Kenosha tribune & telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1856-1859, 1859-05-26
Collection Laws, Circuit Court, Profit
and Loss.


petit jury was discharged on Friday.
This has been the longest and most eX-
pensiyc term of court, to the county,
held for a long time past. The mum
Der Of suits disposed Of has been quite
large. 1t may not be amiss to looi, ut
the results accomplished by the Court;
to estimate its profit and loss to the peo-
pie, pecuuiarily and morally. We donot
mean 10 say that the May term OF the
court just closed, more especially mer
its attention, than any previous term Of
court, the business in the Circuit Court
Of Krnosha county is as well, and ju.
diciously managed as elsewhere III the
State. Il is not with the officers or the
legal profession connected with the
court. that here is cause for complaint;
these are no more responsible for our
system Of collection laws, than amy oth-
er class Of citizens. We propose to
consider more particularly the pccunia-
ry relations to the people Of our collec-
ton laws; although their moral bear.
ing upon the community, iswcll worthy
OF public attention.
The expenses of the late term Of Court
directly to the tax payers Of the coun-
ty, can be computed with exactness !;
the expenses to individual citizens, and
indirectly to the people, cannot be arriy-
ed at with certainty; they are only a
matter Of estimate. 1t appears from the
records, that the amount allowed to Pet
til Jurors for the term is 1911, 90 +; Grand
Jurors, $I42,21; subordinate officers Of
the CouIt #l24,5O. TO these must be
added expenses not audited, such as pc,
diem allowance Of county officers, fuel,
lights, stationery, &c, which will make
the amount to be added to the county
taxes for the expenses of the term over
81, 200. So far the court expenses adj
NIT of no dispute. Much the larger
class of expenses, as before remarked,
are only estimates these are as fol-
lows: Time spoDt by parties to suits,
witnesses, &c, average fifty such per-
sons day, at $l25 each, including their
expenses--$l 1926. Cost OF professional
services$1 300 There are other mat.
tiers still more indefinite, which should
enter into the calculation Of expenses.
Much time is spent by parties prior to
the regular term Of conrt, in arranging
and settling preliminaries Of suits to be
tried SO also, it would not be out OF
place to calculate the numbers who arc
drawn from their legitimate employ
ments, to witness the contests between
parties in the court room. AS has al
ready been intimatcd, no pretcntions t.
great accuracy is made in our estimates
1t is not our purpose to give the foot
ing Of the total amount Judgments rem
dered during the term of Court, will
the view Of showing The profit or loss
in that way, because no accurate calcn
lation Of the benefit conferred on tn,
people by our collection laws, can be ar
rived at by that method. We learn tn,
amount of judgments obtained was lar
ger than usual the aggregate iucIusiy,
Of those rendered nv confession an,
exclusive of those on foreclosures ma,
perhaps. reach $4,000. OF the tota
sum Of INDICTMENTS nrobabIv over 300,
is for the costs. OftEc absolute ,r5yl5 @
the total amount Of iudrmnts obtaiuas
it is impossible to iudgo. How man.
of the exc ,utions issued ON them will h,
returned, ''no property found on whicI
to levy" is question not SO easily an
swered. 1t is furthermore a matter o
speculation as to how many Of tho suit.
in court, have been determined accor
ding to the true merits Of the contro
versies? Every one knows that coiDo
through the forms of trial in our Courts
is not altogether unlike a game at chcs,
the most skillful player wins. So tho
most adroit and skillluly managed cas-.
es in Court gain the verdict. Parties tc
suits in these days, rely about as much
on able and ingenious counsel as upon
testimony. Nothing is more common
than to hear people say-such a sui,
was badly managed, aud for that cause
the party lost his case. If man has
what in common parlance is called y