Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1904-02-13
Representative Cummings and
Senator Whipple See Chance
to Save $4,000
TO CUT OFF TWELVE JUDGES
BY Giving the Courts Fair Amount
of Work Yearly Saving of Enor-
mou. Proportions Can Be Made to
the Iowa Tax Payers-PIan of Re.
districtins.

Des Aroines. Feb. 13.-F'rom 3. +
Cummings, member of the house from
Marshall county. and w. p. Whipple
member of the senate from the Benton
| Tana district, il was learned yester-
day that they are preparing to offer to
the legislature bill which proposes 20
lrevolutionize the judicial districting OF
Iowa, They contemplate making twelve
less judges and probably reducing the
number OF districts to fifteen. a de-
crease OF IS per cent.
| In discussing the bill yesterday SEN
ator Whipple said:
| 1T is in the interest Of economic. AS
lit now stands the state of Iowa has
fifty three judges. most OF whom have
an individual stenographer and each OF
whom represents an annual, cost to the
state OF nearly twice his own salary.
which is $4,000 year.
by careful computation Mr.. Cum
mings and have found that Iowa
judges actually put in an average of
149 days a year. This computation IS
based upon the court records and in
cludeS many days which probably
didn't consist OF more than ten min-
| utes' actual session of the court, which
was probably convened by the Judge
merely to accommodate some attorney
who desired to make q motion or OBJ
tain an order of court. The time spent
in chambers is not very considerable
addition to the amount have outlined.
Now think you will agree with me
when I say that 1t is not asking too
much OF judge to require him to de-
vote 200 days a year toward earning
the salary which was Increased by the
last legislature to $4,000. This would
still leave him 113 working days and
|fifty-two Sundays for rest and recrea-
ton. When one stops to consider that
this would save $4,000 and possibly
more to the taxpayers OF Iowa each
year, 1t is a big item.
"As it now Glands there ere fifty
three judges in Iowa. BY requiring
them to work just little harder thera
could be twelve Of them eliminated
without impairing the efficiency OF tha
judiciary. This would also permit OF
the reduction in the number Of judi
clal districts to fifteen. five less than
the present number.
There are number OF reasons for
this. Take it in my own district. for
example. Mr.. Cummings and are
Saventeentll), which embraces the
oP To-, r.,
ton. The Judges in our district, by
actual computation. labor 127 days
year and, as have outlined, these Ia
boring days are pretty short. This dis
tiict Is by no means the softest snap in
tile state. as the legal business there
Is Is as great as in some OF the dis
tffcts having three judges. We have
but two, and Judge Caswell informs
me that he believes he could easily at
tend to all the business himself l be-
lieve this would be attempting too
much. but II the same economy were
practical all over the state It would re-
suit In eliminating twice as manv
judges as Mr.. Cummings and ] pro-
pose.
You will find. however, that 1t Is a
serious task TO satisfy all interests in
any redistricting scheme. and there g
bound to be much opposition. For that
reason Mr.. Cummings and are pro-
ceeding slowly and carefully in our
work To AFFORD an idea of what might
be done, however. l will say that the
big districts. from the standpoint of
legal business transacted therein. IRA
the Second. Fourth. Ninth. Eleventh,
Fifteenth and Eighteenth. There Is
much done in each OF these districts
as in the First, Nineteenth and Twent-
eth combined, as the combined BUSH
ness in the Fifth and Sixth districts
and almost as much as in the Seventh
and Eighth together. OF these large
districts the Eleventh and Eighteenth
have three judges each; the rest four
The Fifth and Sixth together have six;
the Seventh has four. and the Eighth
but one. In the two latter districts the
amount OF business Is not far from the
same. In the First, Nineteenth and
Twentieth districts there are five
Judges. Similar Illustrations might be
made all over the state which will
readily convince one that the change
We propose is imperatively demanded
NJ. l.. Temple, member OF the house
the ground that while legal business is
light now, 1t will grow rapidly and will
soon keep all judges busy. Great OPP
position. too is expected from most Of
the judges. and they are generally poll
ticians themselves and have powerful
politicians backing them.
Summarized, Cummings and Whip
pies arguments in favor of the meas
ure are:
Average number of days annually
judges should labor, 200.
Average time put in by Iowa judges,
149 days a year.
Average number OF hours for each t.f
these days, four and one-half.
Average salary per hour that is actu-
ally employed $5.25.
Number of judges drawing $500 a
year. fifty-three.
Number necessary IL they work 200
days year. forty-one.
Number of districts under present
system twenty.
Number OF districts necessary II
change is made. fifteen.
Number Of high salaried court re-
porters that would thus be eliminated,
eight.
Estimated sum saved annually by
the proposed change, $4,000.
Syracuse, N. Y.3The American Elk
change National Bank OF this city yas
closed yesterday by National Bank Ex-
t,t,