The Wheeling daily intelligencer. [volume] (Wheeling, W. Va.) 1865-1903, 1880-07-10
Ghe Qntellfqeuter.
THE AMENDMENTS.

Speech of JudEe ]. II. Ferguson AT Char
From the Charleston Leader.
Judge Ferguson spoke substantially a
follows: Ipropose to discuss the amend
ment Of amendments, known as the Judi
cial Amendments. have no az 10 grind
l expect to derive no personal benefit
from either the adoption or rejection OIL
this measure by the voters Of our State.
have arrived at my conclusions after care.
ful and matured consideration. II Is an
old saying that we live to learn. When
We set out in life We think we know q
great deal. ! used TO think / knew con.
siderable. 1t took me good while 10 learn
that had much yet to learn. The present
judicial system Of the State was brought
about by the convention OF 1872. had
something to do with bringing It about,
and have repented In "sack cloth and
ashes" many times since.
This Is the first time have had an op.
portunity TO repair the injury here. l
came to the bar when we had the good old
County Court. When the justices who
composed the court served the people and
the State for nothing. / thought, like
many other young men, that this was all
wrong, and I assisted in making the
changes in lS506l. The second County
Court system was not as good as the first,
but far preferable to the present one. l
expected to bring about the old state Of
things by supporting the Constitution in
1872. We have had it in practical opera
ton since 1872 and 1t has had fair trial.
| am prepared to say that We have the
worst Constitution OF any State in the
Union. We could do more business in
the Legislature under the old Constitution
in forty eight days than 1t is now possible
to do under the present Constitution.
A committee Of gentlemen from this
city waited upon me and urged me to as
sist them in getting the call for the Con-
stitutional Convention. We were in
duced In this district to call the convention
and 1t was in this district 1t got the vote.
am rerv SOrrg ire did Il. We tried for two
sessions OF the Legislature to change the
judicial system but failed. The former
amendment proposed by the Legislature
was preferable to this one, in this, that 1t
did not cut down the salary oil the judges.
The present amendment does not exactly
suit me, but II Is the best we can do and |
propose tosupport 1t. We have Supreme
Court OF Appeals with four judges. BY
the amendment we have the same; no
change except that the judges under the
present Constitution get s., 250 per year
for their services while under the proposed
amendment they will receive 8, 200. I'm
der our present system we have nine judi
cial circuits with Judge for each.
Under the amendment we will have
thirteen circuits with fourteen judges.
The first circuit will be composed OF Ohio,
Brooke, Hancock and Marshall counties.
It will have two judges which makes the
fourteen. These counties are so situated
that they could not be well arranged into
two circuits, so they were united into one
with two Judges. The circuit judges are
to receive salary Of sl,s0o, instead OF
5000, as provided under our present
Constitution. think the salaries should
have been increased instead Of reduced.
The next matter is the expense, and this
Is always an important consideration with
the people. 1t is q great mistake, how.
ever, that there is economy in cheap
court, that Is, low salaried judges. We
now have
po,,, r,d,.. NJ tina conrt oI Annals at