The New Orleans Democrat., 1876-06-24
PARISH COURTS.
Shall They Be Abolished I

Editor Democrat - Among the acts
passed by the last Legislature--soc called
and which the de facto condescended
to sign, was one enacting that several
stitution be submitted for adoption by
the voters Of the State at the next cleo
tion. Among these several amend.
ments there is one, the adoption OF
which, in my humble opinion, would re-
suit fearfully to the detriment OF the in
terests OF the people. mean the
amendment to abolish the parish courts
Of the State. That such a scheme
should have found its paternity in
the breast Of William Pitt Kellogg
Is not remarkable. It is only in keep
ing with several other attempts on the
part of Kellogg and his gang to abolish
and to reduce the fees and salaries OF
officers of the State-in some instances
to almost nothing, as a sort OF punish
ment or reprisal on the Democratic
party for putting Radicals out OF Office
and putting themselves in. The whole
design, in nut shell, is this: Kellogg
and his gang of ruffians, recognizing
the fact that their party is going out of
power, have determined to abolish all
the offices and reduce all the fees and
emeluments arising from those they
cannot abolish to as low rate and
make them as little lucrative to those
who, hold them as possible.
Hence, the .proviso In 6yery law where
reduction of fees or salaries are cstab-
lished, that they take effect from the
first day of January, 1877, when the
RAIDS know that by that time they will
nearly all of them be out of office. But
that the Democratic-C Conservative mem
bers should have fallen into Kellogg's
trap and passed that amended law TO
abolish parish courts, is what cannot
comprehend. Ii parish courts be abol-
ished and their business turned oyer To-
the district courts, then the number OF
district courts must be doubled, or else
the Judges OF the district courts must
hold their. sessions continuously, es-
pecially in the parishes bordering
on the river, or as last con
sequence the vast mass OF the smaller
cases of litigation, such as the parish
reached and settled for years, which is
about equivalent to saying that II the
parish courts are abolished the poorer
classes who now constitute the masses
of our citizens, may as we'll, and better,
relinquish all their rights In the courts
and suffer themselves to be filched and
robbed by their stronger or richer neigh
bors. The parish court Is emphatlcaily
the poor mans court, and when you take
that from him, you deprive him OF his
greatest boon dnder the constitution
the right to be heard in the courts
which right he does and will contend.
Everybody at all posted in our judi
ciary history knows that after the abol-
| ishment of the old parish court system
| by the new constitution OF 1S45, how
greatly the rights of litigants suffered
| for the want of time in the district
courts to attend to the smaller cases,
| and how such cases would hang on from
court to court, sometimes for years, be-
fore adjustment, especially succession
cases; and how it became proverb
| debts died with him, or that you might
as we'll give up your claim; and also
how much the people were disappointed
and dissatisfied because the constitution
| of 1852 did not provide for parish court,
or some tribunal OF that character.
ANYHOW, strong this feeling was among
the people and the bar to have such
tribunal So strong was it that have
no doubt, il the war had not come on,
there would have been an amendment
to the then existing constitution for the
establishment OF parish courts, or some
similar tribunal. l hope, by the votes
of the masses against it, the amend
ment will fail of adoption and then let
the next Legislature amend the law and
REQUIRE that the parish judges shall be
lawyers, licensed by the State at least
three years previous to their election
| land there is no constitutional Inhibition
against such law and we will have no
more complaint of parish courts,
! trust the people, and especially the
members of the bar OF the State, Will
take this subject up and discuss 1t de-
liberately from a practical and business
standpoint, and then vote down the
amendment. COUNTRY