Essex County herald. [volume] (Guildhall, Vt.) 1873-1964, 1917-02-09
Hitting the Courts.

When Allen NJ. Fletcher was gov
ernor of Vermont he tried to i'm
prove the courts according to his
judgment as to what was best and
Governor Fletcher got lambasted
from one end of the state to the
other. Now comes Governor Ora
ham with proposed revision of the
courts according to his ideas and is
heralded as a statesman and a hero
by men who condemned Governor
Fletcher without stint.-Bennington
Banner.
The Banner is fully warranted in
the charge of inconsistency which it
brings in the foregoing paragraph,
but there are exceptions to be noted.
The contemporaries attention is re-
specially directed to the fact that
the Standard, which criticised what
it considered Governor FIetcher's
arbitrary and unwarranted action
in attempting to make over the Su-
preme Court, does not approve of
Governor Graham's attempts to re-
wise Vermont's judicial system.
While his methods are not so much
of the steam roller variety as those
of Governor Fletcher, his program
is as unWise and uncalled for as that
of his predecessor.
Just why Governor Graham should
be acclaimed a hero because he has
taken a whack at the courts, is not
clear, because that is pastime that
has come to be INDUCED in indis-
criminately by near-statesmen and
the like. As a matter of fact it
seems to have become the fashion, as
the Standard has heretofore pointed
out, to visit the sins of the various
departments of state government
upon the courts, and particularly
during each pre-legislative period
does this attack upon the court &C.
cur.
These attacks are based upon the
fact that there has been an increase
in the cost of the administration of
justice, the fact being overlooked or
ignored that this increase has been
relatively smaller than that in prac-
tically all of the other branches of
state government, that in many mat
tiers, notably that of the change from
the justice of the peace to the NUM-
cipal court system, economies have
been effected, that the efficiency of
the Vermont courts has steadily
grown and that they hold high rank
among the various judicial systems
throughout the country.
Why not quit hitting the courts?
-Enosburg Standard.
The Banner and Standard size up
the question of revision of our
courts sensibly and practically, and
strongly protest against continuing
to hit the courts" The greatest
aid toward lettering the courts or
any other department of justice, is
to simplify their work. The revision
as outlined is more complicated,
more inconsistent and does not even
carry the strong argument of les
sened cost. Under the present law
the state has fourteen municipa |
courts. Under the proposed revision
thirteen are made, the state being
divided into districts. Take Essex
county for instance: Under this re-
vision it is proposed to put Concord,
Lunenburg, Victory, Guildhall, Gran
by, Maidstone, East Haven, Bruins
wick, Bloomfield, Lexington and
Canaan into the Caledonia district,
while Ferdinand, Brighton, Lewis,
Averill, Norton and the Cores are
put into Orleans or District No. 7.
This is not only an inconsistent divi-
sion, but the judges will require
more salary than they average to-
day, thus increasing rather than de-
creasing expenses. Uncle Horace.
he knows" but there are other men
in Vermont who know. This hero
worship is getting degenerated and
stale when it will set up as sort
of demi-god a person who whacks
the courts and renders unstable this
cornerstone of safe and sane govern
ment. Yes, Just why Governor