden, because Nelson is one of the counties where there is a large percentage of criminal cases coming into the western district; so the western district will get very little relief if you created a new district, and keep Nelson and Green Counties in the western district. Hence, the only actual relief must come through the appointment of an additional judge for both the present districts. Mr. CRADDOCK. Nelson County, if you understand Mr. THATCHER. That is the regular line of travel. Mr. CRADDOCK. There is no outlet here, and Green County has no outlet or turnpike back in this district here. Mrs. LANGLEY. He is from the western district himself and is pleading for an amendment for his own district. Mr. THATCHER. Yes; I am not objecting to it, but the point I am making is that if you put these counties back into the western district you are not going to give any relief to the western district; so that is the reason my proposal is a third judge, so as to relieve the whole situation. The needs of the entire State should be considered. Mr. CRADDOCK. I am not fighting that, Governor Thatcher. You know my position is for the best system. Even if you introduce your amendment, I am fighting for a court at Elizabethtown, where it is badly needed. Mrs. LANGLEY. We have with us a very distinguished gentleman from Madisonville, Judge LaFoon. Mr. Kincheloe said that this bill should provide a court at Hopkinsville. There seems to be some question as to which of these places the court should be held. I present Judge LaFoon. The following amendments offered by Mr. Craddock: On page 1, line 12, strike out the word "Green." On page 2, line 2, strike out the word "Nelson. On page 4, line 5, after the word "Grayson" insert the word "Green.' On page 4, line 8, after the word "Muhlenberg" insert the word "Nelson." On page 4, line 18, after the word "December" insert the words "at Elizabethtown first Monday in February and third Monday in September." On page 4, line 20, after the word "Hopkinsville" insert the words “and Elizabethtown." STATEMENT OF HON. RUBY LAFFOON, A JUDGE OF A DISTRICT COURT OF THE STATE OF KENTUCKY Judge LAFFOON. Mr. Chairman and gentlemen of the committee, I promise you that I will not detain you but a few minutes. I am very glad to say something in behalf of establishing this extra court. I do not know the experience of all the lawyers in Kentucky, but my experience is that the Federal courts in Kentucky are very much congested. I think a great many litigants have a hard time in having their cases ever properly tried, not because of a lack of probity on the part of the court but on account of the fact that there is an extraordinary amount of business. We used to be told previous to the Volstead Act when that was enacted we could tear down all our jails and courthouses, but on these Federal courts it has created an extra burden. There is no doubt about that. I have one resolution of the Madisonville Chamber of Commerce and a resolution of the Madisonville Bar Association that I desire to file with this committee, asking that the town of Madisonville be designated instead of the town of Hopkinsville. Gentlemen, Hopkinsville is in an agricultural community exclusively. Madisonsville is the heart of the western Mr. CHRISTOPHERSON. Where is Hopkinsville? Judge LAFFOON. In Christian County. Mr. CHRISTOPHERSON. That is in the western section? Judge LAFFOON. Yes, sir. If you will notice from this map, gentlemen, Hopkinsville is within 14 miles of the Tennessee line. Mr. CHRISTOPHERSON. Madisonville is where from there? Judge LAFFOON. Madisonville is north from there, about this point [indicating on map]. Now, if you will draw a circle with a radius of 40 miles with Madisonville as the center, it includes seven county seats. All seven of those county seats are located in counties where the principal industry is mining or coal industry. Mr. CHRISTOPHERSON. What is the size of Madisonville? Judge LAFFOON. It is a town of about 10,000 population. Mr. CHRISTOPHERSON. What is the population of Hopkinsville? Judge LAFFOON. Possibly a few thousand larger than Madisonville. But Madisonville is better adapted to take care of the court than Hopkinsville, because Hopkinsville has only this one hotel and Madisonville has two that are just as commodious as the one at Hopkinsville. Mr. THATCHER. Would you keep the court at Owensboro? Judge LAFFOON. Oh, yes. The bill proposes to keep it at Owensboro and Paducah and to establish a court at Hopkinsville, and our purpose is to try to get the committee to strike out Hopkinsville and put in Madisonville. Mr. THATCHER. How far are you from Madisonville? Judge LAFFOON. We are more than 50 miles from Owensboro, 100 miles from Paducah, and a hundred and some miles from Bowling Green. Mr. SWANSON. Is there a court at Hopkinsville now? Judge LAFFOON. No, sir. This bill proposes to establish it there. As I said, if you draw a circle 40 miles in diameter with Madisonvillle as the center, it will include seven county seats. If you draw it with Hopkinsville as the center, it will include, counting Hopkinsville, three county seats. I hold telegrams from four of the seven counties affected by this court, requesting that the court be held at Madisonville, because it is the greatest center of litigation arising in this locality. Mr. THATCHER. Then, if a