Fitzgerald leader enterprise and press. (Fitzgerald, Ben Hill County, Ga.) 1921-1964, 1921-07-29
Surplus Goes to Schools

Surplus Goes to Schools
This court will cost the taxpayers
nothing and on the other hand =
will be saving of at least SIS 00J.CN
year. If the women taxpayers will
have a committee to examine the
records of the court, as they have
legal right to do, they will insure
surplus over the cost and this sum
is paid over to the school fund. This
will interest women voters. The
court can be made a source of reve-
nue. for the schools.
| will now tell you some astound-
ing facts about your Superior court
which the ordinary citizen has no
conception Of In the first place it
costs the county from 100000 to
$8,00000 each term or about $4,000
year. The average number of cas-
er filed each year is three hundred
the average number disposed OF each
term is fifteen. Out OF these not
more than five are actually argued,
although it costs the county nearly
100000 each day to run the court
recess on the day of opening. The
| morning is taken up swearing in the
jury, calling the docket, and a quite
useless charge by the Judge to the
grand jury. This preliminary costs
the county about $4,000, the city
court on the contrary commences
actual business the moment the judge
takes his seat on the bench.
Expensive Time Wasted
When a case is called in the SUI
perior court for trial, the defense at
once moves for an adjournment, they
make then what is known as a legal
showing, which NAV mean the de-
PENDANT is sick, the leading lawyer
is sick, although this individual will
show up Immediately the case is
carried over, (last court one lawyer
pleaded sickness for being unable to
prosecute case and two hours later
attended barbecue twelve miles
from town. or a material witness is
sick or absent or any of one hun
dred excuses, this takes up an hour
of the time of the court at a cost of
about $4,000 to the county, then
when a case actually is got to trial
with all the delays of procuring a
jury, twenty-five per cent of the av-
erage lawyers time is wasted by re-
peating thousands of times May it
please your honor and Gentlemen of
the Jury These phrases are re-
peated to give the fellow time to col
lect his thoughts. Time is too ex-
pensive, the Judge ought to forbid it.
Then supposing some citizen has
real claim against someone for $1,000.
or any other sum. We will assume
the defendant has no legal defense,
there is no law to stop him filing
some trivial answer. With the pres
ent condition of the court, the very
earliest time it could possibly be
heard would be five years hence This
is bold statement but ask your
lawyer or the clerk of the court, by
the time it is tried some of the par
ties in the case are dead or left the
state, officers changed, papers miss
ing, and the plaintiff is deprived OF
his rights by legal process.
Cases Piling Up
There are now between FIVE and
SIX hundred cases waiting for trial
on the docket of the superior court,
this being augmented by about two
hundred and fifty cases a year, there
fore | feel sure some OF our school
teachers could tell us TO the fraction
Just how many years it would take
ten judges running twenty-four hours
a day to clear the docket Under
present conditions in three years
there will be Just one thousand I'M
tried cases in our superior court. In
veStigate this statement and if
have over estimated or exaggerated
in my statement write your explana-
ton.
In conclusion, a city court is the
only remedy. A city court properly
managed will be more than self sus-