The weekly Thibodaux sentinel and journal of the 8th Senatorial District. [volume] (Thibodaux, Lna. [i.e. La.]) 1875-1898, 1878-02-23

Thursday nights.
MIR. EDITOR-PleaSe allow me
the use OF your columns for the
insertion OF an article clipped
from the n. d. PicdyuRe of the17th
February on the subject of Dis
tlict judges. The writer expires
SEES my views to IL nicely, but us
this matter is such an important
one and 50 vitality interesting to
every citizen who may have oc-
casion to resort to the Courts for
the redress of his grievances, per
NIT me to add d few additional
considerations to The able argu I
ment Of the writer in question.
There is no better way of judy
ing OF the future than by the
past. LII view Of this principle.
let us see if the abolition OF parish
courts will give Us the relief
which every one desires 50 ar
IDENTIFY. All complain of the laws
delay. Will district courts sup
ply the method of despatching
litigation and speeding the adj
ministration of justice? Let us
examine the question d little.
In this parish, we have one
term of the District Court in June
and another Ill December. The
first week Of each term is gene
rally devoted to the disposal OF
all exceptions aud motions, aud
to the fixing of eases. The sec
Ond, and very often, the third
week is taken up With the trial of
criminal cases. This leaves prac-
tically but two weeks in which to
try the cases Oh the civil docket.
Where a case involves the tax
lug UNAnlnmlnOus testimony, as
happens not unfrequently. the
trial of the case consumes the
entire session of the court for
that day, and sometimes, it has
to go over till the next day when
il comes up by privilege and pre-.
ference. Meanwhile. the other
cases which had been fixed for
the same day go over TO the cor
responding day of the following
week. Witnesses i'll large nun-
bets may have been summoned
at great expense from the utter
most limits Of the parish they
may have been on hand to give
their testimony but the cast nor
having been reached, they must
ride back sixty or seventy five
miles 10 their homes; they re-
turn perhaps the following week
and some material witness NAY
be found to be absent. The re
salt is. that the case cannot be
:ried ut all, and must, OF necessi
ty be continued until the next
term Of the, court, six months
hence. This certainly is IA great
hardship and works an injustice
to the parties litigant. And yet
the fault can not be attributed to
the counsel or to the judge.
The fault is obviously in the
system of having Il term of the
district court but twice a wear in
each parish. We might adduce
many other Instances where this
system operates iniuriously to liti
giants i'll civil matters, but we
Imagine that no one who has
given the subject any attention
will desire any further argument
on this point.
But it is in the administration
OF criminal law that the district
court system is most to Le con-
demned. Take the case of e
son accused of an offence whjcl,
is capital in its nature. and which
is not bailabie under our ~jurispru
dence. Suppose the Grand Jury
tin'lS Il true bill Oh SAY. the last
day of the term. Tie accused
must llnger i'll the parish Jail for
SIX long. weary months before he
can have his trial, and that too.
III spite of the constitutional pro.
vision which guarantees to every
person accused of crime a speedy
trial. Is not this fact a mockerv
of justice? If the accused is
guilty, then he should be speed
~ tried aud receive the punish
ment which his crime deserves.
II he is innocent, does not the
law and common Justice demand
'hai he be restored to liberty
without unnecessary delay
1t IA judicial system does pro-
dtce these results, it is clear
that 1t is radically defect e. But
! I'M district court system does not