Americus times-recorder. [volume] (Americus, Ga.) 1891-current, 1910-06-22
SELECTING JUDGES IN GEORGIA

There is some little discussion Of
another change in the method Of Sc
1ecting the judges Of the state courts.
No matter what system is in vogue
there VII always be more or less COM
planning and opposition to its contin-
uance. Every method that has been
resorted to in the past has speedily
brought abuse in its path and provoked
antagonism that grew in volume until
a change was effected through legisla-
ton. The present system of electing
by the people, has been in existence
but few years. There may have been
some mistakes made, but ON the whole
the Judiciary probably measures up
just as well as it did in former years
when the legislators log rolled for the
berths, or the governor utilized the
bench as the means of promoting his
personal political fortunes.
The chief objection to the existing
method is that it renders the judges
tim d, makes them subservient to pop
ular whims, afraid of antagonizing
public sentiment, even though they
may recognize it to be Sicious, This
might be overcome, # it exists to any
degree, by making the tenure of office
longer. In some states judges are
elected for ten years. That is none
700 long a term for the good judge,
and there is generally a way Of rid
ding the bench of a bad or VIGOROUSLY
inefficient Judge The public, to5,
would probably be more discriminatiye
in the election of judges to serve for
SO long term.
Discuss 'ng the present and past
methods of selecting the judiciary the
Savannah Press says:
The problem of the election of
Judges is an intricate one. During its
political history the state of Georgia
has tried all three methods and no one
of them is ideal. Everybody remem-
bers the log-rolling IN the legislature
when the selection of the judiciary
was placed in the hands of the repre-
sentatiyes, It became an open scandal
and the transition from that method
even to TIE election by the people was
easy and natural. OF course, there IS
objection to the present method The
sta ement that the criminal class after
all controls a large number of voter is
| true. There are difficulties on this
side but the people saw that there was
| scandal II other methods, and danger
GUS as this experiment was they pre-
ferred to take the matter in their own
hands rather than leave it any longer
with the governor % legislature.
| When the constitutional convention
of 1877 met, the patronage system OF
Georgia, which was then in the hands
of the governor, had been overlooked
1t was charged that governors of Geor-
gia had erected huge political ma
chimes and tLat judic al appointments
were being used as stepping stones il
politics. This was felt to be intoler-
able 1t is true, as the Macon Tele-
graph says, that the present governor
of Georgia is only in office four years
but the average governor of Georgia
is a candidate for the United S ates
senate, and he will see about fill ne
vacancies and moving up men in way
that will help his political ambition
It was not 50 long ago that Juggling
with judicial appointments was charg-
ed hat is, with appointments to fill
yacanc es. The possibilities along this
line are immense and serve to create
the impression that a shrewd political
governor could manipulate judgeships
in way to make the judicious grieve
There is one thing about the election
Of judges by the people; it creates n
terest among the best classes of law
yers and best class Of people. This IS
true in New York. 1t puts tito electors
to work and makes the profession and
people busy. SO the question has been
raised in Georgia when we think OF
what has been and what may &c
whether it is not better to gear tie ills
we have than fly to others we know not
of?