Holmes County Republican. [volume] (Millersburg, Holmes Co., O. [Ohio]) 1870-1895, 1874-08-13
THE NEW CONSTITUTION.

posed to increase the salary OF judges
of the Supreme Court to almost
double what they have been through
all the years of high prices, and
that at time when we are ON the
eve of a return to specie payments,
and without any movement to that
end in any other quarter than in the
Convention. We have been able to
secure the services of men of great
ability and undoubted integrity for
the modest sum of $4,000 per an
mum, and whilst some increase would
probably meet the appreciation OF
the majority of the people of the
State, but very few were asking that
it be raised to $1,000.
But if it stopped with the judges
of that court it would not be so OBJ
jectionable; but the members of the
Convention were looking beyond
that. A large proportion of the
members of the Convention were
having an eye to the twenty-one cir
cult and the forty-seven Common
Pleas judgeships to be created, and
for which they are asplrants. II
they can get the people to endorse
the s., 600 salary for judges of the
Supreme Court, it would be claimed
that we must pay Circuit judges
81, 900 and Common Pleas $4,000,
thus creating the offices for them
selves, and securing fat salaries.
In addition to this they provide
for about twice as many Circuit
judges as are necessary to do the
business; but there were a good
many men to provide for. 1t is said
that it can be demonstrated that
the District Courts do the business
proposed to be transacted by the
Circuit Courts in about three hun
dred and sixty working days in all
this is allowing an average of for
ty working days to each district
and by the new system it is propos-
ed to organize seven courts to do
this work which would give to each
of them, say fifty two days work in
year. In that view of it, it is not
surprising that the lawyers of the
State with one consent agree, that
to be Circuit judge would be a
soft thing; get $4,000 for fifty-two
days work would be nice thing.
1t is generally con ceded that we
need a new court to take the place
of the present District Court-en-
tirely separate from the Common
Pleas and Supreme Courts. But this
can be accomplished by an amend
ment to be proposed or submitted
by the Legislature to the people,
and we can much better afford to
wait for such an amendment than
to adopt the new Constitution with
all its faults. Our State is now di-
yided into nine Districts; let us
adopt an amendment authorizing
the election of one judge in each dis
trict. This would give us nine, and
if we want more provide for group
ing these districts so that each three
shall elect one judge. That would
give us twelve judges.
Let the Court consist of four
Judges, instead of two as proposed
by the new Constitution. Three of
these Courts could be held in differ
ent portions Of the State at the same
time, and conceding that in the ag-
gregate six hundred working days
are necessary in each year to prop
erly perform the labor imposed upon
that Court, this would require that
each Court should devote two hun
dred days in each year to work.
This would not be unreasonable.
But reducing the Judges in each
Court to three would give us four
Courts, and in two hundred days
eight hundred days work would be
done.
If the Common Pleas Judges are
relieved from District Court labor,
they would not be overworked by
leaving second trials with them as
at present. The people have become
accustomed to this system of second
trials.
We understand that some such
amendment was talked of in private
circles amongst members of the Leg
islature few years ago, but many
of them wanted Convention, to af-
ford them opportunities to disting-
uish themselves; hence it was not
formally presented for the action of
the Legislature.