Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-06-16
Our Courts.

rently passed by the Legislature has
been largely commented upon, both by
the newspapers and the citizens of the
State. Some objections to the bill are
reasonable and well taken, while 9th.
ers have neither reason nor sense in
them. In order that the bill may be
properly understood let it be examin-
cd by the aid of our Constitution.
Section FIVE of article five of our State
Constitution provides that whenever
J. county shall contain forty thousand
inhabitants it shall constitute Il sepa-
rate judicial district and shall elect
one judge learned in the law" There
can be no misunderstanding in this
language. 1t is a severely simple and
plain provision of what shall be done.
Under it the first duty Of the Legisla-
ture was to simply set apart every
county having a population of forty
thousand inhabitants, for under the
mandatory language Of the Constitu.
ton they composed separate judicial
districts. Under this provision thirty
seven counties are constituted separate
districts, including Allegheny and
Philadelphia. These thirty-seven coun-
ties have seventy judges. OF these
seventy judges provided for in the late
act Of Assembly, one in Erie, one in
Crawford, one in Dauphin and one in
Northampton are certainly unneccs-
sary; but three of this number were
created by the present bill, the extra
judge in Northampton having been
created by special act of the Legis.
lature passed some time ago. As the
business of the counties containing
10000 inhabitants increases the gen.
cral assembly shall provide additional
law judges. The best evidence in the
world that an additional law Judge in
Crawford with population of 5000,
or Dauphin with a population of 76,.
600 is unnecessary, and that one Judge
can do the business of said counties, is
shown by the fact that Chester county
with a population of $4,000 has only
one judge. The only judges that are
not necessary under the bill are these
four, and they are made to give per.
manent places to a few faithful Re
publicans.
The next duty of the Legislature
was to dispose of the counties con.
tanning less than 10000 inhabitants
and erect them into as convenient ju-
dicial districts a. possible. That this
has been done can not we'll be doubt
ed. There are eighty.six judges un-
der the present apportionment bill, as
against seventy-six under the bill of
1874. The thirty-seven counties al
ready disposed of, have assigned to
them seventy judges. This leaves
thirty counties and sixteen judges
-Four Of these judges are assigned to
separate districts as follows: Beaver,
Green, Jefferson and Lebanon counties.
Each of these counties contain less
than 10000 inhabitants and are made
separate districts under constitutional
provisions, because they can not be
conveniently attached TO any other
districts.
1t has been urged as an objection to
the bill that it don't increase the
judges in Philadelphia and Allegheny
counties, where courts sit all the time.
BY the last census upon which the APP
portionment bill is based, Philadel.
phia contained s46,9S0 inhabitants.
She has fifteen law judges, or one Judge
for every 81, Ago inhabitants. ALE.
gheny county with all her cities has
a population of 355,759 with eight
law judges, or one Judge to every H.
457 inhabitants The judges in Allie
gheny and Philadelphia get from one
to two thousand dollars more salary
year than the country judges. But
it is not true that in these two dis
tricts the judges do more work than
the country judges. The judges in
Philadelphia and Allegheny do not
ON an average ait more than three and