St. Landry clarion. (Opelousas, La.) 1890-1921, 1912-11-02
THE JUDGFSHIP AMEND
MENT.

| interest of the citizens of Calca-
sieu, Cameron, Beauregard, Al
len and Jefferson Davis Parishes
composing said district.
AS you are no doubt aware, a
a Constitutional Amendment will
be submitted to the people of the
State of Louisiana at the Gen
eral Election in November, A.
D. 1912, proposing the creation
of an additional Judgeship for
this District.
We wish to briefly call your at
tention to the facts rendering
such an amendment absolutely
necessary, and earnestly solicit
| your vote and support in favor
Eof same.
You will note that the district
as now constituted is composed
of five parishes. Before the Gre
alton of the three new parishes
of Beauregard, Allen and Jeffer-
| son Davis, the District, com
posed of only two parishes, Cal
casieu and Cameron, furnished a
| volume of business for the Court,
equaled only by the Parish of
Orleans, an d Notwithstanding
| the untiring efforts of our Dis
trict Judge and his devotion to
duty, both the Civil and Crimi-
nal dockets were crowded almost
to congestion, and it therefore
requires no great flight of imagi-
nation to conceive what will be
the condition if three new par
Eishes are added to the district,
with the inevitable increase IN
the volume of litigation and with
but one Judge, now over worked,
to preside over the Courts.
We give you, as an illustration
fof the volume of business dis
| posed of by the Court, in the
i at s4S -
Parish Of CaIcasieu alone during
the last Judicial year.
During that time the Court
disposed Of an average of five
cases for each legal day.
What would be the condition
with but one Judge for five par
ishes; travelling over vast ter
Iritory, larger than the State Of
Rhode Island, empanelling nine
grand juries, holding preliminary
trials in five different parish
seats as well as attending to
other numerous duties lncun1-
bent under our jurisprudence?
This District comprises more
square miles; a greater popula-
ton; includes a greater assessed
valuation and transacts more
business than any district in the
State, outside of t h e Parish of
Orleans, or possibly the Parish
| of Caddo, which, however, has
two judges.
The vastness of the territory
/ and time taken up in travelling
over the district would render it
impossible for one judge to ae-
complish all of the objects of the
law.
The salary of an additional
judge would be more than Offset
| by the reduction Of costs attend
| ant upon delayed terms of Court,
the care of prisoners awaiting
trial, etc.
! The amendment will appear on
the ticket as Amendment to Art.
I109 of the Constitution, and we
! confidently await its final adop-
ton. Kindly ask your friends to
! support the measure.
We realize and fully appreci-
ate the growing opposition to the
creation of new offices, but we
! wish to go on record as saying
that the creation Of this Office is
absolutely necessary to the
proper conduct of the Judicial
/ business of this District, not only
i because of present conditions but
because of the inevitable increase
lin the volume of litigation which
! will result from the creation Of
the three additional District
| Courts.
Thanking you in advance for
vol1r sunnorf of this measure we