The Marietta journal and courier. (Marietta, Ga.) 1909-1918, 1912-07-26
JOINT SPEAKING.
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his county, Forsyth, that he had
checked the expenses for the three
years of Judge Morris administra-
ton as against the last three years
of Judge Gober's administration,
and that he found that Judge Nor
ris' administration had exceeded
Judge Gober'S in expenses $614.00
per year.
Judge Morris replied to this by
stating that he had written to the
clerk to go over this matter and see
whether or not these figures were
correct; but, he said, take it for
granted that they are correct, |
give you this explanation of the
matter. The grand jurors fix the
pay of jurors and bailiffs. | have
nothing to do with it. When l
went into the Office the pay for
jurors and bailiffs had been $3.50
per day for many years in that
county, but after l came in office
the pay of jurors and bailiffs was
fixed, not by me, but by the grand
jurors, at $500 per day. Let us
figure how much increase that
would make. At each term Of
court you have twenty-three grand
jurors and one bailiff for them,
making twenty-four. The least
number of petit jurors required is
thirty-six. That makes sixty. 1t
takes at least ten bailiffs for court
and riding bailiffs, that makes sew
enty, and an increase Of fifty cents
per day would make an increase
from this source alone of $500 for
every day court was in session, and
if any big felony cases were tried,
like | have had to try in Forsyth
county, it requires a large number
of additional jurors, which would
be an increase of fifty cents per day
for each one Of them. Colonel Pat
terson failed to explain this fact to
you. Since I have been judge, l
have had to try several big felony
cases in Forsyth county, including
the Brooks murder case, and the
Gin House Arson Case, and other
big cases. Cases Of this kind hap
pen occasionally, and when they do,
it necessarily increases the expenses
of the court. | feel certain that if
there had been an additional ex-
.pense in any other counties where
the responsibility would rest on me
that Colonel Patterson would have
told you about it.
NO COURT AT NIGHT.
Colonel Patterson stated that if
he was elected judge he would not
hold any court that required the
presence of jurors at night; that he
would let them off at the regular
hour.
Judge Morris replied to this by
stating that when he found a large
amount Of business on hand, he had
held court at night in every county
in the Blue Ridge Circuit except
Forsyth, and that he had held very
little, If any, at night in that county.
The reason he did not hold It there
was that Colonel Patterson always
appealed to him not to hold court
at night for the reason that on ac-
count of his age he was physically
unable to try case a part of the
night after working all day, and
this fact alone is one reason why
the court expenses have increased
in Forsyth county, if they have in
creased at all. He stated that he
had saved the taxpayers of the
Blue Ridge Circuit thousands of
dollars since he had been Judge by
holding court at night; that he felt
il he was willing to hold court night
after night, week in and week out,
that certainly occasionally jurors
and attorneys ought to be willing
to do SO in order to save a large ex-
Pe1lse to the taxpayers; that he had
never had any complaint along this
line, that he recalls, from lawyers,
parties or jurors, with the excep-
ton of Colonel Patterson.
INSOLVENT COST.
Colonel Patterson stated that the
-lnsoNent cost that had accumulated
m forsyth county under Judge
Morris administration was ST.
-73O.65 more than it was un,ler
Judge Gober's administrat; N for
the last three years and a half that