Lancaster daily intelligencer. [volume] (Lancaster, Pa.) 1864-1928, 1884-12-24
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LANCASTER, DECEMBER "A, 1884
AIndiciaI Wranele.

The judicial snarl in which the counties
of Lawrence and Butler have become in
volved is the natural result of the evil sys-
tenn Of multiplying elective judges in this
state. The chief responsibility for this
condition of things lies with the judiciary
article of the new constitution, abounding
in most slip shod and extraordinary pro-
visions the bad eminence among them
easily belongs to that section which
creates every county of over 10000 popula-
tion inte separate judicial district, re-
gardless of its wants or relations.
Whatever of absurdity or arrangement
did not ensue from the constitution itself
has been added by the Legislatures con-
struction and enforcement of it. Thus we
see the two little counties of Wyoming
and Sullivan erected into judicial district,
and the scant and widely separated coun-
ties of Fulton and Adams create another.
Blair is district of itself. So is Cambria,
and Huntingdon forms half n third, when
Judge Dean has said-and indeed he has
proved-that he could easily do all the busi-
ness Of Blair, Huntingdon and Cambria.
Beaver with scaDt 10000 population has
judge Of its own, though a single Judge is
able to do all the business of Montgomery
with 100000 population.
The census Of 1880 showed Butler county
to have enough population to be a separate
judicial district. Heretofore it had been
joined with Lawrence to make "A double
district with two judges. Under the pre-
cedents and construction which has been
given to the constitution, counties under
the requisite population to be separate dis
tricts may be attached" to those of over
10000. But Senator Greer, desiring to be
Judge, and fearing the closeness of the
political situation in his own county of
! Butler, had the big Republican county of
Lawrence hooked on to Butler, and had
two judges again assigned to the joint dis
trict. 1t might have been with entire prac-
ticability attached to Beaver on one side of
it, OF to Mercer on the other, either of them
constituting small and light district, with
their county seats in direct communication
With that of Lawrence, whereas Newcas-
tie and Butler are very inaccessible.
The result of this legislative deformity
was that while the Democrats and Repub-
licans of each county respectively, nomina-
ted candidate in each, the Lawrence
county people, who lost both their candi-
dates ten years ago, combined to elect them
both now, and McMichael, Dem, and Ha-
zen, Rep, both of Newcastle, were chosen
and Butler, the separate district" county
is left without judge and becomes the
''annex" of the district. Now the Butler
candidates set up the theory that as their
county constitutes "the district" its people
alone should have voice in choosing the
Judge. Any decision which may be reached
win involve more or less of absurdity and
sveal still more painfully the deformities
of the constitution and of the present judi
cial apportionment.
The bitterness of the local and personal
feeling resulting from the present situation
is greatly heightened by the asperities be-
tween the candidates, the judges sitting
and contesting, and their counsel. OF his
own motion Judge Bredin, judge and con-
teatant, has entered rule to disbar one of
Hne counsel opposed to him. and nothing
that may occur in the adjudication or set
tlement of the dispute now will relieve the
bench and bar of this hybrid district from
the evil results of the present contention,
the natur al out-growth of the elective
judicial system in Pennsylvania.