The Lake Charles echo. [volume] (Lake Charles, Parish of Calcasieu, La.) 1876-1898, 1880-04-17

for removal from Office of district at
torneys, clerks of court, sheriffs, coron-
ers, justices of the peace, and other
parochial, ward and municipal officers,
is inevitably calculated, in large ma
jority of cases, to work great hard
ship and injustice to officers against
whom such suits may be brought. We
refer to the provision that, when the
defendant officer is compelled to an
swer, in open court, and in his own
handwriting, If be can write, written
questions addressed to him, relating to
the law and practice Of his official duA
ties, he must do so without being
permitted TO leave the presence of the
court, or to have recourse to the assist
ancc of any person, book, paper or me-
nsoyandugs Whateger."
We seriously doubt the propricty Of
compelling an officer, in any such suit
against him, to submit to an cxamina-
ton under oath which would neccs-
sariIy be the severest test Of his official
competency; but, if such an examina-
tion is proper, it does not follow, by
any means, that it is proper TO deprive
him absolutely Of every source Of in
formation enabling him to respond to
such an examination, except the single
resource of memory. The most learn
ed judges, and the most experienced
attorle,s, laet "yhosc business It is to
read statutes are frequently compell-
ed to refresh their memory of the law
by reference to the law itself. If this
is true of them, what justice can there
be in propounding to the above named
paroehial officers long series of care
fully prepared written questions, upon
the law and practice of the manifold
and multiform duties Of clerks of
court, recorders, notaries public, sher-
ifs, justice Of the peace, constables,
etc, and in requiring them, without
the slightest extraneous assistance, or
reference to the law, to write down
answers to such questions, in open
court, aud while their minds are agita-
ted and confused by the consciousness
of the presence of crowd Of curious
spectators, and BY the reflection that
upon every answersthey are thus COM
PEELED to write depends not only their
official reputation, but the tenure Of
their Office itself9 Let such suits be
brought against every parocbial and
ward officer in any half dozen con
tiguous country parishes, and let one
hundred questions, prepared BY an
able attorney or judge, relative to their
official duties, be written down and
pfopounded to each of those officers,
and it is safe to say that, under those
circumstances, not more than ten of
those officers would answer half of
those questions correctly.
Nc think the inquisitorial, self-con
yictipg feature of this law SHOULD have
been omitted, aud we fear if the law
i generally put into practical opera
ton it will work 4 thousand-fold more
injury than all the good il can posi-
bly, accomplish. The columns Of our
paper bear witness Chat for years we
have strenously insisted that official
competency is an essential qualification
Of any candidate for Office, in order to
eptitlc him to popular support, but
public officers are as much entitled rs
any body else to justice and the pro-
lection Of The law, and we VII qphes-
itatingiy condemn any legislation
which denies the hnmblest official that
justice and protection.
We clip the following items from
the Lafay cite Advertiser Of the 10th |