bill should be introduced providing for an additional judge and additional places for holding court the same argument would apply to that sort of bill as to this, would it not? Judge LAFFOON. Yes, sir. Of course, we are not here trying to take any sides in the fight against the establishment of this new judgeship. Mr. THATCHER. I understand. You want a court there? Judge LAFFOON. We want a court there. Dixon, Ky., is the county seat of Webster County, the first county north of Madisonville. That would be in the jurisdiction of this court if established at Madisonville or if established at Hopkinsville. Marion, the county seat of Crittenden County, is the greatest spar producing county in the United States. In fact, it produces more spar than all the balance of the country in the United States. Morganfield is the county seat of the greatest agricultural county in Kentucky, and at the same time it is one of the great mining counties of this State. Greenville is the county seat of Muhlenburg County, and adjoins the county in which Madisonville is located. Princeton is the county seat of Caldwell County, which is largely an agricultural county, but does have the production of some spar. The point I want to impress upon this question is: To travel from Dixon to Madisonville litigants and lawyers would have to travel a distance of 26 miles. If they travel to Hopkinsville, if the court were established there, they would have to travel through Madisonville and travel a distance of 55 miles. Litigants and lawyers of Marion, which is in Crittenden County, if the court were established at Madisonville, would have to travel 51 miles; and to reach the court if established at Hopkinsville they would have to travel 82 miles. The lawyers and litigants at Morganfield would have to travel 40 miles to Madisonville and 85 miles to reach Hopkinsville. Greenville would have to travel 20 miles to reach Madisonville, and 40 miles to reach Hopkinsville; and the lawyers and litigants at Princeton would have to travel 33 miles to reach the court at Madisonville, or 66 miles to reach it at Hopkinsville. Every one of these counties that would be affected by the establishment of this court, if it is established at Madisonville, will reach the court in a much less distance than they could possibly reach it if established at Hopkinsville. Mr. THATCHER. Where do they go now? Judge LAFFOON. Part of them to Owensboro, and part to Bowling Green, and part to Paducah. As I said, Webster County, Hopkins County, and Muhlenburg County are the homes of all the coal corporations that do business in western Kentucky. In those four counties there are more than 100 coal operations. More than 100 corporations own the coal in those counties and are in operation. All of those are foreign corporations. Of course there is no litigation down there between citizens except where it arises between citizens of two different States. It is to the interest of those corporations and the poor fellows who happen to have damage suits against those corporations to be able to reach the court by traveling the slightest possible distance. I have known a great many damage suits against these corporations to be settled because of the fact that the plaintiff was not able to pay his expenses and his lawyers' expenses and his witnesses' expenses and be delayed for the trial of his case two or three days awaiting it being reached on the docket. Now, then, there is another fact I want to call the committee's attention to, and that is about the transportation, to reach the court if established at Madisonville. All these counties I have mentioned would have to pass through Madisonville to get to Hopkinsville. All of these roads that lead to Hopkinsville pass through Madisonville except the one in Triggs County and the one in Todd County; and it may be interesting to the committee to know that Hopkins County, of which Madisonville is the county seat, has the largest mileage of railroad of any county in Kentucky. That fact, I want to call your attention to. Hopkins County has 107 miles of railroad; Christian County, 32 miles; Trigg County, 20 miles; Caldwell County, 45 miles; Crittenden County, 20 miles; Union County, 35 miles; Webster County, 60 miles; Henderson County, 10 miles; McLean County, 15 miles; Muhlenburg County, 75 miles; Ohio County, 10 miles; a total of 449 miles of railroad in those counties. The counties that would be affected if the court were established at Madisonville would possess mileage of railroad, as I say, of 449. If established at Hopkinsville, the counties affected will only have the use of 255 miles of railroad, nearly 200 miles difference of railroads available to witnesses and jurors if this court is established at Madisonville. There are one or two other facts I want to call to your attention if I can find time. As I told you, Hopkins County, of which Madisonville is the county seat, and Muhlenburg County and Webster County adjoin it on the west, comprise the coal field region of western Kentucky. Now, there is one coal company that has operations in all three of those counties, that purchased its holdings from some other company in the last few years and paid $4,000,000 for its property. That corporation has 7 mines in Hopkins and works 2,040 men. Union County, 3 mines work 678 men; and in Webster County, In |