The Birmingham age-herald., 1915-10-03


 aries of seven judges at s300t per an- mum, seven solicitors at $2400 per an- mum, and seven court stenographers at $1e00 per annum. making an az gregate of $44,S00 per annum. l feel it my duty to save to the state, in view of the fact that I am convinced that 1t can bo done without affecting the ef ficiency of the judiciary or of embar- rassing any litigant in the trial of his causes, and when eliminated, it leaves the system as enacted into law by the present legislature in this condition.
 '1 A circuit court in every county inc the state consolidated with the chancery court and of other courts of record having the Jurisdiction of the chancery or circuit cG urt or either of them, and a removal of all pending causes and records into the circuit court and the regulation of the pro- ceedings in said court.
 ''2. After the November election, 1916, there will be in the state 10 circuit judges in the Tenth judicial circuit composed of the county of Jefferson, three judges in the Thirteenth circuit, composed of the counties of Mobile and Washington, two circuit judges fin the Fourteenth judicial circuit, com posed of the counties of Walker and Winston. two circuit judges in tn, Sixth judicial circuit, composed of the counties of Tuscaloosa, Lamar. Pick ems. G.een and Sumter; two judges In the Fifteenth Judicial circuit, com posed of the counties of Montgomery, Fillmore, Chiffon and Autauga, and one circuit judge for every other circuit in the state of Alabama, ald a super numerary judge in addition thereto. "3. solicitor for every circuit In the state with a provision in any cir cults requiring more than one solic- itor, a sufficient number of deputy so- licitors shall be appointed to take care of the business
 "4. A law has been passed giving to each circuit judge in the state a court | stenographer to attend upon the ses- sions of his court. so as to make a record of all its proceedings
 "5. Another law has been passed recreating all of the county courts in the | state and giving to such courts jursdic- tion of misdemeanors and appointing county solicitors to look after these mat I ters and the law heretofore existing, authorizing a defendant in the county i courts to demand a jury and have his case passed on by a grand jury has been repealed, thereby relieving the cir | cult courts from the great mass of mis- 1 demeanor cases which heretofore have 1 gone into these courts.
 | '6. A law has been passed placing the duty upon the chief justice of the supreme court and furnishing him a clerk for that purpose of ascertainng the con- diton of the dockets in the various cir cults in the state and giving him authority | to order circuit judges and the supernu- | merary judge from place to place to re- , lieve any congestion which may arise in | the transaction of business, and another law has been passed giving to the at | torney general the power to order any solicitor in the state to prosecute In any | other circuit wherever the interest of | the state requires.
 1 "This completes a system of courts in the state which, in my opinion, will be entirely sufficient to transact all of the legal business without any embarrass- ment, and is so safeguarded that nc circuit can become so congested as to embarrass the administration of justice
 Another thing, if the recircujting bill should become a law, 1t would, In large measure, disarrange circuits which have existed for a long period of years. and would necessitate the encouragement of the business of practicing attorneys in- terested in the transactions in thoese various circuits and would create dis satisfaction and uncertainty and in some instances. would create circuits which the judge and solicitor would have very lit tie to do.
 Tn view of all these things. and ir view of the saving to the state. I am i'm pelled to use the power given me by ths constitution to save to the state thi. additional amount of money