People's party paper. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1891-1898, 1897-11-26

whelmipg majority.
The present system is rotten to the
core and is largely responsible for the
lawless epidemic existing in the State
The people have no confidence in the
Judiciary because they have no voice
or influence in its creation. 1t is a
creature of corruption, bargain, barter
and sale, and the people know it.
The bar has no confidence in its de-
cisions, because they know it is intiu-
enced and controlled by the gang
who made it, and the modest self re-
specting lawyers who kept aloof from
the ''gang" who controls''-who would
not button-hole numbers of the general
assembly, in the interest of the ''slate''
and the slate makers, are compelled to
adiudicate the interests of their clients
in the Supreme Court. That is one
reason if not the main one why the
business of the Supreme Court grew SO
rapidly that it required double the
number of justices to keep the docket
clear.
Under the practices in vogue our jul
eiciary system is political machine of
fearful proportions. Really worse than
under Government appointment. When
the Governor appointed them, he Sc
lected men who would advance him,
and then his political party, but under
the present system the judge is ex-
pected to build his individual congress-
ional fences; the congressional fences
of his brother judges; the Senatorial
fences of his monied bankers; the leg
islature fences of the tools who made
him; clean the jury boxes of political
opponents; put none but politicians in
Notary Public and Ex-oficio Magis-
trate's positions; and see that the ''ring
lawyers" who manouvered him into a
iudgeship are not mauouvered out of
court by their more honest and able
competitors. It's stenchy and sicken-
ing,
Make an honest effort to purify it by
taking it's creation away from the
men who control" and place it where
the people can control
The Atlanta Journal-whose able
business manager, II. II. Cabaniss,
spent several years in the clerical de-
partment of the General Assembly
knows how rotten the present system
is, and has been firing into it for two
years. We take the following from
it's issue of the goth inst:
"Early in the former session of the
present legislature Senator Hopkins
introduced bill to submit to consti-
tutional amendment providing for the
election of judges and solicitors gen.
eral by the people.
This bill embodies demand which
has been growing for many years and
which is now very general. There can
be no doubt that great majority of
the people of Georgia want a change in
the method of electing judges and So
licitors. The abuses of the present
system have been evident almost ever
since it's adoption. 1t is useless TO deny
what whenever judges and solicitors
are elected there are combinations,
swaps and trades in the legislature.
This thing has gone on and grown
worse until it has become notorious
and discreditsble in high degree.
The exchange of votes, the formation
of combinations and the construction
of ''slates" seem to be inevitable under
the present system. These practices
have obtained in every legislature that
has elected judges aud solicitors under
the present constitution, and there is
no way to prevent them except to
strike at the root of the evil by chang
ing the system under which these
abuses thrive.
A pointer which shows the drift of
public opinion is to be found in the
fact that the proposition to enlarge
the supreme court was defeated twice
when it was provided that the justices
should be elected by the legislature,
but received an overwhelming msjority
the first time it was submitted with
proviso that the people should elect.
There can be no valid objection to
the proposition to let the people declare
whether they desire the election of SUI
perior court judges and solicitors to re-
msin in the hands of the legislature or
to be left to popular vote.
The legislature has already given the
people the right to elect supreme court
judges and it is absurd to say that they
cannot be trusted to choose judicial
officers of lower grade.
The present plan of electing these
officers cannot be successfully de-
Tended. No member of the legislature
will deny that it has been subject to
abuses every time it has been tried. If
any member should take the position
that the people do not want change
it is sufficient answer TO him to say
that the best way to determine whether
the people desire change or not is to
submit the question to them.
Surely no member of the legislature
will take the position that even if the
people do want to take these elections
into their own hands they should not
be permitted to do 40. The legislature
is the servant of the people, not their
master.
Go where you will in Georgia and
+aat o,1h lic oYiuion and Won will n nd H.