The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-02-14
Pay of Peace Justices.

To the Editor of the Indianapolis Journal
While the legislators are in session / wish
to call upon the justices of the peace with
in the State TO urge their representatives
to make some provision by amending the
laws so that justices will not be compelled
to do so much work for the State for moth
ing. AS the law now is a justice in a town
of from 1900 to 10000 inhabitants has to
lose about one-half of his fees on work done
for the State, which everyone must admit
is not just Under the present law every
case. whether misdemeanor, punishable by
fine or imprisonment, that is not collect
able the justice is compelled to try him,
furnish his own office blanks and spend his
time for nothing, which is almost one-half
of the state cases tried. Another matter is
in insanity cases, the law allows justices
81 per day in such cases but makes no
provision for mileage. Often there is no
qualified justice to act in an adjoining town
ship, then the justice is called on to go from
some other township and by the time he
hires his conveyance and goes out ten or
twelve miles and does the work and gets
back possibly he has made enough to pay
for his conveyance, and possibly not; it de
ponds on how hard up or generous the
livery man is.
Another matter that should have attention
is in paternity suits where the parties. after
arrest settle the matter by getting mar
ried, and thereby beat the officers out of
their fees There is not another officer i'll
the State that is compelled to do work for
nothing and is imposed on in such way,
and there is no reason why justices should
be- | am aware that it would be hard to fix
a salary that would be fair to the State and
the Justices AS there are many justices liV-
ing in quiet country places that have but
little to do, and to pay them a salary would
be loss to the State, l think the best
remedy would be to allow all justices to re-
tain from fees collected, says, $3.50 or 81 for
each case tried where the fees are not col
lectable off of the parties tried. The fees
of siustices in criminal cases are small If
they even could get pay in each case and
the State should not ask them to spend their
time and money for nothing, The State pays
the prosecuting attorney $500 salary annual
Iv and allows him about three times as
much fes in each case, when average
he does not have TO spend more than one
half as much time in the case as the jus
tice / do not claim that the prosecutor is
getting too much for his work. Is the jus
tice not worthy of his hire, or is 1t supposed
that the Justice can afford to work for moth
ing? TNere is no office In the gift of the
people that is so poorly paid for the work
as that of the justice, and take this oppor-
to call on their representatives and assert
their rights and if the 5000 justices of the
State will assert their rights. by each max
ing an effort, as all other classes do, / think
we will soon And ourselves better paid for
our services. The State allows every man
who asks for it commission as notary
public which takes a great portion of the
civil business from the justice. which is his
best-paying business. and then asks the jus
tfce to go ahead and do its work for moth
ing. JAMES l.. DllALMAN, ). +.
Bedford Ind, Feb. Is