Mansfield mirror. (Mansfield, Wright County, Mo.) 1908-1957, 1920-10-28

JUSTICE DELAYED
IS JUSTICE DENIED
MISSOURI IS IN NEED OF MORE
APPELLATE JUDGES.
Voters Should Unanimously Support
Proposed Constitutional Amend.
msnts Nos. 10 and 12.
So. Sc e No. H-.H" ANH

ments relating To increasing the mum.
Der Of judges Of the Supreme Court
and the st. Louis Court Of Appeals will
appear upon the ballot to be voted upon
at the Coming election, November ..
l9sn. They will appear under the
numbers 10 and IL.
The constant increase In population
rs well as the rapid expansion Of bust
ness has each year brought with il a
corresponding Increase In the volume
of litigation. The large number of
cases appealed have accumulated upon
the Appellate Courts dockets until the
length Of time elapsing between the
trial of a case In the Circuit Court and
Its final disposition on appeal is often
W or three years. In many cases so
long Il delay amounts to a denial of
Justice and makes immediate relief
necessary.
The proposed amendment relating tn
the Supreme Court provides for in
creasing the number of Judges of that
court from seven to nine the two nd.
ditional judges To he appointed by the
Governor upon the adoption Of the
amendment, their, successors, however.
to be elected at the general election
In 1922. The proposed amendment
provides thar after the first Monday
In January. 1921. the court shall be
divided into three divisions. consisting
Of three judges each. instead of two
divisions as the court Is now consti.
tuted.
The Supreme Court now has six com.
missioners In addition to its seven
Judges, and with this aid has been
enabled to make considerable Roadway
In catching up with Its docket. The
working efficiency Of the court, how.
ever, will be greatly increased by the
proposed addition of two judges, en-
abling the court to divide into three
divisions instead of two.
The proposed amendment relating
to the st. Louis Court of Appeals pro-
vides for increasing the number of
judges of that court from three to six
the additional judges to be appointed
by the Governor upon the adoption of
the amendment, and their successors
10 be elected at the general election of
1922. And the proposed amendment
provides that after January /, 1921,
the court shall be divided into two
divisions Of three judges each.
Up until twelve years ago the st.
Louis Court Of Appeals was able to
practically keep up with It's docket.
Since that time, however, by reason of |
the gradual increase in the number of |
appeals taken TO that court, 1t has |
been gradually falling behind until |
at the present time 1t has ON hand
nearly one thousand cases u%ndIsposed
OF. An examination Of the records dis.
closes that the number of appeals tax
en- Is on the increase, as illustrated
by the fact that elghty-fiye more ap-
peals reached that court during the
year ending October l, 1920, than In
the previous corresponding year.
The st. Louis Court Of Appeals has
had three commissioners to aid II I'm |
Its work for the past year, but the
working efficiency Of two divisions In
the disposition Of cases, as provided
for by the proposed amendment, will
be much greater than that of the cOur
as now constituted, with its commits
%sioners. and at no greater expense
to the state.
Commissioners, at best, are but a
temporary e~xpsdient. They do good
work and are helpful to the court.
But commissioners are not judges.
They cannot by themselves decide.
They merely prepare and propose
opinions which the judges must con-
slider and adopt or reject. The judges
cit and hear cases with the commits
s%loners. This would not be necessary
II these commissioners were them.
selves judges, organized In a separate
division Of the court. The opinions Of
the commissioners must In each In
stance be reviewed by each Of tho
judges. The plan Of having commits.
sloners thus Involves much loss of
Nine and duplication Of work which
would be avoided II these amendments
are adopted.
The amendment relating to the
Supreme Court will appear on the
official ballot as number 10, while
that relating to the st. Louis Court
Of Appeals will appear as number II.
The voters Of this state should, there.
fore. realize the urgent necessity for
these proposed amendments and vote
YES and scratch NO.