The Lancaster ledger. [volume] (Lancaster, S.C.) 1852-1905, 1866-12-05
The District Courts.

AhO DiStilCL Souito
The advantages to be derived from the
establishment Of the District Courts should
be very great to warrant the additional
expense to the judiciary Of the State
which these Courts will occasion. With
out entering in:o minute particulars, we
believe it will be safe to assume that the
expenses Of the Judicial branch Of the
State Government vii he doubled by the
organization of the District Courts.
There are thirty one Judicial Districts
In the State. for each Of which District
Judge has been elected, who will receive
from the Treasury of the State salary
Of FIVE hundred dollars, making in all the
sum OF SIS 500. Ia addition, they will
receive annually from the District Cour,
fund from five hundred to one thousand
dollars, as designated in the District
Court Act, amounting in the whole to
the sum Of 10 400. The two sums uni
ted, make for the pav Of Judges SS4 900,
TO be derived in part from the common
Treasury Of the State and in part from
the parties who are so unfortunate as to
be involved in law suits, either on the
criminal or the civil side Of the Court.
The District Cour, will Sit four times
year, and at each Session there will be in
attendance "a full panel of Grand and
Petit and Pleas Jurors" Should the
Court sit whole week at each Session
the per diem Of Jurors for the District
Courts, to say nothing OF mileage, will
tsach the sun OF $50 $50 annually-a
sum quite sufficient to naugura,e sys
tenn of Common Schools and to educate
every iHdigebt child in the State. Should
the Sessions last but half OF the week on
an average, the expense on this score
would still be enormous, without counting
the individual expense and inconvenience
OF Jurors in being called SO frequently
from their homes, to the neglect Of their
private interests.
Another item OF expense which canrot
be estimated with any degree Of accuracy,
but which will amount to large sum, is
the costs Of prosecution in criminal cases,
where collection cannot be bal from the
convict. In all such cases one half of
the costs will be paid by the State, inc!u.
ding the costs OF the Solicitor or his depu
ty: Heretofore the Solicitors costs ($l5 J
was not paid unless il could be collected
from the party convicted. By the late
law, every convict in the District Court
who is unable to pay the costs Of his pro
secution land the smallest number will he
aSle) vii! cost the State 81 SO, Solicitors
costs.
The foregoing are the leading items of
expense which occur to us. There are
others of minor importance; and there
are objections on the score OF inequalities
and Determinations between the large
and the small debtors, which make this
Court obnoxious to all who desire to see
due observance OF economy and equal
ity in the administration Of justice. As
we endeavored to demonstrate in former
issue, we believe that the Superior Courts,
with the assistance Of the Magistrate
Courts, are, or can ba made, entirely suf.
fcient for the trans ac,ian Of all the busi
hess of the country, without incurring
the enormous expense Of the District
Courts. We hope that the subjec, will
receive due consideration from the Leris-
lature now 10 Session. and il it is not
deemed advisable TO abolish these Courts.
that the system will at least be so modi
fed and changed as to materially reduce
the heavy expense which continuan nee
Of the present system will entail upon the
country.