The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1849-10-05
The County Court.

eS W 49, ASsssAS VI NatS III " NCuAN "a
bout to go into operation, and it.
powers and duties. By the new con.
stitution, the present county com.
missioner's court and the Probate
court are abolished, and the term Of
Office of present county commission
ers andProbate justices expire on the
first Monday of December next. Fol
the transaction of the business
heretofore done in these court it is
provided, in Art. 3, Of the new con-
stitution as follows:
Sec. &c. There shall be, in each
county, court, to be called county
court.
Sec II. One county Judge Shall be
elected by the qualified voters OF
each county, who shall hold his Office
for four years, and until Lis success
sar is elected and qualified,
Sec IS. The jurisdiction Of said
court shall extend to all probate and
such other jurisdiction as the general
assembly may confer in civil eases,
and such criminal cases as may be
prescribed by law, where the pun
ishment is by fine only, not exceeding
one hundred dollars.
Sec 10. Tie county judge, with
such justices Of the peace in each
county as may be designated hy law,
shall hold terms for the transaction
of county business, and shall perform
such other duties as the general as
sembly shall prescribe; Pr0riied,
the general assembly may require
that two justices, to be chosen by
the qualified electors Of each county,
shall sit with the county judge in all
cases; and their shall be elected,
quadrennially, in each county, a
clerk of tie county court, who shall
be er QGc'O recorder, whose com
pcnsation shall be fees; Provided
the general assembly may, by law,
make the clerk of the circuit court
ca cBicio recorder, in lieu of the
county clerk.
The law of the last legislature,
confcrs no jurisdiction, either in civ
il or criminal cases, on the county
court.
The Jurisdiction of the county
court is prescribed in Sec. Is, ofthe
act Of the last legislature "establish-
ing county courts" &c, as follows
Sec. ID. The said Judge, with two
justices ofthc peace designated and
provided for, shall, in all cases what
ever, sit as a county court; have,
exercise, and possess all the power,
jurisdiction, land authority heretofore
conferred by law on the county COM
missioncr's court of this state and
shall sit for the transaction of coun-
ty business on the first Mondays OF
December, March, June, and Sep
TENDER, in every year, and shall con-
tinue open until the business before
them is disposed of; and called OF
special terms for the transaction OF
county business may be held, as now
provided by law for special terms OF
the county commissioners courts.
The sittings Of said court shall be in
the court houses, or usual places Of
holding coarts in the respective cour
ties.
1t will thus be seen, the business
now done in the county CONS court
will hereafter be transacted in the
county court by the Judge and two
associate justices, with, however
this important qualiiication-unicss
The townShtp organization is adopted
In that event, the assessing and col,
lecting of taxes and nearly all the
business now done in the county
CONS court will be done by Town
ship officers.
The money collected for road pur-
poses will then be paid to the town
ship officers to be by them expended
in making and improving roads in
their own towns.
In addition to this quarterly NEE
ting of the county tor the tran
saction Of county business, the coun
ty Judge will hold court in the
court house, or usual place Of hold
ing courts in the several counties OF
this state, on the first Monday of cv.
cry month, except the months ii
which the court meets to do county
buc ,nnc, (,c ,bo,,\ ,yL,, .hn ca; ,