Arizona weekly citizen., 1886-07-03
The County Courts.

NbhhAa
 The following is the report of the Sen
 ate Committee on Territories, recom-
 mending that the bill to increase the
 jurisdiction of the probate courts in Ari-
 zOna, and to repeal the acts creating
 county courts, be indefipitely postponed:
 "The only request for the passage of
 this bill which has reached the commit
 tee comes in a memorial from the Board
 of Supervisors of Pima county. in which
 it is stated that the District court affords
 adequate opportunities to discharge all
 business. and that the county court is
 a needless auxiliary. maintained to the
 detriment of our county's exchequer.'
 On the other hand, a number oi re
 monstraDces against the passage of the
 bill have reached the committee. In one of these, a memorial signed by the members of the bar of Pima county, Ii is represented:
 That prior to the creation of the county court in that county the district Judge was obliged to hear all cases of any considerable importance arising not only ID that county but also in the counties of Cochise and Graham; the three counties composing the district, embracing a very large area, equal in geographical extent to many of the lar ger States of the Union; that the district Judge was also called upon to preside at
 the trial of all United States cases aris- ing in said district, and to sit as afnem- Der of the supreme court of the Terri tory.
 That the district court Of the county has but two terms & yesr, and that the pressure of dutles upon the district Oc- casioned long delay in the trial of civil cases. and the delay m many cases amounted to denial of justice.
 That the Gmrunt of business civIl and criminal, in the county IS SO great tbs. court of continual session IS necessity.
 That the last legislature of the Terri tory, recognizing this necessity, uuan- imously passed the act establishing the county court Tn that county.
 That the legality of the court has been affirmed by the United State Supreme | Court ID the cast of e1 psrte La;hrop, decIded Apiil 2G, lsS6.
 NLN NtIAA- NohAA AaN ton only in cases arising under The laws | of the Territory, and Is n source of no expense and of DO injury to the United | States.
 It WAS stated in the report of the Com. miitee on the Territories of the House | Df Representatives, recommending the | passage of this bill Report No. l47S), | hat the establishment of these county courts imposed upon each county the iouble expense Of grand and petit iuries md all other expenses attending such 'ourts, but 1t appears from brief filed with your committee by Hon. Ale1an- Ter Campbell. of Tucson, Ariz. that this tatement was erroneous. On the con rsry, NIT. Campbell shows by certified from the records of Pima ounty that 1t cost Sl6. .657.GS less to ruu he county during 1885, the year iu Ehich the county court was organized, han the average expense for the three ears prior thereto; aud Mr. Campbell xpresses the belief that the expenses O. ina county for the current year (lSS6) Ill be from S20.0O0 to S25.OO0 less thaI he average of the expenses during the ears 1882. 1883 and 1881. The evidence before the committee oes to show that these county cCurfs re necessary for the prompt trial Of cases. The Legislation estsb shing them was part of a system which nbraced the consolidation of various ounty officers. the payment of fixed diaries tO county officers instead of feas z Dd a reduction Tn the annual burden C taxation and fees. On the first ol snusry, 1887, the.county courts will sb- ,rb the business of the probate courts. hich will then cease 10 exist, and 1t + aimed that the result will be a yer, saving ID expense, instead
 imposing an additional burden upon e people. the acts which congress l. sked to annul were passed unanimous = by the legislative assembly of ;he = rrltory and have been declared yaIlu the Unned States Supreme Court | F entirely new legislature will be | 7, ected by ihe people of the territory sxt fall 1T the courts prove 10 be -i Irdensome or unnecessary, the people mi ve It n theIr power to elect represeu- n tives who can do away with them. and a, der the circumstances the committee ki lieve that II would be advisable to cr we the determination of the necessity d eIpedielcy of these courts to the th opIe who are called upon to pay for eir maintenance. q. In view of these considerations. and ismuch as no gCOd reason appears y congress should interpose to abol. ki these courts, the committee report at blll back, with the recommendation V, t It be indefinitely postponed" bo