Morning journal and courier., 1881-07-28
DISTRICT COURTS.
 n ~

Two judges appointed by the General Assembly fo
 Jurisdiction is in general the same as that of of common pleas but extends over a certain numbe l of towns and not throughout q county. | Annual terms of court, nineteen. | Compensation of judges. $2,e00 each. CITY COURTS. l Ten judges and deputy judges, appointed by tn | General Assembly for two years. There are fourteen city courts With Jurisdiction criminal i've; with urisdiction civil and criminal But in four cities the person Is appointed court that the whole number of city court judge | is ten.
 | ORIGINAL JURISDICTION. Civil-Diferent in the several courts extending from simply jurisdiction with justices equity. Appeals to the Superior Court are allowed Motions in error and for new trial may be taker | to the Superior Court in two courts and may b, 1 courts.
 oriminal-Diferent in the several courts IT ment does not exceed ane of Sioo or impri,onrnen in jail for two months, both does not exceed both. An appeal is allowed to the Superior Cour | Tn all cases.
 Appellate jurisdiction-of judgments of justices o the peace in civil causes in one or two courts. In all city courts the Jurisdiction is confined tC cases where the parties reside or the cause of action arises within certain territorial 1mits usually city limits but in some courts extending over more or less adjacent territory. The courts exercising ercising civil Jurisdiction. for the most part, hold
 
 @ @s2,oQo The deputy judges are paid per diem, for JUSTICES OF THE PEACE.
 Elected in the several towns for two years. The number prescribed by the statute is 1925 The num- Der actually elected is ] 2s0.
 Civil jurisdiction-A1I actions at law, where the amount in issue does not exceed S100.
 Criminal jurisdiotion-An offences punishable by g me not excee ing S. or by Imprisonment in jail not exceeding thirty days, or both.
 . he power of committing discharging upon pre- iminary examination in all crimes In the territory covered by the criminal Jurisdiction of the city courts, the criminal Jurisdiction of justices is taken away. The Jurisdiction of justices sx- tends throughout the country where they are elected but must in general be exercised in the town where the controversy arises the offence is committed. An appeal is allowed in all criminal to the su- perior court, and in all civil to the superior court court of common pleas district court or city court.
 Compsnsation-Fees, averaging about s2 for each suit prosecution.
 The foregoing synopsis is intended to give correct general view of the Jurisdiction of courts estab ters of special Jurisdiction and minor details noted
 appears that concurrent juri.dction exists as fol- lows In four counties the superior court court of common pleas have alarge concurrent jurisdiction These counties include considerably more than two thirds of the population of the State.
 In several cities, including more than third the population of the sate justices of the peace and city courts as well city courts. courts of pleas and the superior court, have uris dction. careful consideration of this arrange Of our courts has satisfied us of the following:
 EVILS OF THE PRESENT SYSTEM.
 l. Practically we have primary courts. While 1ustlce courts have considerable jurisdiction both civil and criminal they really accomplish very little in the disposal of tigated The fact that few oi the one thousand two hundred and fifty justices chosen as judges of primary courts will consent to perform the duties of their ofce and that of those who do assume the ermine very few fitted by cd ucat1on and experience for the execution of the d ties imposed upon them, in connection with the limited right of appeal inevitably induces one of the parties to nearly every litigated case if hcient credit to insure bond to remove the to the higher court The dockets of the district court court of common pleas and superior court in coun- ties where there is intermediate court, bur aenea "a With justice appeals; Probably not far from cases of the cases actually tried the proportion is doubtless larger n the criminal side of the superb or court considerably more than onshaf of the disposed of justice appeals and full third of the cases tried to the jury are appeal cases.
 In short, the justice court-the only primary court the State has-is mere hopper, through which sub stantally all ntgated cases civil and criminal, passed on to the higher court for final determine tion.
 This is very serious evi and its effect is felt in First and most important it deprives the people of fair tribunal for the speedy disposition of thvir
 Second. it deprives the State of any tribunal for the summary punishment of minor offenses. large part of such offenses never be punished at all unless ina, trial is had within short time the commission of the offence.
