The Savannah morning news., 1901-11-18
CAN PASS THE BILLS
THERE'LL BE NO TROUBLE IF THE
PUBLIC APPROVES.
SAYS Representative HITCH.
LEGISLATORS WANT TO LEARN
THE SENTIMENT OF SAVANNAH.

the City Court BiIIs Through the
House and senate-Mr. Hitch Says
He Invites the Fullest Discussion
and the Freest Criticism of the
Measures-Expresses His IndivIdu-
al Opinion That They Would Do
Much Good for Savannah-The
Laws Delays, So Frequent and
Distressing Now, Would BE Fewer
md Less Trying, He Says.
IF public sentiment in Savannah
seems to approve the bills have in
troduced, affecting the City Court of
Savannah, they will become law. The
matter will be left in the House and
Senate to the senator and representa-
tives from this county. and if the effort
is made there will be no difficulty in
effecting the bills passage
Representative Hitch, who spent yes
terday in the city and returned to At
lanta last night, made his statement
TO the Morning News.
mo effort is being made by me or
any other of the representatives" he
said, ito railroad the bills through the
House, and they have not yet been re-
ported from the committee to which
they were referred 1t is my desire to
have them discussed as fully and free
ly as possible and to learn what view
is taken of them and their merits by
the people. I regard myself as the SER
want of the people in these matters and
L have no desire to effect the enact
ment of legislation the good sense of
my constituents fails to approve.
For myself, however. 1 am thor
oughly convinced the bills would do
much for the city and vastly facilitate
the administration of justice in this
county, at the same time saving to
the county a considerable sum of
money annually, now being paid out in
fees to court officers. They represent
the results of much earnest and pains
taking work on my part. in which 1
was fortunate in having the assistance
of some of the most distinguished mem
bers of the Savannah bar. Every part
of the two bills has been carefully
thought out, and while not every part
approval of members of the bar view
ed as an original proposition, think
lawyers will acknowledge that it af-
fords as good a plan as can be de-
vised to remedy manifest and acknowl-
edged evils and fatal weaknesses in the
administration OF law in this county.
For instance, the bill would relieve
the Superior Court of the trial of all
misdemeanor cases and give it that
much more time for the trial of civil
cases. Practically since last January
the Superior Court has been. trying
criminals and it has been almost i'm
possible to secure the trial of a civil
case. There are other difficulties in the
way of securing trials of civil cases
in the local courts, all of which are
perfectly familiar to the members of
the bar which in large part will be
remedied by the enactment of the bills
/ have introduced.
1.-The bill creating the two divisions
of the City Court provides that there
shall hereafter be no continuance by
consent, but only by the court upon
legal cause shown. This will stop one
of the greatest evils that exist in the
practice of law in Savannah-one that
does as much as any other unneceSsar-
lily to prolong litigation. 1t has be-
come the custom for counsel to post
pune d HedIlllS at Tie IGQuSSt VI cdCA
other, and none of us has had sufh-
cient moral courage to ignore the un
written law. If the bill should pass
the responsibility will be taken away
from counsel and placed in the hands
of the court, where it belongs.
''There is one thing 1 want to say
on this subject, and that is there is
no politics in the bills, and they are
not designed to provide jobs for any.
Of frin eofd
that the plan was to put Senator Cam
and myself in the offices the bill would
create. Even if there had been such
plan it would be killed by the con-
stitutional prohibition against the ac
ceptance of any other Office by a
member of the Legislature and there
never has been such a plan or any,
thing that approached it. | may be
mistaken in my views, of course, but
l am supporting the bills simply be-
cause l think they are to the best in
terests of the people, and for no other
reason and with no other motive what
ever"
Some members of the bar discussed
this question with Mr.. Hitch and with
only one or two exceptions they all ex-
pressed themselves as favorable to the
bill AS a result of the conferences
between them it is probable that some
united and concerted action will be
taken by the members of the bar who
favor the bills passage in its behalf.
This will probably take the shape of
memorial to the representatives in the
General Assembly from this county,
Mr.. Hitch said that nothing has yet
been accomplished by the committee
on redistricting the state. There are
two members on the committee from
each congressional district and there
are about as many divergent views as
to the proper scheme of redistricting
as there are members of Ahe commit
tee. The views in the House are stin
more divergent and numerous than
those of the members of the commit
tee.
The principal, reason for redistricting
is that the growth of the southern
counties Of the state has been much
rreater than that of the counties OF
Middle and North Georgia. The First
second and Eleventh districts all have
more than their quota of population,
while some of the northern districts
have less. 1t is this discrepancy that
II is the ostensible purpose of the re-
districting movement to relieved