Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1888-12-26

JUDGE B. R. WEBB.
He Enumerates Some Subjects
that Require Legislation.
Science of Craftsmanship Found in the
Golden Mean Between Efficiency
and Economy.
How the Saving of Little Tax is Achieved at
the Expense of the State-Tax Sale
Proceedings.
BAIRD, TEX. Dec. 20, 1883.
To the Gazette

BAIRD, TEX, Dec. 90 1888.
To the Gazette.
The articles in recent issues of THE GA
ZETTE touching upon matters that will
come before the next session of the legis-
lature are of much interest to your read
ers. This is an appropriate time for the
discussion of these subjects, and for an
expression of the views, wishes and needs
of the people whose interests are to be
represented. Your reporter, not being
lawyer, has solicited an expression of
opinion from others who are better posted
on matters of law than himself, and
here presents some ideas gathered from
an interview with Judge b. r. Webb,
one of our leading attorneys.
To the question as to whether there was
much work of Importance requiring, the
attention of the legislature at its ensuing
session he replied in the affirmative.
"'The man, - said he, "with growing
family on his hands need not expect that
his labofs and responsibilities will grow
less while his family continues to increase
in numbers and while changes in the cir
cumstances and conditions are presenting
new and perplexing questions for his de-
termination. Our system of revenue and
the practical administration of the law
must be constantly adjusted and
adopted to the new and develop
ing circumstances and conditions
of our people. These conditions present
many features never presented before,
and the REIMBURSEMENT and extension of
existing law and system is frequently Il
matter of much difficulty and requiring
at all times Il wise discrimination. The
leading idea of government is to afford
protection to the lives, the liberties and
property of the people, and this is eff
fected principally and directly through
the instrumentality and machinery of
the courts of justice. The other depart
ments of government are, in Il large
sense, but auxiliary and incidental.
In order to have the laws administered
by the courts it is necessary to raise reve-
nues for that purpose, and this requires
system of taxation, tax assessors and
collectors, and Il state comptroller TO
supervise and keep the books, and Il
treasurer to keep the money. Texas has
achieved quite reputation for domestic
economy. The reduction of taxation is
strong cord for the politician; and rather
strangely too, it is matter most effective
with the majority of the sovereign voters,
whose total taxes for a year do
not exceed s. per capita. Our state
pursues a somewhat niggardly policy
with reference to the salaries of
her officers and all the expenses pertain
ing to the practical enforcement of the
law, and with the very natural conse-
quence that she often loses largely at
the bung while saving q little at the
spigot. Let me illustrate. Our district
Judges are paid meager salary, and
yet i'll these western districts about dOu-
bic the number of. counties and amount
of work that each one ought to have is
assigned to him. Now let us see what
this policy costs the people of Callahan
county. Our district court con-
venes with more than 100 cases
on the docket and only three
weeks allowed for the term, with such
mass of business before him, the judge
cannot permit cases to be set for particu-
lar days; that is, allow given days to be
assigned beforehand to the trial of given
cases. 1t can not be determined, then,
when n given case will be reached, or
called for trial. The cases ahead of it |
may be passed, or continued or dismissed,
so that it may be reached in day or two |
or il may not be reached at all. FIRE. |
quentiy witnesses and litigants are kept |
dancing attendance here nearly the en-
tire term, and their cases are |
not tried. And when a case is
reached, it cannot usually be tried under
such circumstances because it is next TO
impossible to hold all the parties and wit
nesseS together for so long Il time and
under such uncertainties. Some witness
is found to be absent at the moment the
case is called, and after tedious and eX-
pensive waiting the case goes over at
last. This has been the experience i'll
u l111,
and the damage done her people i'll the
unnecessary loss of time, and expenses in
attending court, will run up into thou
sands of dollars. The state s cost
of witnesses in felony cases has
been also more than doubled But,
bless the Lord, We have saved Il smooth
quarter, perhaps Il few dollars, in the
matter of judges salaries, whether the
law has been enforced or not. Parties
litigant and a majority of witnesses get
no pay for time and expenses i'll attend
ing court, and this policy that saves
man Il few cents on his taxes, not unfre-
quently costs him, i'll actual expenses and
the value of time lost at court, more than
the total amount of his taxes for several
years. l give this as an Illustration
of the idea-whlch may find application
i'll various forms and instances-that
|
achieved ut Il small expense to the people
of ten times the amount saved. Strange
that the cheap cry of the demagogue |
that taxes have been reduced, should he
so alluring when it can be so easily DEM
onstrated that by dispensing altogether
with courts and officers and the enforce
ment of law we can get rid of the
matter of taxes entirely.
The detection and punishment of crime
depends in a large measure upon the /
energy and efforts of the {
officers in pursuing criminals, I
ana in searching for and
preserving the proofs of guilt. The fees
allowed for services done by the officers s
II a felony case prior to the indictment I
ire inadequate; and for much that ought |
o be done no fees whatever are pro-
-ided. Captain Arlington, the sheriff OF +
Wheeler county, spent 500 in cash find
ny the skeleton of a murdered man, and f
With the result that foul murder was L
proved and the criminal sentenced for L
ife-but the state pays for nothing of d
he kind. OF course, in allowing pay L
or matters of this kind, the finan-
ial interests of the state must s
re carefully guarded or there will o
re extravaganza and unjust eX- p
but finding the golden t