Centre Democrat. [volume] (Bellefonte, Pa.) 1848-1989, 1881-06-30
That Foolish Veto Again.

makes to the judicial apportionment
bill is that it provides that the Ad-
ditionai Law Judge of the 10Th dis
trct shall become the President Judge
Of the county of Lebanon, which is
made IA separate district. He says
grave legal difficulties surround that
proposition" What these grave legal
difficulties" are he has not seen fit to
state. Does he mean to deny to the
legislature the power of assigning any
Judge to which ever of two or more
districts may be made out of the old
district in which he was elected? BY
the apportionment of 1874 there were
four double districts-that is, districts
composed of more than one county
and having each two law judges, viz ::
the 4th, 18th, 18th and 25th. The
twelfth district consisted of Dauphin
and Lebanon. If in dividing this dis
trict one of the Judges cannot be as
signed to Lebanon the same difficulty
would arise in making single districts
out Of the other three double districts
But there are peculiar facts existing in
reference to the twelfth district that
makes such an objection come with
less reason or grace than the same OBJ.
lection would in reference to the other
districts. The act providing an Ad.
ditional Law Judge for the 18th dis.
trict provided that he should reside in
Lebanon county. With this provision
in the act Judge Henderson accepted
the appointment from Governor Hart
ranh and afterwards took the nomina-
ton from the Republican party Of
Dauphin and Lebanon counties and
was elected. 1t is true We believe
that he has only nominally made his
place of residence in Lebanon his
real residence being in Harrisburg.
He naturally would prefer 10 remain
at the Capital of the State and become
the President Judge of Dauphin coun-
! ty upon the retirement of Judge Pear.
son, which in all human probability,
owing to his advanced age will take
place next January. As Judge Hen.
derson is a good Judge, the bar OF
Dauphin county no doubt prefer to
retain him than to run the risk of n
new man. Possibly it would have
been wise for the legislature to have
allowed him to remain, for the present
as the Additional Law Judge OF
Dauphin county, and provided for the
election of President Judge of Leb.
anon. But surely their failure to dc
this was not valid constitutional OBJ
lection TO the bill. Judge Henderson
himself bad no right to complain,
when he accepted the office under q
law which required him to reside in
that county. The individual prefer
ence of a judge as to the district
which in a judicial apportionment
shall be made for him, is surely moi
absolutely binding upon the legisla
ture, and if that august body should
not always acquiesce in these judicial
preferences, it is not a sufficient reason
for the executive interposing a veto anC
thus thwarting a plain recruitment o
the constitution as to the time wher
the judicial apportionment shall bt
made.
The Governors third objection tC
the bill is that it is unnecessarily in
creased the number of Judges, anC
especially in allowing an Additiona
Law Judge to each of the counties o
Erie and Crawford. OF the increas,
in these two districts he says "as in
dependant propositions it is believed
they would neither be demanded by
the people in the districts nor receive
legislative' sanction" In former
part of his message the Governor says
"The present bill designates eacl
county Of the State over 10000 il
population, as n separate county dis
trict, and so far, beyond all question
conforms 20 The constitution, and its ad
dition of law judges, in some of these
districts, Is also an exercise of raid