The Julesburg grit-advocate., 1912-10-31
cd of doing business.

ohe ol the greatest expenses to Ilti-
giants and taxpayers is occasioned by
the reversal of causes by the higher
courts. and the re-trial thus made nee
essary. 1t is, therefore, a matter of
considerable Importance whether a
Judge knows enough law to be gener-
ally affirmed or whether he is general
ly reversed.
On this subject the records of the
Supreme Court and Court of Appeals
show that during the past six years
they have passed upon close to one
thousand cases taken up from the Dis
trict courts of this state. These cases
have been appealed from the decisions of
43 different Judges, including two who
are now on the Supreme Court Bench,
one on the Court of Appeals, one Fed
eral Judge, and such ell-known Law
yers as Judge Northcutt and Judge
Dixon, and but one of these men holds
a better record than Judge Burke in
respect to the number of his cases af-
tirmed by these appellate courts. That
one man is at present Judge of the
Supreme Court. He has Judge Burke
beaten but by fraction.
1t is further interesting to note that
euery reversal has been for a failure
on the part of the Judge to be as tech
nicai as the appellate court holds he
should have beer. He has never been
reversed upon the merits of case or
for failure to do substantial justice,
and he has never been reversed in a
criminal case or any other case in
which the expenses of the trial wonld
fall upon the people.
In the latter part of April, of the
present year, this man Brown in a let
ter sent out to one man in each county,
said:
''Some people intend to oppose
Judge Burke upon the ground that
since he became Judge of this dis
trict the costs in the District court
have just about doubled. AS the
fees allowed district clerks are
precisely the same as they were
under Armour's administration,
and as the fees of these officers
are generally supervised and ap-
proved by the Judge, should very
much like to know whether it is
fact that these fees have been
enormously advanced since Judge
Burke went on the bench. Judge
Burke was himself clerk of the
district court before he became
judge, and if he is using his know
Ledge derived from that office to
oppress the people of the district,
the people ought to know.
If this letter of Browns received
any attention whatever land it is fair
to presume that it did,, it is very per-
tinent to inquire why Brown did not i'm
part that information to the people of
this district. Whole interests seem so
near and dear to him. The reason he
did not is interesting, and here it is:
In Morgan, in the IS years from the
time the first case was filed in that
county, up to and including 1866, there
were 376 cases handled. The average
cCst of handling each case was S4S 10
In the next five ye ars of Judge Burke S
administration, there We're S22 cases
handled in that county. The average
cost of handling each was Sl3.OS. The
Average Saving On Each Case Was
S35. .O2. The Total Saving On Those
S22 Cases In Morgan County Was S2s.
1856. 81
In Sedgwick county up to and includ.
ing 1906, there We're handled PSI cases.
The average cost of handling each was
S5O.S2 In the next five years of Judge
B1rkes administration, up to and in
cluGing 1911, there were 2i5 cases
handled. The average cost of handling
each was S25. 80. an average saving on
each case of S35. 30. A Total Saving
On The Sedgwick County Cases OF
81, $3.50
We have rot the figures for the en-
tire district, because of the enormous
amount of work involved to procure
them. In procuring the Morgan coun-
ty figures alone. there We're checked
over 1880 county warrnts, to say
nothing of the other work done.
The average saving per case, how
ever. for these two counties is S35. l6.
In all of the counties during Judge
Burke term of Office there have been
handled approximately 300 cases, and
ii this average holds out, the total say
iur to liligant> and taxpayers on these
eases in the whole District during the ,
year, was $l23. .o9i.00.
l. it any wonder that Brown failed to
make public these figures and is lSitpossIblc
that anyone is dissatisfied with this rec
ord?
Read this record again and think it
over. and there remains no mystery