Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1889-02-15
COUNCIL, BILL, NO, 81,

UUUNUlb BILL NJ, oI.
The council and house have passe(
Senator Perea's bill fixing the compensa
ton of clerks of the district courts ant
providing Tor new fee bill. The bill il
published elsewhere in full. The clerks
exclusive of fees in United States cases
are to receive salary of $4,000 per year
All fees are to be turEed into the terri
torial treasury. The fees are reduced
about one-third from the amount of the
legal fees now prescribed by law, and all
such paid hereafter do not 60 to enrich
the clerks, but are paid into the treasury
and thus the courts will be supported in q
great measure hereafter by the fees re.
ceived at the different clerks Offices. TIC
| be palmer: Heretofore the costs in cases
determined against the territory, say in
1887 and 1888, amounted to the nice little
sum of about 500 900. This amount is
saved under the new bill. The territory
pays nothing to the clerks in cases deter
mined against it. Heretofore cases lost
by the territory or dismissed were a
source OF great expense. Under the new fee
bill that expense, as far as the clerks are
concerned, is saved, except their salaries,
which will amount to $l2,S00 per year or
$25 800 for two years; therefore in that
will
fully so per cent of that expense or about
$50, 1000 in two years.
1t is estimated according to the best
obtainable data that the clerks during the
past two years received about $50 900 from
litigants and defendants. To be sure the
fees were manipulated at times in an, to
say the least, illegal manner to make up
this fat aggregate. Under the new fee
bill, the fees to be paid by litigants and
defendants are reduced about 80 per cent,
and the amount obtained from that source
will 90 into the territorial treasury, in
stead of as heretofore into the capacious
and rapacious pockets of the clerks
That amount will be according to care
full computation about $50, 900, and this
will go toward paying territorial expenses
and reducing taxation. Therefore, under
the bill there will be a total gain of at
least from $4,000 to $50, 900 to the terri
torial treasury, which of course means the
benefit of the tax payer, and that of
course means the benefit of the people.
That is what the bill will do, and that
is what it will bring about, and that is
enough glory and a good enough record
for any legislative body, be it in New Mex
leo or elsewhere, Republican or Demo
cratic.
The New MEXICAN again gladly con-
graduates the people of New Mexico, the
2Sth legislative assembly and Senator
Pedro Perea, of Bernalillo county, upon
this glorious achievement.
At the same time there is no use hiding
ones light under bushel basket. The
passage of this bill shows what good,
earnest and strong fight newspaper like
the New MEXICAN will do and accom-
plish. We have made this fight for the
past two years and almost daily. We
have shown up the corrupt fee system
steadily. We have not faltered against
strong opposition and strong pressure in
our fight to save the people of this terri
tory money in these matters, and we have
won the good fight and are glad of it.
We are engaged in other fights for the
good of the people and will carry them
through.
IT would be unfair to close this article,
however, without giving the credit that
duly belongs to the Bar association of
New Mexico in the case. That body did |
earnest and good work and aided the
cause considerably.
Gentlemen OF the 2Sth legislature, the
New MEXICAN is extremely gratiied to
accord full praise to you. You fully de-
serve it. The people are being benefited
by the passage Of this bill, council bill
No. 81, and shall know it.