The Dallas weekly herald. [volume] (Dallas, Tex.) 1873-1885, 1875-06-19

neat and happy, but humble home' III
the country, surrounded by ncighhors
and friends, with schools and churches
within convenient distances. such "
condition of things is unknown IN Cal
| ifOrnia, outside Ofthe towns and cities
JvDiCIAnY DFPAHTNEsT-rwO Ht.
PREME COURTS, ONE CiVlI. THE
OTHER CRIMINAL.
\ proper reorganization of the Judi-
dietary will be one of the chief duties
of the coming constitutional cunven-
tion. 1t is principally through this de-
purtment that the people practically
appreciate the existence of government
at all, see its workings, and feel It's
daily burdens. The constant holding
of courts in the presence OF the people,
and the active participation OF every
citizen at one time or another in the
business of the courts rs jurors, litl-
gants or witnesses, has the effect more
than anything else to teach the great
mass of the people that there are laws
to enforce and u government to support.
| And il Is through this department,
itself most expensive one, that we
are daily taught by its Judgment i'll
favor of the revenue collector
against recusant Taxpayers that the
burden of the Government must be
paid. Hence a judiciary department ac-
ceptable to the people, imposingas as few
burdens as possible in its own admin-
stratlon, embracing Il system fully
commensurate with the wants of the
state, and ut the same time, established
| with the highest views Of economy, Is
certainly now the chief desideratum of
the body polite.
Under the present constitution the
number Of the judicial districts has
been largely increased and the salaries
of the Judges much enlarged. We
think there should he some reduction
in both these particulars, bat We do
not think that the burdens of the judi
ciary, as at present organized, sprung
alone from this. We think that the
evi! has arisen more from inefficient
officials, an inefficient administration
of the system, rather than from the
system itself. Slow moving courts,
such as ".e have had, entailing inn
mense expenses on all who in any
manner have business in courts, ana
who have been compelled personally
to attend from session to session, as
iufcrs, witnesses and litigants Mt the
sacrifice, three times year, of valua-
BILE time, the neglect of private busi'
ness and home duties, ,and the eXpendi-
ture of much money, not counted in
the actual costs of court, these are the
things which have brought the system
into so much disrepute. IF there
could be remedy in this, we
are satisfied the people could be con-
tent with system having sufficient
number of judges to do the business
well, and would be willing to see them
well paid for their services. Such Il
system we think could be adopted to
affect this end and at the same time,
without much diminution in the num-
Der of the judges, the aggregate eXpen-
ses proper of the department. could be
diminished. 1t is universally conceded
that the mum Der of terms of the courts
should be two instead of three a year,
and that the probate business should
be restored. to the local courts of the
counties. The number of district Judges,
civil aud criminal, is now about forty,
with an expense to the state of one
hundred and forty thousand dollars in
salaries. This number could be lessen
ed to thirty, including half dozen or
so criminal courts in the most populous
sections, without detriment to the SER
vice, and by reduction of the salaries
to three thousand dollars, a saving
could I've attained of fifty thousand dol
lars year, and the business could be
easily done without bnrdening the
Judges with too great labor. The Sc
lection of the incumbents should be
left with the people, and should there
be any failure to put in the right men,
the fault would be with the people
themselves.
The expense of the supreme court
cannot well be diminished. The actual
labors of this department are now per-
haps more than any other in the state.
These lahors should be diminished. 1t
is duty which the people owe to the
supreme judges to Tighten their labors.
They work harder than any other
five officials in the state, and
with all the work they do, it is al
most impossible for them to finish
the work constantly accumulating be-
fore them. 1t is mistaken idea that
because there is five of them that they
can do more work than if there were
but three. Every member ofthe court,
as he should do, examines every case
for himself, and if there were dozen
members of the court the labor would
be the same. Various modes of relief
TO the court have been suggested, but
none TO our mind more practical, and
which would afford greater relief than
the establishment of two supreme
courts, one civil and the other criminal.
These courts should consist of three
judges each, to hold their sessions at
the same places, and with salaries to
the jadges of about four thousand dol
lars year. The appeals in civil cases
should be directly to the civil supreme
court, and those in criminal cases to
the criminal supreme court This
would expedite the business most rap
idly. Under such q system as this,
with about twenty civil district
Judges, most of them with criminal
jurisdiction, and about eight or
ten criminal judges in the most
pepulous sections, with salaries of
about 5000 year, active, able and
energetic men, with disposition and
capacity TO dispatch business, the ex-
pense of the system could he materially
diminished in its administration, and
the annoyances,, expense, loss of time