Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1913-02-27

| in which there was judgment for the
| plaintiff for the sum nf 5000: there
We're so criminal warrants issued. but
| there was trial on less than half of
| them as | remember it. Notwithstand-
| ing that this court is not of great i'm
! portance in the number of trials and
| in the number of criminal cases
| brought before it, ii is necessary. I
| presume that the court exist. 1t has
| a wide jurisdiction. Hancock county
| is a large county, and the Ellsworth
| Municipal Court, while its name might
| indicate that it was simply a CITY
| court, is really a county court having
| jurisdiction over the whole county Of
Hancock; and some of the villages in
which are located attorneys, who prac-
tee In that court are as far as so
miles from the court There are n
great many islands in that section
which are embraced within its juris-
dietion, and l think there are a dozen
or more villages in which, as I say
lawyers reside and from which eases
go 10 this court, as well as from out
side the county.
In 1876 the act was changed and the
once OF recorder established in con-
hectlon with this court, and IL was Dro-
Nlded IN that act that the clerk of the
supreme Judicial court should be the
recorder of the municipal court and
that the records of the municipal court
should be kept in the Office of the
clerk OF courts; and since that time
the clerk of the supreme judicial eonrt
mas been eX-officio clerk of the mn
melpal court. Approximately % wears
ago a deputy clerk was appointed and
as remember it the same lady who
was appointed deputy clerk has been
deputy until this time, and is stin the
deputy recorder of that court. and nc
matter of fact the clerical work, of
'iiat court Is performed, today. by the
same lady, who has performed II fo,.
~ OF % Years under the Republican
clerk OF courts and under the present
Dehlocfatlc clerk of courts Her eff
nclency is unquestioned; her exne-
iIeiice Is Indicated by the term of her
service ana no one questions that the
duties OF that office are not well per-
FORMED whether the clerk of courts is
there or whether he is not there. And
gentlemen, while the clerk of that court
Is IN this room at this time. if any of
YOU should go down to the telephone
hooth ana call up the office of the
clerk OF courts at Ellsworth. wanting
10 know the status of any case in tho
municipal court YOU will get a re-
sponse Immediately from that lady
VINO knows more about il prohabIv
than does the recorder himself. and If
any man in the county of Hancock or
anywhere else in the State of Maine 10
interested in any matter pertaining
to the municipal court he can find ont
ali about that matter by telephonine
any time between the hours af (
CLOCK in the morning and ; O'Clock
at night. He may be sure that there is
somebody there to answer and some
body that can tell him and give him
the information that he wants. If he
goes from another county to Ellsworth
ana goes 10 the court house on business
connected with the office of the clerk
OF courts or any of those offices. and
wants 10 ma out something i'm regard
10 matters in the municipal court he
mas II placed at his hand, and there
are no delays, no mistakes.
me salary of the recorder is $500 n
Year; the salary of the clerk of courts
is $500, as | remember il. and ont
OF that he has to pay the clerk hire.
pat that salary of $500 year is paid
not by the city of Ellsworth. but bv
the county of Hancock. and il is the
people of the whole county of Ham
COCK That pay the salary of its re-
corder.
What the the provisions embraced in
ti'ls blll' House Document No. 2S9?
substantially it is this, that the re-
cordershlp of the municipal court be
oiVofced from the office of clerk of
courts; and it provides that instead of
| TINS recorder being elected by the peo-
pie OF Hancock county as he is now.
although his name does not appear and
the title recorder does not appear
| after his name, nevertheless. he is
| erected by the people of the county of
Hancock when they elect their clerk
| OF courts This bill provides that a
| separate office of recorder of the NM
| hlclpal court be established. and that
| the Governor, by and with the consent
| OF his Council, shall appoint a record :
er' VINO shall hold his office for the term
of four years.
" nat are the reasons for asking that
| TINS change be made, because It is in
| cemoent upon any one who proposes
| TO change the existing order of things
10 give reasons sufficient to warrant
the change. ] stood in the committee
| az that hearing and the only reason
that heard advanced for changing
was that the present clerk of courts
| OF Hancock county lives at Bar Har-
| DOR; a second reason was that the sal
airy of the clerk of courts and the re-
! cofdef both was too much. for one man
10 draw, | think there was also sug-
gestlon, but | am not sure, that to the
! victor belongs the spoils; but it didn't
seem TO me that those reasons give or
| lhose which We're suggested or those
| hnspoken were sufficient, and it does
| NOT seem 10 me that they should be
sufficient for YOU. gentlemen.
| They say the clerk of courts lives at
! Bar Harbor, but there was no sugges-
tlon that the duties of the Office of re-
corcsr was not well and satisfactorily
, performed. There was no suggestion
OF any Inconvenience resulting to a
citizen OF Hancock county or any
, where else because of the fact that this
clerk of courts resided at Bar Har-
| Dor, because, as I understand it, every
n ri