Stevens County tribune. (Morris, Minn.) 1877-1880, 1880-03-18
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Mr.. EDITOR:

Permit me to make few concise state
ments in reply to your editorial article in q
recent issue of the Tribune, upon the oper-
alton of the law creating the municipal
court of St. Paul. You say that eff there
can be a more outrageous, unjust and iniq-
uitous law OH the statute books, than the act
creating and defining the Jurisdiction of the
municipal court at st. Paul, we would like
to hear of it,"
After an examination of the subject am
quite clear that you have been illadvised
On the matter. The jurisdiction of the mu
nicipal courts of Minneapolis and Stillwa-
ter is to the extent of five hundred dollars,
while in st. Paul it is limited to tive hun
dred dollars. These courts have been call
ed into existence by The very necessities of
the case. After long and fair trial the
courts of justices of the peace were found
to be entirely inadequate to the transaction
of the various and extensive litigation aris-
ing in populous business centers; because,
in the first place, under our system it is al
| together impr9cticablc to provide for legal
qualifications upon the part of persons elect
sed to the office of Justice Of the peace. As
q consequence the Office is almost always
| filled by those who have no legal knowl-
edge, and we are called upon to witness
that remarkable anomaly of person ad-
ministering science of which he must con-
fess total ignorance. The spectacle of a
lawyer expounding the principles OF medi
cine to a class of medical students, or a
blacksmith explaining the mysteries of as
tronomy would be only parallel In large
cities it is the practice of corrupt political
parties to deal out these offices to their re-
tainers as part Of the spoils belonging to
the victor, and such system can only re-
suit in error and fraud under the guise of
judicial. procedure, where in many cases
the parties in litigation are utterly helpless
without any remedy but appeal TO the dis
drict court But these appeals to court
already overcrowded with necessary and
important litigation have only the effect Of
clogging the wheels of justice. 1t was TO
redress these grievances, Mr.. Editor, that
the ubiquitous law creating the municipal
court" was called into statutory existence.
1t provides, inter ALA, for "a judge who
shall be learned in the law and makes
such other provisions q am precluded from
want of space from mentioning in detail
that the administration of justice is render
ed more exact. But the main objection
seems to be thatn change ofvenue can bt
had, and that "a defendant with his attor
ney and witnesses must go to st. Paul
thereby entailiDg upon him a great expense
That there is no change for venue is true
Now there has been no law that has beer
more severely criticised than this law au
thorizing change of venue, to the plac,
of the defendants residence and the New
York code, which is regarded as the best il
the world and upon which ourlaw is found
, ed, recognizes no such proceeding 1t
indeed an innovation in our practice datin
back only to 1877-until that time unhear
8 of. Now, Mr.. Editor, by what process o
!, reasoning can you conclude that it is NOR
. outrageous for a creditor to choose hi
! residence. as the place for bringing tran
STORY action than that he should be CON
PEELED to follow q remote debtor with lik
. inconvenience and expense. Even now
: as understand it, the courts of justices {
? the peace have in certain actions iurisdi,
!. ton iii all portions of the State, and II
:. change of venue can be had. (Sce Young
= statute, page 69l sec. 1O2 laws 1871 c. {
) sec. ~ 1t is notirue that parties or wi
: nesses who reside outside the county
~ Ramsey have to go to st Paul. The la
n specially provides that in such cases the
ID deposition may be taken and they are a
~ lowed ample time for that purpose Uud,
= = our present system it is impossible to hay
y changes Of venue, because the law autho
II izlng such changes is based upon the theol
NJ of concurrent jurisdiction Iof Tribuna
10 where the practice is uniform, hut if,
. some future time Mr.. Editor, Municip
W court shall be created in eadh county, Il
It. "outrageous" evil of which YOU compla
IL will be obviated and we will be gratifi,
pd Ito feel that every defendant I'M Stevens cou
- ty can COMPEL the plaintiff, with his W
g nesses to put in an appearance at MorIl
eel They need however bring no Attorne
ce with them, as they will find several alreaC
an here who are prepared to relieve them fro
, their embarrassment. al
ne a FIELDER B. CHEW.
ne Morris, Nlinn., March s, 1880.