The Lafayette advertiser. [volume] (Vermilionville [i.e. Lafayette], La.) 1865-19??, 1904-06-29

novelty in the present Constitution of
making the associate justice who has
served longest chief justice is con-
tinued.
The election of the judges by dis
tricts is maintained-a bad system,
rendered worse by the fact that n
district elects two justices. OF course,
all these judges should be elected by
the voters of the entire State, Is is
generally done elsewhere.
The amendment providing for the
Courts of Appeal is reported just as
it came from the hands of the Law
yers' Convention. This, as we have
noted, contains several glaring errors.
The judges are elected as those of the
Supreme Court are, by districts, and
these districts are organized without
the slightest consideration of pOpula-
ton, wealth or legal business. This
part of the measure was prepared in
a careless manner. as though the
lawyers and the legislators did not
think it worth the trouble of dividing
the State fairly and equitably.
The constitutional amendment pro-
viding for the Courts of Appeal is.
because of the carelessness evinced in
its preparation. and because of the
disregard shown of public sentiment,
by no means as strong as it was when
the Legislature assembled: and judg-
ing from the expressions of some of
the country papers, we would not be
surprised to see a large vote cast
against it at the November election.
In this connection the defeat of the
judiciary amendment two years ago
will be recalled. 1t was due to the
same disregard and contempt shown
by the Legislature for the sentiment
and wishes of the people.
1t has been pointed out that there
will be very little business for these
new courts to handle. their main
tenance being out of all proportion to
the cases that will go before them for
consideration. The Supreme Court
is relieved from some labor. it is true.
but at a very heavy expense to the
taxpayers. In the meanwhile no dis
position is shown to reduce the num-
Der of district courts. The late judi
ciary amendment was defeated be-
cause the voters were opposed to any
increase in the expense of the judiciary
system of Louisiana, which had been
shown to be already greater than that
of any State of the South. The
Courts of Appeal amendment is open
to the same objection, and IS almost
certain to have many votes cast
against it, but the fact that the Judges
are to be elective may carry it
through.
There is now little reaSO to hope
that the Joint Committee of Fifteen
will recommend any other change of
moment in our political system, any
other restoration to the people of the
right to elect their officials. This
result has been obtained after the
Democratic party had declared in
favor of this democratic policy, after
Gov. Blanchard had pronounced both
on the stump and in his inaugural
address, and after the house had SO
voted by a good majority following
the most striking and important de-
bate of the session. The refusal of
popular demands and violation of
party pledges has been achieved by
preventing a discussion or vote on
the question in the Senate, and by
packing the Senate quota of the
committee with patronage and APP
pOintment Senators, and refusing to
recognize the element which favOrs
election by the people. Yesterday the
patronage Senators who are members
of the joint committee we're able by
one majority to defeat every PROPOSE.
ton made that the people should
elect their officials. They denied the
voters the right to choose the assess
Ors, the officials who fix the taxes of
every property holder in the State
and who enjoy the right to punish
enemies by higher assessments and
reward friends by lower, and they
continued the system which has made
the assessors the representatives and
agents of the administration in every
parish of the State, with equal con-
troll over the assessments and taxa
ton and over the registration and
elections. They decided that the
people should have no voice in the
selection of the men who administer
their school affairs, but must con-
tinue to pay the money and support
the schools without part in their
management: and it was announced
that by shutting out the voters from
any direct or immediate interest in
the public schools it would arouse
greater public interest in them-and
it is popular interest on which the
success of Our school system rests far
more than on any bond issues.
All efforts at reform, to keep the
pledges made to the voters, have thus
been defeated by the packing of the