The Ottawa free trader. [volume] (Ottawa, Ill.) 1843-1916, 1886-09-25
THE COUNTY COURT.

For the past few weeks the Gentleman
Fowler combination of Independent ="
newspapers have been endeavoring to make
1t appear that the County Court, under
Judge Gllbert's administration, has been
failure. The evident purpose Of their at
tacks is to injure Judge Gilbert and crafty
the malice of the parties 10 the combina
ton. During the last session of the Board
of Supervisors the attempt was made at the
instigation of the parties named to induce
that body to reduce the salary Of the county
Judge and make a corresponding increase
In that of the probate judge, upon the al
legged ground that the work of the latter
far exceeded that Of the former The re-
suit was that the Board, upon investigation,
were fully satisfied that the amount of labor
performed by Judge Gilbert in the County
Court during the past four years was at
least equal to that performed by Judge
Evans In the Probate Court during the
same period, and, accordingly, no distinc,
ton was made In the salaries of the two of
fees for the future each being fixed at
$4,000 year, reduction of 800 from
the amount fixed by the Board four years
ago.
This action of the Board is a complete
answer to the attacks made upon Judge
Gilbert That the Board acted properly is
made manifest by statement, which ap-
pears in another column, of the compare
tive increase of the business of the two
courts over that OF the last four years of
Judge Miler's administration In Judge
Evans court the increase of business has
been about ten per cent, or, in other words,
an Increase corresponding with the growth
of the population and wealth of the county
The smallness of this increase is not attrib
utable to Judge Evans, for the jurisdiction
OF the court being exclusive In probate
guardianship and conservatorship matters,
no action on his part could operate either
to increase or diminish ii.
But In Judge Gilbert's court, aside from
condemnation cases, the number of which
depend chiefly upon railroad building and
bastardy cases, the increase of business has
been In no department less than one hun.
dred per cent, and In some II has increased
from three hundred to seven hundred per
cent This increase is in some depart
ments the more significant from the fact
that the cases are such that they might be
disposed of In either the Circuit or the
County Court, as the parties might elect
Then, too, the two courts are brought AS 1t |
were into competition, and the further fact
that the common law business of the Cir.
cult Court during the past three years aud
nine months shows decrease as compared
with the preceding like period.
One feature of the County Court bust
ness worthy of especial mention Is the
large number of criminal cases broughtb be
fore II. During Judge Miller's term all
the criminal business of the county was
disposed of in the Circuit Court excepting
u few cases OF misdemeanors in which the
defendants desired to plead guilty, in
which cases informations were filed and
disposed OF without trial. But during
Judge Gilbert's term all indictments and
informations for misdemeanors have been
taken 10 the County Court, and thus the
Circuit Court has been relieved of two
thirds of lis criminal business, and has
been thus enabled TO devote more of It's
time 10 the disposition of common law and
chancey business. In fact, the records of
the County and Circuit Courts show that
the number of jury trials In the County
Court 10 law and criminal cases, not incluu-
Ing Insane cases, during Judge Gllbert's
administration, has been more than half