The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1902-07-08


The paper which Justice Cobb read
at the recent meeting of the State Bar
Association on the Judicial System of
Georgia leaves no room for doubt that
the Supreme Court of the state is over
burdened. The court hasn't time to
give the attention it ought to all the
cases brought before it. The people
therefore are more concerned in having
the court relieved of a portion of its
burden than the court itself.
Within the last eleven years the bus
mess of the court has about doubled.
In 1890 the number of cases brought
before the court was ST. Last year it
was 1000. These figures tell the story.
The state is growing rapidly and con-
sequently there is a steady increase in
litigation.
1t is probable the Legislature would
not hesitate to increase the number of
judges or to create another court hav-
ing final Jurisdiction in all cases ex-
cept the most important, if the state
were in receipt of an ample revenue.
The difficulty in the way of doing
many things the people would like to
have done is the lack of money.
IIow is money to be obtained for the
relief of the Supreme Court and for
other things for which the people are
clamorng2 That is the chief question
with which the Legislature, at it's next
session, will have to deal.
intend to submit to higher tax rate
if they can help it. A five mill rate
seems to be about their limit. If there
is to be more money for the Supreme
Court. therefore. and for other things,
there must be either additional sources
OF revenue or certain appropriations
must be reduced. 1t has been proposed
that franchises be taxed. The chances
are that it will be sometime before that
is done. The railroads are now taxed
for pretty nearly what it would cost to
build them, and they would resist with
all of their influence a bill to tax fran
chises. The probability is they would
resist successfully.
What appropriations can be cut? Is
it not the sentiment of the state that
there should be biennial sessions of the
Legislature? Have we not too much
legislation? What is the need of more
than one session every two years-a
session of about fifty days? BY biennial
sessions about $4,000 year might be
saved.
And are we not paying a great deal
too much in pensions? Why pay pen
sions to those who are able to earn a
living or who have incomes sufficient
to meet their moderate wants? We are
now paying out in pensions every year
about as much as all the other South
ern states combined. The amount is
over $500, 900 and promises to soon reach
$1,000, 900. There must be hundreds, per-
haps thousands getting pensions whom
the people never expected to have
them when they voted for the present
pension law.
If pensions are put on an INDECENT
basis, provision is made for biennial
sessions and some other useless ex-
penses are cut off there will be money
for the relief of the Supreme Court and
for some other things for which there
is urgent demand. If these reforms are
not made either franchises will have
to be taxed, or the tax rate will have
to be raised or the school appropria-
ton will have to be cut or the state
viii have to run into debt. Will the
Legislature have the courage to make
the reforms?
The Supreme Court might be relieved
to a certain extent by allowing appeals
only in certain cases, but the lawyers
would never agre to that. Most of them
insist upon continuing litigation as
long as there is a chance for a new
trial or ground for an appeal.