The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1882-07-15
THE COUNTY JUDGEsHIP.


AS the Republicans are pretty apt to do just
what the Democrats are anxious they should
not do, it will not be strange If Judge Miller
Is nominated for County Judge. What then
Why ofcourse with the Free 7rader's endorse.
ment, it will be useless for MIR. Gilbert to run,
and the Judge will have no opposition !-Otta-
,ca Republican,
Leaving our cotemporary and his political
friends TO settle among themselves the size of
the compliment involved in the intima,ion that
the republican party is wont, dixie lhrames,
to go by conthraries," we beg respectfully and
delicately to suggest, that there may possibly
be some mistake about the democrats not
wanting Judge Miller nominated for county
judge. While our contemporary sno less hap.
by than facetlous in his allusion TO the endorse.
ment of Judge Miller by the FREE TRADER, it
may be as well to remind him that that en-
dorsement only extended to Juuge NJ as pro-
bate jugde. Broad as the FREE TRADERS
mantle of charity may be, for potent reasons to
which we shall now barely allude, it must tall
far short of covering him IN the relation Of
county Judge. 1t is to be borne in mind that
Judge Miller has already been county Judge
some eight or nine years, and IT our cotempo
rary, or any one else, Is anxious 10 know in
what estimation he IL held in that relation, let
him inquire among the attorneys of the county
as well as among litigants and others having
business in the county court, and we engage he
will be abundantly enlightened. Suppose we
recount few facts;
The jurisdiction of the county court includes
all common law cases involving 81 600 or less
oil appeals from justices of the peace, as well
as all misdemeans to which less than years
punishment in the penitentlary Is attached
The list includes twothirds of all the cases
that now, to so much inconvenience to ltigants
and such heavy expense to the county, over.
crowd the docket of our circuit court. Do
what the circuit Judges will, holding four
terms year and often running two courts at a
time, they are unable to keep pace with the &C.
emulation of business, the chronic condition
Of which is, that of being from one to two
years behind hand. Is there any reason why
the circuit court should not be relieved by cast.
ing large amount of this burden upon the
county court? While Gilman was county and
probate judge his court was full of common
law business the circuit docket renamed un-
clogged, and nobody dreamed of asking for
separate county court. But very rapidly, on
the accession of Judge Miller, all that business
strangely vanished from the county court, and
to relieve the gorge In the circuit court, the
Legislature was implored to give us separate
county court. Why? Why? Was Judge Mil
Ter SO overburdened with probate business that
he was unable to attend to common law cases
Judge Knickerbocker, of Cook county, who
holds court about days in week, meeting at
10 A. NJ. and adjourning at to 4 p. NJ, attends
to the probate business of 100000 people, more
than ten times the number IN La Sale county,
and makes no complaint of being overworked.
A few years ago, before the county and probate
courts of Cook county were separated, Judge
Wallace attended TO all the probate business of
that county and found time besides annually
to dispose of some 400 common law cases Is
It, therefore, reasonable to imagine that Judge
Miller IL so pressed with probate business tina
he can give no attention to cases at common
law
The plain, honest truth Is, that while Judge
Miller makes painstaklng, reliable and val
liable probate judge, carefully and honestly
guarding the interests of widows and minor
children in the settlement of estates, he has no
qualification, no fitness whatever for the posi-.
ton of trial judge. This is so well under
stood In the purliens of our courts, so univcr
sally conceded by all in position to know,
that 1t is needless to dwell on the fact. Yet
after the separatian of the county and the pro.
bate court next December takes place the pro.
bate court will attend to probate business ex.
and the county court to common
law business exclusively; so that the PROPOSE
ton is, to relieve Judge Miller OF duties for
which he is peculiarly fitted and to charge
him with duties for which he has VIGOROUSLY
and conspicuausly no fitness whatever.
From all Of which our contemporary may be
able to discover that as we stated in the out
start, II is barely possible the democrats may
not have such dread of the nomination of
Judge Miller for the county judgeship as lie
may imagine.
THE CRops.-The July report OF the De.
partment of Agriculture at Washington estl.
mates the corn crop for the year at zoo, 900 600