The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-01-29
Voice of the People.
$1,000 VS.. $1,468.5O.

Cost and Receipts of Civil Branch
| of Municipal Court.
| To The st. Paul Globe:
II rioay o e, In article headed
Plea for the Court" an ATTEMPT was mad
| to show that If the civil jurisdiction Of tbS
municipal court of st. Paul should, as has
| been proposed, BIT abolished, the amount oil
| $500 that would be saved to the CITY would
| simply be imposed as an additional eypense
| upon the county, SO that the taxpayer would
| gain nothing by such reformation Of The
| court.
1t was argued that about 300 jury cases
would, by the proposed change be added to
the civil calendar Of the district court each
year, and that IL each case consumed only
one day in its trial the per diem Of 81 al
lowed each juror, after deducting the jury fee
OF 49, which the plaintiff is required to pay
before trial, would make each trial cost the
county 81, or $500 year
Unfortunately for this theory. Jurors are
not paid for the time actually consumed In
trials, but at the rate of 50 per day while
In attendance on the court whether engaged
IN the trial Of case or simply waiting in
the court room until their services are re-
CURED. During the last term of the distric,
court only seven jury cases were actually
tried, but the county had to pay the regula.
per diem fees of all Of the jurors attending
court notwithstanding they had so little to
do If the theory advanced was correct the
county would only have to gay SAT to the
jurors to whom these seven cases were sub
mitted. If each case only consumed one day.
instead Of having to pay the whole number
selected for service in the court for each
days attendance upon the court.
1t is indeed a strong argument in favor
of the proposed trial of all civil actions in
volving over 500 in the district court. in.
stead of the municipal court, that Jurors
cost the county substantially the same wheth
er employed in the trial of cases or sitting
idly around the court rooms. The number
required by the statute must always be in
attendance on the court, the cost CT EN-
paneling and caring for them is the same.
and 1t would certainly seem more profitable
to give them more cases to try than they
now have, as the only additional expense
to the county would be for meals furnished
them during the time actually consumed in
arriving at a verdict after the court has
submitted such cases to them
No reason is assigned in the article referred
to why so many cases would be tried by
juries in the district court, when SO small a
number are now SO tried in the munjcipaI
court. Jury trial can be waived In the dis
trict court, IL the parties so elect. lust "a
- - - ~> -ASiPsi 'ouiS. IL Is TACT,
however, that Jury trial in the municipal
court costs the party resorting to that method
OF trial SO much that the right is usually
waived, and litigants are in effect denied the
exercise OF their constitutional right In thar
respect. In the district court when q tury
trial Is had the plaintiff, when the Jury are
sworn, Is required to pay jury fee of 81
while in the municipal court, the party de-
handing jury in any civil action is re-
quired to advance the fees for such Jury be-
fore the venire shall ISSUE" municipal code
OF st. Paul, section 29) thus in the first in
stance imposing upon such party the entire
cost OF jury. amounting to SIP when
1uSy Of twelve men are drawn. and to Sc when