The watchman and southron. [volume] (Sumter, S.C.) 1881-1930, 1921-05-21
THE COUNTY COURT
Some of the Reasons Why 1t
Should be Established
Editor Daily Item:

Editor Daily Item:
Your note in the Local Matters
icolumn seemed to call for u statement
Of the reasons why the county court
is regarded us necessary, and what
good will be accomplished by IT,
At the last term of conrt, there
were 151 cases on calendar one,
which is the calendar OF cases for
trial b. jury At that term, by trial
and settlement, twenty cases were
disposed Of. Before the next term Of
court, in all probability, more than
| twenty cases will be docke1cd, as, for
been getting furthec and further be-
hind, for the reason that more cases
are duckcted between terms than are
disposed of at terms.
The last term Of court was eXccp-
tional in regard TO the number Of
cases tried Twenty cases, according
to Judge Puerifoy's count, were eth
er tried or settled. OF this number,
sixteen were within the jurisdiction
proposed Tor the county court, that
is, they We're cases on the calendar
which involved less than three thou
sand dollars. The -four cases which
would have had 10 be tried by the
circuit court anyway took altogether
five days. There We're eighteen
court days.. therefore thirteen of these
were spent in cases which could have
been disposed Of by the county court.
These thirteen days cost the county
SO per day for each Of 36 jurors. and
50 pen. day FOR each OF three bailiffs,
making a total Of S1,52l. TIA try these
cases in the county court. assuming
that they would take the same time,
although as u matter Of fact. think
they could be more quickly disposed
of-would cost the county So per
day for eighteen jurors, and 50 per
day for one bailifr. making a total
Tor the thirteen days Of ST28, or max
ing saving TO the county for the
thirteen days Of $793. This does noI
take into account the salary OF the
county judge or stenographer. The
salary Of the county Judge is fixed 1T
SO 600 per year. and the salary OF the
stcnographcr not to exceed LOO. /
think a stenographer can be had for
$500, but the total cannot exceed S4,-
200. II is estimated that the county
court will be in session for at least
fifteen weeks out Of the flfty-t%o, Or
ninety court days Thirteen days on
this basis, could not cost the county
for salaries more than 13-90ths OF
$4,000, or $G06.67, making net saw
ing to the county on these cases,
above all expenses, OF S1S6.33.
/ have used this illustration to
show that the county court actually
costs less money to try cases than
the court Of common pleas. OF
course, until the business of the
courts gets cleared up, both courts
will be in session. and for a year or
two. the saving will not show in the
bank balance, but rather in the peo-
pie being able TO get their business
disposed Of.
Therein lies the real reason for
the county court. 1t IS not suggest
ed a.s money making scheme, al
though it might incidentally, in the
long run, save money, but as the only
solution of the laws delays at this
Dar. CQQeT pleSeHl COiIo1eAO'"'
suit brought in this county involving
more than 500 cannot be tried for
about three years. There is no rea-
son TO suppose that this state OF al
fairs will change, except for the
worse. as Sumter county grows IN
population, and business activity.
The esta ablishment Of county
court offers the only chance OF re-
lief.
The argument is venturcd on the
street, sometimes seriously, and
sometimes facetiouslE, that people do
NOT want to be sued now. and that
it is q good thing that we have not
county court because it would make
people pay their debts However, an
ANALYSIS Of the cases disposed OF at
the last term, shows that in only six
of them were there nonresident
plaintiffs. and that in fourteen Of the
cases. the plaintiffs were citizens and
residents of this couny. Moreover. in
tow Of the six cases Of nonresident
plaintiffs, the defendants were also
non residents, SO in only four out OF
twenty cases were nonresident plain
tifEs trying to detach the worthy
citizens Of this community from their