The Leavenworth weekly times., 1875-02-18
THE CRIMINAL COURT.

The bill passed The lower House abolish
ing this feayenworth luxury meets the cor
dial appreciation OF ev'-y citizen oil our
county who has fairly Investigated the costs
entailed upon the people by its continuance.
Some. of the friends of the incumbent OH
cials have made an effort to create the i'm
preston that the Court is actually OF mate |
rial benefit to the county. To such men we
have only to reply that the absurdity OF
their proposition is only equalled by their
cheeky recklessness ia making so gross
statement.
The County Clerk gives, in his report of
county affairs, the annual expenses OF this
court outside Of the salaries Of officers. This
amounts to 3, ,O32, Is; add to this the Clerks
salary Of $1,000, and it will be seen that
e5cllsiye OF the Judges salary, the county
has to pay S7,032,l5. Add to this the pro-
portion Of the $500, salary OF the Judge
to be paid BY Leavenworth county and we
have the sum total Of 81 go, - a. the bill,
footed up against US for this institution.
Now the bill of Mr. Hoff provides that
Judge Ide shall try the criminal docket be
fore the civil docket has been touched. He
will 60 at it with the desire oil getting rid
OF il as soon as possible, and not with the
view of holding court TO show how much
bushes there is and how necessary 1t is.
This difference alone will save the county
more than one half of what is paid now to
Jurors and witnesses in the separate court.
There will be no mingling OF civil and
criminal business, as alleged, but the latter
viii he disposed OF before the formeris COM
menced. We guarantee that the whole
criminal docket, ii tried by Judge lde, Will
not average, one year with another, over
from two to three week. Add
the salary OF the Clerk, and it is apparent
that the county. is annually paying out more
thau $500 OF surplus and absolutely un-
necessary expenditure.
The salary of the judge is $500. At
days in year Put it at that liberal esti-
mate and we are asking the State to pay
that official S7125 per day for this impos
ing nuisance, and paying in proportion OF
the same like little men, and very silly
little men at that.
ii there was any reason for this faulty,
it might be tolerated, but inasmuch as the
Judge of our District Court is not occupied
more than one-third of his time, We can
see no excuse for it, nor can We pardon the
members of our own delegation who show
themselves willing, under the influence OF
personal solicitation or feelings of good-fei-
lowship to entail'upcn the State and coUn-
ty, this fragrant and high priced nuisance.
The circumstances under which this
court was established by Judge Lecompte
when aamember of the House, are perfectly
well known. 1t is also well known that
Judge Gray, the late Republican incumbent
of the office, was increasingly opposed by
the Democrats in the legislature, as long as
he was in Office. Indeed, the chairman OF
the Judiciary Committee in 1870, has made
the statement, that in that year, the present
Judge, then member of the Lower House,
was the most uncompromising enemy of the
continuance of the court. There is ten
times the reason for its abolition in such
crushing times as these, and We believe 1t
will slide.
But there is another very grave reason
why our members should not oppose the
bill in the Senate. We have other and
more important measures for the benefit OF
Leavenworth county, and we cannot afford
20 endanger their passage by blindly insist
ing upon so unreasonable a demand as Is
made upon the State for tho annual pay
inent OF $500, where there is no rational
defense for such a demand. No other dis
trict land there are many in the State hav-
ing double and treble the amount OF busi-
ness done here asks for such a tifth-wheel
expense as this, and when our representa-
tive strength is expended in applications so
grossly unjust, suspicion is cast upon the
other reasonable and just requests we have
to make of the State. 1t is true, we are
asking but little, yet even that will be great
ly jeopardized when We whimper for con-
tinuance of largess to few individuals,
which is given nowhere else in the State,
and when there is special reason Tor its
not being given here.
No. gentlemen OF the delegation, put your
shoulders TO the wheel and secure us our
much needed road to the penitentiary, our
benevolent appropriations, and other pro-
posed measures, bnt do not, as you value
our interests as well as your own, place your
selves in the attitude OF making and insist
ing wild and extravagant demands for
purely personal accommodation.
FUGITIVE FROM JUSTICE.
Mr. William s King was Postmaster of