, 1875-01-29

not oyer-good record by adopting FUR, mn
partisan, honest rulo fur canvassing the ro-
turns of Presidential election.
All 0vERBuRDENED SUPREME COURT.
The Convention which framed our nG;s
Constitution forssaw TINT tho tilno would
SOON arrive when tho Supreme Court would
be 80 loaded down will, business tl,at somp
other tribunal possessed Of appellate power to
revise Tho necessarily hurried decisions Of tho
nisi p,.ius courts would ba an absolute na-
ccssity.
That body, however, wisely declined to
create such tribunal, but provided TIM. tho
Legislature might do SO Mt my tisno after the
ycnr 18Th. The constitutional provision il
ns follows:
After the year of our Lord 1874 inferior appellate
courts, Of uniform organization anil Jurisdiction, n,ay
bo created in districts formed for that purrose to
which enrh appeals an1 wrlts of tho General
Assembly n,ay provide uiay 10 prosecuted from Cir
tntt and oihcr courts, and from Which appess and
wtits Of err shall so to sho Supreme Court In iii
criminal and IT. which franchise, frrc
hold tho validity OF statute is Involved, and In
such ether may 10 provided By law.
Experience has shown tito wisdom Of tllis
provision. Tho business OF tho Supreme
Court has stentli1y increased during each year
since tho adoption OF tho Constitution, anta
will continue to increnso go long as tho State
itself grows in population md wealth. The
cases upon tho docket Of that Court nro not
only greater in number every year, but
moro important in tho amounts involv-
cd and more intricate i'll tho qucs-
tions presented for solution. Tic conse-
q1lerce, Of course. is, tint tho Time has
| already arrived, as WAL forescc1a by the fratn-
| ors Of tho Constitution, when the members of
| that Court are obliged to perform degree Of
| labor which tho State ought not to require of
| any Of its public servants aud with which no
other Official lnbor in this State can be COIN
pared. It is n inRtter Of surprise to nlombcrs
Of tho Bar how tho Judges aro ablo to do 60
much work aud to do it so well. Wo are
glad to say, rs just tribute Of respect to
that Court, that it possesses tho entire conf
dence Of the peoplo and tho Bur.
The Judges now work twelve months in
tho year, and, however willing they 1nny be,
they cannot work thirteen. Either their
dockets must be lightcned or else their busi-
ness will fall into arrears When this begins.
tho nrrears will rapidly increnso until, by tho
process OF appeal, creditor may be dclRyed
for years in the collection Of debt to which
t there is renlly no defense. Ihe " laws de-
lay" would then become something mora
tlnn phraso. The evil would indeed DO Of
the greatest magnitude, since tho necessity OF
being delayed for ycars III the assertion Of
ones icgHl rights would Lead practically to
great oppression and wrong.
There is but ono mode possible OF prevent
ing this evil, And TINT is by the establishment
Of MI intermediate court as contemplated ny
tho Constitution. Let dsts1cts DO created
comprising avo CIRCUITS, with power gwen TO
threo OF tile circuit Judges 10 nod the court.
Let their decision bo made final in all civil
cascs not involving franchise, Or free
hold, or tho validity Of statute,
or greater amount OF property tlan
ono or two Thousand dollars. Our clrcnlt
Judges throughout the State nre, in the maiu,
thoroughly competent, and tho decision Of
Court composed Of live or three OF thc'n, with
full opportunity for examination and con-
sultation, ought to be, md would he, gen.
crally antisfnctory This has been tho System
for many years in New York, and it has
worked well. 1t ls tho only mode IN which
the judicial business of TINT great State can
bo transacted, and this is equally true of llli-
nois.
Under our present system all cases, no
matterh how small the amount involved, may
be taken to tho Supreme Court. Hence q
great number Of suits Of triaing importance
aro found at any term upon its docket. But
case involving only hundred dollars must
ton rs a case involving q hundred thousand.
for tho decision becomes proccleut md
| .,1,. H., l,o;,;.,, ~ H.. .,,.k ,or.