Democratic enquirer. [volume] (M'arthur, Vinton County, Ohio) 1867-1873, 1870-12-07
Gbe Gmquirer.
j. ", BOWEN, EditOr.
(From the Logan County Gazette of NOV II, 1877
COUNTY ECONOMY.

Oh NbUuiu uay i'oo, AO"i Co"oN
cases, coming from three differ
ent magistrates, were dismiss
ed from our Common Pleas
Court, not for the want OF
merit, but because the papers
returned by the magistrates
were insufficient and void un-
der the new criminal CODE
Judge Conklin remarked in
pronouncing his decision, thai
he could not see why magis-
trates need send up such pa
-pers, as the forms given for
such cases in "Warren's Crimi-
nal Law" were good and
skillfully drawn, and he pre-
sumed that justices and may
ors all had the book, for the
County Commissioners had au-
thority to furnish it to them.
The Judge was mistaken in
presuming as he did. tits true,
by joint resolution of the Leg
islature, County Commissioners
throughout this State are now
authorized to furnish "Warren's
Criminal Law" to, all the iusti-
ces and mayors of their several
counties, and these officers are
required to deliver the book to
their successors at the close of
their term of office. Ohio
Laws of 1870, page 172.l But
the Commissioners of Logan
County have not yet purchased
the book for any Of our magis-
trates, because of the expense
of the purchase to the county.
The question is, is this refu-
sal to purchase, economy for
the county, or is it the very
contrary ? In one Of the four
State cases before spoken of,
the costs before the magistrate
were $12, and here in court
the case occupied a whole day,
with some forty witnesses in
attendance from Macarthur
township, and the sheriff's and
clerks fees to be paid out of
the County Treasury were some
$1,000. And the loss to the
county, and to individuals, by
the failure of this one case,
must be at least one hundred
dollars. In two others Of the
four dismissed cases spoken of,
the defendant having failed to
appear, the question to the
Court was upon a motion Of
the Prosecuting Attorney to
forfeit the recognizance, the
amount of which, in both cases,
was four hundred dollars, which
amount would have gone into
the County Treasury had the
forfeiture and collection of the
same succeeded. In these two
cases, some twenty or thirty
witnesses were. in attendance
one day at Court, and the total
costs, besides the fees of wit
nesses, was about $4,000.
1t is needless to speak Of the
fourth case, Or of any other case.
The cost of "Warren's Climi-
nal Law" for every justice and
mayor of Logan County would
only be $4,000, and the book
when purchased, will remain in
the Offices of these magistrates
for at least ten years, to aid
them and their constables and
marshals, in the administration
of the criminal law.
If it is necessary to have
criminal laws, it is necessary to
have them administered. This
latter is, to a very great extent
impossible, at present, without
the aid of "Warren's Criminal
Law" By the new code Of
criminal procedure, the former
criminal laws were greatly cut
up, so to speak, leaving parts
Of them in force, and parts re-
pealed. Warren's Criminal
| Law selects from the old and
new statutes, such parts only Of
the criminal laws (including
the code) as are now in force,
adapts to them forms and di-
rection for procedure, and ar
ranges the whole in convenien,
order in one book. In viewao1
these things, the Attorney-Gen-
eral, Auditor Of State, Comp
troller of the TreasurY--all ex