The Supreme Court of West Virginia.

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THE SUPREME COURT OF WEST VIRGINIA. I. BY J. W. VANDERVORT OF THE WEST VIRGINIA BAR. WEST Virginia was formed from the State of Virginia, June 20, 1863. It thus became a State in the midst of war, and its formation was a protest against the Rebellion by the loyal people of Virginia, west of the Allegheny Mountains, where the

greater part of the State of West Vir ginia lies. Its earli er judges were stern ly and strictly loyal

o the Union.

As in Virginia, the common law, except in so far as modified by statute, has been in force from the formation of the State. Its iudicial system em braces justices of the peace with limited civil and criminal jurisdiction; circuit courts, each circuit embracing one or more counties; and the Supreme Court of Appeals. The law and equity ju WILLIAM A. risdictions are pre served separate and distinct from each other, by separate proceedings, but are admin istered by the same court and the same judge. What is known as " code practice," bas never found congenial soil or climate in either of the Virginias. The great natural resources of our State, °oal, timber, iron and oil, are now being more largely developed than ever before; our Su-

preme Court to-day in settling questions of great interest, at the same time determines pro perty rights involving thousands, even hun dreds of thousands of dollars in single cases, and yet the salary of a judge of the Supreme Court in our State is onlyspite $2,200, of this and factyetit in is not too much to say that our judges give the greatest service for the least pay, and in no wise neglect their duties by rea son of the paucity of their pay. The constitution of the State limits the sal ary, and it is the hope of the bar that the salaries of the judiciary of West Virginia, including the circuit judges, who only receive $1,800 a yea:, will soon be increased. Never, so far as I know, has suspicion ever pointed a finger of doubt at the honor HARRISON. of our state judici ary, and never have our people believed of any of its judges that of him it could be said that " The jingle of the guinea helps the hurt that guilty honor feels." Our Supreme Court consists of four judges. The reports of the Supreme Court deci sions now consist of forty-five volumes. In preparing the sketches of the judges of the Supreme Court, I am indebted to many per