 Third, it loads the superior court with business that does not belong there. employs the machinery adapted to the performance of one kind of work in the execution of an entirely different kind
 The judges of the superior court called upon to dispose of involving large and great learning and ability The terms and machinery of the court are adapted to the trial of important causes, requiring careful preparation and consider able deliberation.
 On the other hand, the cases belonging t, the ju- risdiction of primary court do not demand as much learning and ability in the judge and speedy determination being of more practical importance machinery in the organization of the court To use the machinery of the superior court to do the work in the work being less thoroughly done and in a great waste of judicial strength. Such course is toll, well extravaganza. It is like using trip hammer to drive a nail.
 Fourth, 1t breeds an unjust discrimination in the nisbes msaos nf onnTession u to the mscin1s 1itf gant. It is the duty of the State, in the adn1inis power to prostitute the law to the purposes of private malice The mass of people whose controver- sies involve small sums have a clear right to com petsnt tribunal adapted to the speedy final dfsposi- ton of such controversies To enable obstinate or ugly 1tgant to force his adversary who sues him $25 damages, to a trial to jury before justce and again to trial to jury before the five judges of the Supreme Court of Errors is certainly fruish ing an unnecessary as well ss very grisyous means of oppression.
 9 Another evil of the present system is the multi pcation of courts and existence of concurrent uris dction.
 rent jurisdiction. may be necessity under certain conditions, but even then it is necessary evil With us it is a gratuitozs evil The population of our State, it's compactness, the amoHnt business be done enable us to have judicial system of the ut most simplicity, without any concurrent jurisdiction
 Probate courts, vested with the peculiar probate jurisdiction.
 Primsry courts for the final disposition of all ques- tions of fact in minor matters
 superior court for the trial of all questions of fact in more important matters
 supreme court of errors for the final disposition of all questions of law fairly requiring its determina tion.
 for taking all to the supreme court of errors The main object of such court is to secure stability tion is not to correct all made at prs Few tried where the critical inspector after the combat is over cannot detect in some prrt of the proceeding. It would be grave hardship U compel tigants to before the supreme court
  It is truly hardship. though in a jess gree, to permit either htigaut at will, to drag case to the the importance of the questions of law involved, jusifes the interpretation of the highest court The heard by the supreme court of during the past ten years The analysis prepared for the reported volumes thirtysix forty six inclusive. Of these cases there were origina fly brought to the
 Sup. CPL Dist. City Jus. Pro. Pre- Per Gent 56 A I X 9 Az
 And the propotsion of cases arising in the e lower the re orted in the Owe earlier volumes 'here "ei' surerior court All inferior courts Fn@9sl Fer cent. zss ss s1 there were originally brought to the Superior court All inferior courts. Per cent 52 4S
 Your commit ee believe that these evils injur- ious1y affecting, they do the body polite in so many ways should be dealt with promptly and thoroughly To that end we offer the following sug- gestions as to
 REMEDY. The establishment of competent and efficient primary court.
 1t is evident justices of the peace provided present constitution and laws, not adapted perform the functions of primary court Nor strange Our present system of judicature outgrowth of system adopted in early colonial days. Since then, the character of our population distribution of population, business and indus tries modes of intercourse and facilities for travel in short, nearly every condition Of society has dersons a com plete revolution. The change in the distribution of population effected within the past | fifty years will furnish illustration of how com plate this revolution has been. The of 1920 taken just after the adoption of our present consttu t.on and the of 1880, show the differences in the distribution of the population of this State, | follows:
 l BY COUNTIES. | 1920. 1880. | Hartford. ord.......-....-..........4 AT, ,264 125,37 | New Haven n...................... .3e ,6I6 150,52 l New London. . ................. .35 ,943 73, IS | Fairfield d.......-.............4 .42739 112,o4 l WinGham. .31 ,684 43, 4