The Montgomery advertiser., 1901-08-06


 ! years. We think that Nat would rot >suit the people of this co~-."v to elect probate judge for that lo..2. We think that it is better to elect the Iro- bate judge and circuit judge and chan cellor for four years than to elect them | for eight years. Why? If you get an | incompetent probate or circuit judge | or incompetent chancellor, you can dis pose of him after the four years under the four year plan, but if you elect him for eight years, you have got to keep him eight years. If you elect him for four years and he turns out to be | a good judge or chancellor, competent and qualified for the position, he will ] he re-elec ted at the next election. We believe this will better suit the coun- | try than to elect the chancellor, circuit judges and probate judges every eight | years. Under the plan of the minority, you would have a Democratic Conven- | ton and other Conventions, toe, per haps, for the nomination Of these on- cers. That Is something which the people of this country are tired of. It is as much worry and as much l trouble to nominate and be troubled with the nominations of -hese officers | as if is to have their election; while under the plan of the majority. you will have to nominate these Supreme | Court Judges every two years. and un- der Section 17 of this Article and in | voting upon Section Is you are bound 10 consider Section 17. The people Go not want to be troubled with these nominations except every four years. They are tired of it. As l said, 1t IS as much trouble to them to honiihdle as 1t is to elect.
 | Replying to the gentleman who spoke for the majority report, ne Hays that the election for Supreme Court Judges has been fixed to occur at the Federai election. and it would not be much additional expense. fhey have also a provision that it may be changed by the legislature and put at any other time. They fix also the election or l probate judges at the same time they do the election of Federal oHicers' They fix the election of circuit court Judges and chancellors at the same time they do these Federal ofncers; 1 Suppose the legislature meets and says we are not satisfied with this, 1t doesn't work well to have 1t at the same time as the Federal election, we want to change this, and elect at different time, because it doesn't work well to have the Federal and State election at the same time, Wnlch think will be the case Suppose they decide that anu change these elections and have them at diffe rert time of the year then what o" vou have. We have an election every two years in the State Of Alabama and YOU cannot get around 1t because two of these Supreme Court Judges are l elected every two years and you Will | have an extra election every four years | instead of every six or eight years as | argued by the gentleman rom Cla:ke and so whenever we adopt the report of the majority we establish blennlal elections in this State. We are bound | to have it if we adopt the majority re- port 1 would prefer the report or the other minority committee to the report of the majority. We provide for the election every four years. We nx the term of the offices and Prooate Judges four years ,Chancellors four years. DO YOU think that that would suit the peo- ple to elect Circuit Judges and Chan cellor for eight years and Probate Judge for eight years and let them succeed themselves and hold for SIX teen years or what is better argu- ment, if you get an incompetent officer you have got to hold on to him TOT eight years. Oh, we'll you may say that applies to the Supreme Court Judges. That is so. It would apply to the Sul reme Court Judges. but you would not be Npt to elect i've lncom- petent Supreme Court Judges ana there is the difference. This minority committee is not alone in it's ideas as f. the election of the Circuit Judges and Chancellors every four years In Arkansas 1 see they elect their Circuit Judges every four years, North Dakota every four years, Iowa every four years. they elect them in Kansas av- cry four years, in Georgia every four years, in Montana they elect them ev- cry four years, Nebraska every four years, New Mexico every four years Texas every four years and in Wash ington anu so on. Now when you come to the election of Supreme Court Judges
 MT. Oates-In Mississippi?
 MT. Duke-Yes Mississippi. too. Now when you come to the Supreme Court Judges of. the State a vast majority of the States elect Supreme Court Judges for more than six years. There are a very few States of the Union but Whal elect their Supreme Court Judges foI a longer period than six years. Arkan- sas elects them for eight years. Con- necticut for eight, Delaware for good behavior, Florida has It six years
 North Dakota six years. Iowa sl2 years, Kentucky eight years. Maryland fifteen years, Mississippi nine years Michigan ten years and so on dowr through all the States. They make g distinction between the term of ofhct of the Supreme Court Judge and fiie Judges of the lower courts. In nearly all of those States you will find the distinction is made and in nearly al of them the Supreme Court 4dges holc nearly twice as long as Circuit Judge. and District Judges do. Some are moi
 without precedent in our opinion in cul report. Now I am not specially we'd ded to that, I am unalterably oppo sec to the report of the majority commit tee yes, your plan. 1 do not think tha' would do at all. I much prefer the report of the of the other minority committee, but 1 think that this repor1 giving the minor Judges the inferior Judges, four years and the Supreme Court Judges eight years, is more con- sistent, and I think it will meet the wishes and desires of the people bette" and above all gentlemen, We will have elections every four years and ho oftener and under the majority plar we will have elections ottener thai four years and the people of thls Statt expect us to adopt d plan whereby they , will not be worried with nominating conventions and elections every tWt years, and it has already popularizec this Constitution in the fact that Vt
 have already adopted the four-yea
 Departments.
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