Pine Bluff daily graphic., 1895-01-19

sureties, and this manifests itself in favorable
 verdicts from juries and highly technical
 judgments from courts and frequent legislative
 relief bills. More frequently than otherwise when a dedication occurs, the personal bond affords no adequate security, and in my iudg- ment there would be as few delinqencies if the officers were permitted to serve wholly with
 out such bonds But this is not necessary.
 The business Of securing the fidelity of per
 sons is now perfectly understood, and it's risks
 can be measured by peeuniary standards.
 And when such a bond is secured all sentl-
 ment is eliminated from the transaction and 1t
 becomes simply a question of liability and
 solyeucy Then, if it shall be deemed best to
 adopt this form of security, the investigation
 into tho habits and auteCedents of applicants
 that concerns that take risks of this kind
 make before becoming surety, would neYtta-
 bly, tend to diminish the risk by improving tho
 character of persons who would be called on to
 furnish official bonds,
 It has also been suggested, and l am in
 cltned to favor the scheme that the risk be
 assumed by the state, and probable loss pro
 vided against by fund raised by an assess
 ment upon every officer who would be other
 wise required to give bond for the faithful
 discharge of his duties. I would not favor the
 plan of allowing the whole indemdity to be
 provided for by either the assessment indi-
 cated, or by giving the bond of surety i corporation. 1 would still insist that a part
 
 suretyshp since there is thereby given 8
 guaranty that the officer is q man Of some
 standing among his neighbors and not obnox- tous to their interests or institutions. The secruity afforded by the corporation, the assessment plan, should be made primarily liable for the first twenty-fv per cent of the
 penalty of any bond required
 No very marked change should be made in
 the powers of the executive unless 1t be to confer the power of suspending pending inves
 tgation delinquent, indifferent or corrupt off,
 cers This ought to be done if personal bonds
 are dispensed with in whole or in part.
 The most pressing features of the demand for change in fundamental law i'll con neetton with the reduction and equalization of of the burdens of taxation and the improve ment of the procedure in our courts.
 The government approaches most nearly to the ideal which affords courts in which every citizen may have wrongs to his property or person promptly intelligently and honestly redreSsed, and in which guilty men cannot es- cape and the innocent are never convicted or oppressed The integrity of character of the members of the judiciary in this state Is not questioned, and 1t is therefore unnecessary to change the constitution to supply remedy in this connection. But 1t is a deplorable fact that in nearly every quarter of the state the complaint is made that the courts are greatly behind in the disposition ot the business pend Ing before them, and that serious loss to liti- unnecessary cost to the public are the result The crowded condition of the docket of the supreme court ia such an evil Gs to warrant the attorneys of the state in holding general convention to devise ways and means to expedite the disposition of causes pending there, and it IS probable that they will formulate plan of relief and ask It's enactment into law. The condition, if properly reported, calls for action on your part, and trust that you will see your way clear to com ply with any reasonable request that may come from this quarter. In addition to this demand for relief to the supreme court, there Is constant demand for the creation of addi- tonsl courts of original jurisdiction, and every such demand that has been made during the past eight years has come within the range of my official cogntzRnce, and the showing made in its support was sufficient to make it 2 mat ter of duty to extend the relief thus asked. The causes which produce this congested condition of the dockets of our courts arc not due to any peeuHarity inherent in our people or situation, so far at least as I am able to discern My best judgment Is that 1t results from the un- | equal division Of the state into districts a de- fective method of procedure, and, to a greater [ extent, to the low salaries paid to the judges | As long As circuit judges are to be elected by A direct vote of the people. and I favor | e continuation of this plan, political and selfish considerations will enter into the formation of these districts.
 This many times results in very unequal distribution Of the work to be done. Then under existing conditions the judges must serve in the districts in which they were F severally elected This encourages 8 spirit Of F accommodation in the matter | of delaying the trial of cases which would not exist in the absence of the kindly relations wnlcn p-5mpt the asking of such indulgence. { This, however, isnot the important objection of I the present system requiring judges to confins r their service to the districts in which they have been elected.
 It is always the case that in some of the dis E tricts there is more business pending than any E one judge can dispose of promptly and with | out delay" while in others the judges in the | pay of the state are idle in consequence of the | lighter service assigned to them. l would pro vide for the division Of the state into con | venient number of districts, at the present time not to exceed fifteen, in which a judge should be elected as Is now the case. f
 After their election the judges should be subject to assignment to any district by order of the supreme court at the beginning of the i spring and fall terms of the courts; and if in any case 1t should be found necessary to d proper dispatch of business, the supreme court should be authorized to assign more than one iIdge to any circuit county The saving to the taxpayers of the state in ths way Of diminished court expens B and jail fees would In a single year more than compensate the cost involved in holding a convention to re- Ylse the constitution, to say nothing of the wholesome effects of eultivating a broader and more independent spirit among the circuit judges. or course in the event this arrange. ment is affected, the judges should receive a salary Of three thousand dollars a year, sum that many of them should now be receiving, because they are fairly earning it.
 As matters now stand we are constantly tn- creasing the number of judges, and are expend- ing near y as much money as would be required to carry this arrangement into effect. We are acting upon the principle that it is quantity and not quality that is desirable in the organ ization If courts. In fact do not get the best results from the quantity that We thus secure
 This system of indiseriminate assignment is now in operation in many states, and it is said by those familiar with it that 1t is feature that is never discarded when once tried. It seems to me to be peculiarly fit for introduction into our policies.
 This plan will furnish to every one of tho seventy five counties in the state two months court service in each year, and leave to each judge two months for rest So much time is not required in all Of the counties, and in some IL will not prove to be sufficient. But in mab- ing the assignments these differences may be provided for without giving to any judge mors than his share of the labor. We would then than raasa 1o he ta CrAz4s nau