The daily dispatch. [volume] (Richmond [Va.]) 1850-1884, 1870-02-03
silt & tsiS sllsfbis nss1 81 sks VIA
are qualified for. che high position than 4

Fuf9hf 81 tel Gil fbfs men I'll Efe
are qualified for. che high position than 4
would be to find sixteen. -;
fsmay be said that the Sd section OF the
sixth article of the Constitution proVidihf
Especial courts Of appeals" was INTENDED
for substitute for the old district courts !;
But this cannot be so, since these speS,s'
courts of appeals have no other )urlsa,c-
ton than That bestowed on the regular
bench Of appeals. ,...ou
I agree with the Wing that the selection
OF county judge ought not to be connneo
to the legal profession. Many prac.lcihp
LAWYERS are not "learued in the laws OF
the State" to an extent requisite 10 make
them rood ",udges of law" Let any
citizen be eligible to the position who could
An the requirement of being in fact
sIlearned In the law" lean see no good
reason for denying to q county judge the
privilege of practicing law in other courts.
Why may not the county judge, when o
lawyer, practice in the courts of his adjoin-
ing counties, and even in the circuit court
Of his own county, How would it be put
ting temptation in his way Is it the opinion
of The Why That he would be partial in
his own court towards clients he might
have In other courts, because they we're his
clientB9 For the same reason you must
forbid the county judge from having any
business transactions with his countrymen.
If he should happen to be merchant, shut
up his store, for fear he would not deal
out eyen-handed justice between his GUS
toner and the customer of some other
merchant. If tobacconist, close his fac
tory, or he might lean towards the farmers
who sell him their crops to the detriment
of those who sell to his competitor for the
trade. The relation between lawyer and
his client is purely business one: so far
as any particular case is concerned inwhich
he has been employed as counsel the rela-
ton is confidential, but apart from that case
the lawyer who is fit to be judge would
not lean towards the quandam client sooner
than he would towards any other man with
whom he has business transactions. :.
The purity of the judiciary must depend
on the purity of the individuals who COM
pose it.
Permit the county judge to practice law
in adjoining counties, and lawyer OF good
standing can afford to take the position Tor
a much smaller salary than if he should be
required to give his entire practice. The
salary should be moderate, not only from
the reason that the people are too poor to
pay so many officers high salaries, but it
ought not to be temptation to greedy and
avaricious men. The county courts, on an
average, sit, l suppose, forty days during
the year the four quarterly terms six days
each, and the other eight two days each;
which would amount to, with FIVE justices on
the bench, six hundred dollars. From the
fact that whenever person wishes to
erect gate across a highway, or levy
is to be made on the county, all the
acting justices must be summoned, we have
on an average, twice year, twenty-four
Justices on the bench. This would run
their per diem up to seven hundred and
forty-four dollars.
One of the heaviest items under the pre-
sent system is the payment of jurors TWEEN
ty-four dollars per day, when the business
now transacted in the county courts coull
be gotten through with in less than half
the time now occupied, under On expedi-
tious Judge, who was familiar with the law
and practice in courts of Justice.
There are now ninety-eight counties in
the State; pay the judges from six hun
dred to one thousand dollars, in proportion
to the population Of each county, and the
system will be not only cheaper but much
better than at present.
"What say the press, and especially the
legal profession %
MEMBER OF THE SENATE.