, 1870-04-11
TIE CONSTITUTIONAL CONVENTION.


sassion on Tuesday. When it adjourned,
nearly month ngo, the article relating to
the Judiciary Was unde. discussion, and viii
be resumed on Tuesday, ulless the article
on the revenuo, which had once been taken
up, should supezvene. The members have
had time to consult with their constituents,
and viii bring to tho renewed confederation
Of thass questions the latest Judgments Of
the bar and tho public. There see,ns to be
considerable opposition to the clause in the
Judiciary Article limiting the Circuit Courts
to disszicta having loo, 900 population. In
some districts one Judge would Be eaual 10
the business Of twice that number OF per-
sons, whils In others two OF three judges
might bo needed One Of the greatest Of
MI evils is = court with more business than
it can attond to, It doubles the expense of
litigation, and is great loss to jurors, wit
nesses, litigunts, and all parties concerned
The past experience Of this State has not
shown any disposition 10 Greats Judgsships
unnecessarily, and we think the convention
might leave that matter to the discretion Of
the Legislature.
The Cook County Judiciary has also to
be acted upon. The decision of the con-
vention in Committee Of the Who1e, has
been in favor of the two courts-the Circuit
Of Eve Judges, and the Superior Court of
three Judges, There seems, however, TO
he great difficulty IN making any arrange
ment which vii be satisfactory to the Clerk
Of the Circuit Court Of this county. The
convention apparently can do anything e1-
cept reduce the compensation Of an officer
who ia IN receipt Of salary about three
times a. great az thas of the President of
the United States. When it approaches
this subject it standa In awe. This Office
has hsd more vigilant and cunning special
advocates and champions than the Illinois
and Michigan Canal and the new State
House combined. The question which the
people Of this county decided Last fall, when
they elected the delegates to the convention,
wns that the officers Of this county (not
merely this Clerk, but all tho others) should
be paid fixed salnries, and that the fees
should b. paid into The County Treasury.
Upon this point there is no room for doubt
as to the popular feeling. We reproduce
the resolutions of the two conventions On
this subject They read as follows:
E1THESs' rlATrpRA
"Seoosd, That the com ensatton Of al officers
shan be solarkes, fair and reasonable IN amount,
paa tsto the pnolie T+nasn1y."
RHpCB1icAs PLATFORM.
"Rthofrtd, That the candidates for the conEen-
ton are hereby Instructed 70 c1ert their best en-
deATors TO have Inserted In the now constitution
psoFiaion reducing the excessive compensation Of
county od1cer7 In fair and reasonable AdLariea and
ntasMY."
These resolutions express the unanimous
wish Of all parties at the last election, and
We insist thas no delegate can be faithful
to his pledges who disregards these In
st1ucuoua. The convention reua2nda to
the Legislature the duty OF providing
by Law for the election Of Recorder
of Deeds for this county. The object of
this is too apparent to admit of any doubt.
It is to keep tho present incumbent in
Office both as Recorder Of Deeds and as
Clerk, with double compensation, until No
rember, 1872 Why cannot the convention
provide for an election Of Recorder on
tho same day that it provides for the cleo.
tiou Of three Judges Of the Circuit Court !:
Is il supposed that the people will be too
much fatigued, after electing the Judges,
to vote for Recorder?
The point at which the convention left
the Revenue Article WIS that which relates
particularly to the thi1ty-seven counties On
the line of the Illinois Central Halfway
the proposition being to prevent the Gen.