The Somerset press. [volume] (Somerset, Ohio) 1873-1977, 1879-10-09

1. To divide the State into nine judici-
al districts, in each Of which one Judge
shall be elected, which shall be court of
appeals and errors, and such original juris-
diction as may be conferred by law.
2. Each district is to be subdivided
into subdistricts, in each of which one
Common Pleas Judge shall be elected.
This plan gives us what has been loudly
called for by the people of the State-an
independent intermediate Court-the judge
of which has never sheard of cases to be
submitted to him-who has no right of
opinion to maintain, and Ia not influenced
by any previous conceptions of the case,
prejudices or preference, as it often is now,
and as it was almost always the case before
the Common Pleas Judges were increased
ad libitums, the Judge who presides in the
District Court has once heard and decided
the case in the Common Pleas Court, and
it certainly requires great stretch of con-
fdencs in human nature to suppose he is
clothed with greater abilities by the simp-
le act Of taking off his Common Pleas and
putting on his District Court robes. We
would not desract from the position our
Common Pleas Judges throughout the
State deservedly hold; but they are like
other men, and like other men are mortal
This change in the organization Of the
District Court alone. certainly entities this
amendment to the cordial support of all
the voters Of Ohio. No objection is urged
to this change. but q careful examination
Of the present system demonstrates that
the proposed change will be great saving
of expense to the people. We have now,
with the FIVE additional Judges ordered by
the last Legislature, eighty two Common
Pleas Judges-thirteen of whom are in
Cincinnati and Cleveland-almost Judge
to Q county on an average. If the Com
mon Pleas Judges are relieved OF District
Court work, at least two thirds of the pres
ent number could do all the work of the
Common Pleas at saving to the State Of
about 10000, to which if you add the
nine District Judges, under the proposed
change at the same compensation of the
Common Pleas, there would be an actual
saving to the Stais of $45, 900 to $4,000
annually. That I am not wrong in my
estimate, an examination of the distribu-
tion ofthe Judges and their work will
show. Take the Sd Subdivision of the 9Th
Judicial District composed of the counties
of jefferson, Harrison and .Tnscarawas,
which has about an average population. 1t
has but one Judge, while in the Ist Sub
division Of the I'd Judicial District, com
posed Of the counties Of Butler, Preble,
Montgomery and Darke. there are four
Judges; Leaving out Montgomery county
neither OF the other counties have much
more than one third of the population of
the Sd Subdivision of the 9Th District
above referred to and not more than one
third the business. So in the 9th District,
composed of nine counties of less than an
average population of the State, there are
six Judges. Relieve them of District
Court work, and four could do all the
work. Outside Of the FIVE large cities there
are sixty three Judges. Under the new
plan one Judge could easily do all the
business of three average counties, or il
you give them two counties there would be
q saving of over twenty Judges. The ez
psnse therefore would be less under the
new than the old system; but IL It were the
same, the greatly superior advantages
would be gained litiganta would feel thai
perfectly unbiased mind had decided
their case in the Distriot Court and large
majority would stop there ahd not press
into the Supreme Court.
In view Of these facts, it does seem Of
though every one who reads this SHOULD
make it his special duty on election day to
see that ever voter should vote, Judicial
: Constitutional Amendment, Yes.
We have called attention to but one Of
the Amendments. II is proposed change
in the Organic Law Of the State, and th,
people should study II we'll and vote un-
derstandisgly on il as we'll as the other
, propose d Amendment