Pittsburg dispatch. [volume] (Pittsburg [Pa.]) 1880-1923, 1889-11-18
THE SQUIRE SYSTEM.
A General Feeling Exists That IL Should be
Changed The Number Reduced and
Fixed Salaries Paid-Opinions of the


Fixed Salaries Paid-OpiniOnI of the
People.
Three local Aldermen struggling on the
edge to keep out of the soup has set a num-
Der of people to thinking, and the query is
propounded whether or not the present svs-
TEN of administering justice judicially In
minor cases is not at fault, and if so, what
remedy could be suggested. Various plans
have been offered in times past, and the
systems in vogue in other States have been
repeatedly referred to, but nothing has ever
been done. To make any changes in this
State would require modification of the
Constitution. A few interested persons
were seen by a DISPATCH reporter, and
what they have to say on this important
subject follows:
Chief Brown, Of the Department of Pub
lie Safety, was asked what he thought of
the aldermanic system of administering
Justice, in view of the DEVELOPMENTS pro-
duced by the recent trials and convictions.
He thought that the charge of Judge White,
which he had no doubt had been carefully
prepared, might be considered as a notice
served to the Aldermen generally that any
use of the Office for unwarranted profits
would be out of the question in the future.
He felt the deepest sympathy for the family
of one of the three convicted, which in
cluded young wife and four small chill
dren, but was afraid that the course indi-
Gated by Judge Whites charge would be
stern one when it came to sentence day.
CHIEF BROWNS IDEAS.
Mr.. Brown was asked whether the office
of Alderman was not in these later days an
entirely superfuous one, and said he would
not go that far, but thought we could get
along with fewer and at a great saving of
EXPENSE to the county. His idea of GEN.
tral police court, he thought, would
from encumbering the courts. He
thought the jurisdiction of this court
should extend to the disposal
of all cases beneath a felony, and keep
clothes line suits from the courts. He
thought this would secure better show for
the accused as we'll as the county, for some
times the former, committed by some Alder
man, may stay months in jail, unable to
secure bail, and crowded out of a chance for
trial, and finally be acquitted. The de-
fendant has no satisfaction, and neither has
the county. The latter would be $50 900
per annum ahead by such an arrangement
when the cost of witnesses, delays, counsel,
etc., are taken into consideration.
Mr.. Brown continued: "For the Judge of
such police court L think the best avail
able material would be a rising young
lawyer of good attainments and ability,
with chance to make name which this
position would give him. He ought to have
a five years term, with a salary of from
s., 500 to s., ,000 and with the thorough ex-
perience he would get in that time and the
opportunities for study afforded he would
be we'll qualified for higher position on
~, h. h. L.
could study the criminal classes as we'll as
his law books, and such a training would
prove invaluable to any one who had aspi-
rations for seat in the Criminal Court.
M'cLUNG A LITTLE cHARY.
S. A. McClung, Esq, seemed to be good
deal of pessimist. He was doubtful
whether sufficient salary could be fixed to
insure honesty, leaving the only remedy in
the hands of the voters to choose men honest
and conscientious. Such men will do their
duty if they accept, but the question is
whether men enough can be found in all |
communities willing to immediate them |
selves. for the Office of Justice of the Peace |
is to great extent a thankless one, where |
the incumbent is disposed to do right in ali |
cases. 1t is said that Alderman Sorg was
in effect driven out of his Office, because he |
would not allow attaches to subpoena wit
than for what they knew of the case in dis |
pute, and Alderman Salisbury got but little |
business, because it was known that if a |
case were not made out he would decide for |
defendant.
Clarence Burleigh, ESQ.,, was asked what |
he proposed as a remedy, and he replied |
that his views hadn't changed since MAY z. |
1887, when be addressed the Bar Associa. |
ton, subject "Our Criminal Courts" He |
then said:
SHOULD REDUCE THE NUMBER.
"First and foremost, the number of Alder |
men and Justices of the Peace should be re-
duced greatly. We have now, say 200 of |
these gentlemen, who with their corps of |
constables, of course outnumbering the |
magistrates, form a small army, and must
and do make Livingstone of them have
large incomes. If six Judges sitting (for
jury trials) about five hours a day for five
days in the week, and say nine months in a
year, can dispose of all the civil and erimi-
nal business of the county (and
nearly every civil and criminal proceed
ing heard OF tried before a justice finds its
way into court), it strikes me that four
times that many justices, or say 25, ought to
dispose Of such minor cases, and the erimi-
nal proceedings that are instituted before
them. Therefore. suppose that the Consti-
tuition and laws of our Commonwealth were
so changed that the number of Aldermen
and Justices of the Peace in this county was
reduced to %, and that they were to have
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