Burlington weekly free press. [volume] (Burlington, Vt.) 1866-1928, 1880-10-15
Court Expenses.

Judge Neazey's report on the matter OF
court expenses, Just submitted TO the Legis-
lature, is careful and thorough, and con-
tains many useful suggestions in the way Of
reformatOry legislation. The report opens
with a table of the court expenses of the
1878, which contains some interesting fig
ures. To select some of the principal items
of expenditure, it appears that the amount
paid State witnesses had risen from $500
in 1860 to Sl2, 2i0 in 1873; that paid jailers
from s., $50 TO SIS, AL that paid county
clerks from $500 to SIC G19 that paid for
Justices bills of costs in prosecutions from
S3G to S1e,s79; Justices bills Of
costs in courts of inquiry from l1ga
to S13,6S9; criminal proceedings before
justices except liquor prosecutions from
S5674 to Sl4,31O petit jurors from Sl2,-
175 to S2S, S9i and the other items of eX-
pendture have increased in practically the
same proportion.
The causes Of the increase are then stated
in the report rs follows: ID A large in
crease of court business, resulting, AS many
claim, from the change of our population,
caused by So large an emigration of
the native born and well-traincd element
and the immigration of 50 many stran-
gers to our laws and social system.
CO The transfer Of the expenses Of liquor
frIa l.f 1ftCt lice frny fli. f,att c
TO. the State, which has increased the cX-
penscs about S12, 600, though this has been
offset in whole or in part by fines received,
which formerly went TO the towns 81 The
increase Of fees Of court officers % Loose
practices, whereby improper charges and
petty punderiEgs have increased the eN-
penses and diminished the revenues.
Under the first head Judge Neazcy dis
cusses the jury system, the grand jury sys-
TEN, the character and compensation of
States Attorneys, the payment by the State
of counsel appointed for respondents and the
employment of stenographic reporters The
expense Of a county court during jury trials
averages about 500 day. Under our Con
stitution either party can have jury except
in limited class of cases, by paying a fee
of six dollars, which is only about one eighth
Of the daily expense of the two panels
Judge Vcazcy thinks that there is really no
need OF 50 many jury trials and that this de
feet in our system can be remcdied, either by
constitutional amendment limiting the
causes triable by jury, or by legislation re-
quiring the parties to pay "A larger proportion
of the expenses lie recommends that the
jury fees be reasonably increased and, to
meet the objection that II would not always
be Just TO make the defeated party who had
not called for q jury pay all Of this fee, it
may be well to provide for division Of this
expense in some, if not all, cases
As to States Attorneys, the report looks
to an elevation OF the Grade of the office in
public opinion and suggests provisi III that
men should be made Ineligible Ia Tho Office
until they had brcn in practice Of the law II
view to securing greater maturity of judy
ment and larger le.,t experience than is now
always found in States Attorneys. Judge
Veazey finds that the expense incident 10 the
grand jury is from so to 800 "A day, and
believes that if States Attorneys could be
authorized to prosecute by information in
larger number of cases, much of this expense
could be avoided, and the administration of