Fitzgerald enterprise. (Fitzgerald, Ga.) 1895-1912, 1908-03-03
TUESDAY, MARCH 8, 1908.
THE CITY COURT.

BILE for the city court as it is organized. We in
sisted on city court for Fitzgerald when it was
necessary to go to Irwnville to attend court and
we kept up the fight until the court secured;
we arc proud of the record.
When the present city court established
after the new county was created it was pattern
ed after what was thought to be the best city
court bill on the statute books 1t was not then
thought necessary to organize it as money max
ing institution if so the probability is sawmill,
or dry goods store, would have been planned in
it's stead.
The question however is no longer an issue in
the present campaign, as candidate Knapp propos-
eS in his announcement to do only what Mr.. Dick
son has all along believed to be his duty with ref
erence to the city court any other local legisla-
ton. He will leave the question as every other
honest man would do, entirely with the people.
But the demagogy of certain peanut politicians
who realize they must ride some hobby into office,
i f they get into office q t all, and being
devoid Of originality have adopted the
old, time worn, thread bare scheme, that
has been used by cheap politicians since county
and city courts were first established. We have
some figures to submit that will disabuse the
minds of some who have been poisoned against
the city court for political purposes.
The present city court was loaded down with
GO cases to start with, which required long
sessions beginning with last September. In the six
months the court has been in session twenty two
days at the cost of 1874 day, total of $2,O72,
and has disposed of 203 cases. If the SUI
perior court was required to do this work, the
twenty two days of court would have cost the
county hundred dollars day more, or $4,000
has thus been saved to the county in six months, at
the rate of 81, 400 per annum, and we challenge
contradiction.
But the city court has not been established
long enough to tell what it will do. Certainly it
will save the county several thousand dollars per
annum. 1t disposes of business little faster than
the Superior court, probably because it is not so
unweldy fewer jurors, no Grand Jury, fewer
bailitfs, attorneys etc.
The court has paid into the treasury only ST.
S25.22 and there is due the court, on cases that
have been appealed and otherwise, 500, making a
total of something $4,000, but it must be
borne in mind that it started without a convict
from which source there is at present a monthly
income of 1892 We must in fair calculation,
assume that this will be increased the court be-
comes older. Assuming that the average term of a
convict is twelve MONTHS the monthly receipts will
increase seven or eight months yet which will
probably amount to $500 or $500 per month, quite
sufficient to give the county new source of reve.
nue. that is not contemplated in the establishment
of courts.
There is an item not taken into calculation
here that is of vital Importance, and that is the
question of OBTAINING prisoners before trial, with
the Superior court in session every six months, the
average time is three months; with the city court
it is fifteen days. Now it not only costs the coun-
ty to conine and board prisoners, but the grave
injustice to the prisoner, who is assumed to be in
nocent until proven guilty is matter that no civi
ized people ignore, but the city court of Fitz
gerald does as much o f civil business as
criminal business and as has already been shown
in the Enterprise in the trail of civil business alone
the court is worth quite as much as in the crimi
nal business done.
CONTRAST.
To dispose of 40 cases in Superior Court cost
(not including Judges salary S3,257. Sixteen
days.
To dispose of 203 cases in the City cout, Gn
Guiding judges salary cost s2,O72 Twenty two
days of court
203 cases in City court cost 81, 072 or $40 per
case. 40 cases in Superior court cost 49, 257 OrS66
per case. For every case tried in the City court
there is saving to the county an average of $50
IN caSa