The Nevada journal., 1858-04-30
Or 5letaoa 1ournaI.
FRIDAY MORNING, APRIL so:h, 1858

with our cotemporary that the action Of
the Legislature in postponing the elec-
tion of Supreme Court Clerk a year, or
rather the taking the election of tha'
officer from the people and legislating
him in, is reprehensible. The Democrat
SAYS it is anti democratic, and an out
rage. We concur. But this is not the
only outrage the Legislature has com
Tni!ted, and of the same kind. Mr.. Fair
fax, the Clerk Of the Supreme Court has
been in office long enough to test hi
abilities for the position. As the Legis-
lature has continued him in Office one
year longer the presumption ought to be
that he has proven an efficient officer.
No such presumption can be raised III
regard to the continuance Of the Resi-
dent Physician of the State Asylum for
the Insane. He became the superin-
tendent at Stockton but a few months
since. Itis a position requiring peculiar
qualifications of mind joined with as
much experience as can be obtained. 1t
is a more responsible place by far than
that Of Clerk of the Supreme Court. 1t
calls for higher requirements and more
integrity. An error in the one Office
involves but dollars and cents; in the
other all that and the well being and
lives of two hundred unfortunate beings
whose reason is dethroned. The Super
intendent of the Asylum will have to ii
great extent one hundred thousand dol
lars at his control during the ensuing
year, and in no year, perhaps, less than
half that sum; and what is more holds
the reason, life and happiness of numer-
Gus individuals in his hands. We can
not believe with the Democrat, then,
that legislating Fairfax into office one
year longer is the most anti-democratic
measure enacted by the Legislature
The other act is by far the most outra-
geous, as the qualifications of DR.. Aylett
have never been thoroughly tested. In
truth one essential virtue, that of econo-
my, if we are to judge by the demands
he makes upon the treasury, he does not
possess. In hard cash there has been
more money expended on the institution
under his management than by any Of
his predet essors in the same length of
time, while the number of inmates Las
not very much increased.
The Democrat says the office of Clerk
Of the Supreme Court is worth some
$4,000 or 100000 year, and the du-
ties requiring but an ordinary capacity,
the rotary principle should be carried
out. The great outrage the Democrat
discovers in the extension Of the time of
Mr. Fairfax, is the stopping the great
dispensing democratic rotation wheel
and cutting off $4,000 or 10000 from
another "clever gentleman" of Limited
capacity" 1t occurs to us that the
greater error Of the Legislature in this
case is the allowing so lucrative al
office to exist. 1t would seem, (whether
anti-democratic or not, we leave to the
professors of the party craft to say,) the
way of obtaining justice should be made
easy, and not hampered with exactions
like these to enrich ''clever gentleman
Of ordinary capacity" in one year. 1t
may not sound democratic to condemn
the Legislature for not reducing the fees
of Clerk of the Supreme Court, and
thereby making the access to justice
more easy to the people, but it is certain
lv of more Importance that the rights
andinterests of the majority of the whole
people should be attended to. than the
rotary principle of party carried out.
We agree with our cotemporary that an
outrage he's been perpetrated but a
greater wrong has been silently con-
summated.