South Bend news-times. (South Bend, Ind.) 1913-1938, 1921-03-27
EDITORIAL
sLICk AID sLIPPERY.

That bon mot contained two cle-
ments. viz. A statement of actual
concrete fact. together with mint
Of political standards that rule the
mayor
No better example Of the existence
of the latter element viii ever be
produced than in the recent move 10
abolish the office Of city judge. Per
sonal and political friends; conced-
ins the hypocrisy Of recent preten-
s.ons. shrug their shoulders and re-
mark "Can you beat it," at the same
time privately expressing them
selves that this proposal savors
strongly of political trickery TO per-
petuate himself in office.
City Judge Feig long ago an
nounced that the duties of the office
are Of that importance. and the
cases of that volume that he can not
afford further to sacrifice his pro-
vate practice to care for same. And,
IL is known that he was reluctant
four years ago TO make the race for
reelection because of the time re-
quired to discharge the duties of his
office. but was prevailed upon TO do
so by the very one who now for pur-
pose Of his own seeks 10 abolish and
thereby 20 control the office himself.
With the announced determination
OF Judge Feig to retire at the end of
his term il is plainly evident that
the first impellins motive Of the
mayor TO abolish the city judgeship
is an attempt TO eliminate the
threatened candidacy on the opposi-
tion ticket for that office of one of
the most popular attorneys i'm this
city, a man who is a substantial
property owner and citizen and
whose skill and ability as a lawyer
and official was given fullest praise
by the mayors party organ upon
his recent retirement from office.
The mayor is aware of the wide pop
ularity of the candidate in question
and is in a panic at the prospects Of
/ his candidacy.
/ It is pointed out by many in posi-
I ton to know IL condition of Mish-
awakas municipal court that instead
Of Mayor Gaylor tearing up that
branch of the city government. his
administration long since should
have provided the court decent
room in which to hold its sessions
Long ago there should have been
provided a baliff and process-server
to take care Of civil business. Rec
ords and equipment for the clerk
to aid the court i'm the conduct Of
its business. as intended by the law
giving municipal court power to try
civil disputes. and as is being done
in other cities, should also have
been provided.
All the facts considered the action
of the mayor is not seriously re-
sarded, except by the unsophistica-
ted and uniformed. as being other
than the shallowest kind of political
eXpendicncy, calculated solely as a
bid for votes and wholly at the eX-
pense of the proper and efficient
handling of criminal and minor civil
litigation that is already filling the
docket of the city court notwith-
standing the handicaps above enum-
Grated. Civil cases i'm this court
would be of far greater volume if
q process server and the other re-
quired assistance were provided.
Lawyers are unable TO give proper
attentions TO many eases of import
ance, but involving minor amounts
Tof property. or other rights, because
of the fact they can not conveniently
utilize the present court, the police
/ department refusing to serve civil
writs. These cases, if filed, usually
have to go to the courts of higher
Jurisdiction at South Bend, there to
drag their long course, often at eX-
/ cessive cost TO litigants. In many
/ instances this condition works a de-
NAL Justice. because of the expense
and time required to get a case un-
der way, or tried after once under
way.
Thus it is proposed to reduce Mish-
awaka's municipal court to the grade
and status of a village court, pre-
sided over by one unframed in legal
I principals. This community will
thus be thrown. as above pointed out,
into the higher court at South Bend
where the already rapidly increas-
ing volume of business viii at once
+ fill to capacity those tribunals. The
mayor may as well recognize that
this condition Will at once become
unavoidable, if not intolerable. He
probably Will not agree with us. Nor
Will he agree that while a Judge of
the municipal court may efficiently
preside over the city as its mayor,
/ not necessarily can a mayor, un-
trained and unskilIed. successfully
or efficiently preside over the muni-
cipal court.
The proposal may well give rise
TO a number of questions that have
been asked the past week; amonS
which are such as. just when was
+ it discovered that the city judEeship
/ is a useless part of the citys busi-
ness2 And. if the moving object he
. economy, how comes it that nearly
eight years of useless expenditure
T onsues before the economist made
/ his fiscal discovery? And, if the of
/ flee is a useless appendage, why not