The Farmington times. (Farmington, St. Francois County, Mo.) 1905-1926, 1922-08-18
NEWS OF THE CONSTI.
TUTIONAL CONVENTION
Jefferson City, Aug. IL.
The judiciary

Sitting as the committee of the
whole, the Constitutional Convention
has taken up for consideration the re-
port of the Committee on Judiciary
and may consume a week or more in
debate before it is ready for vote
| by the convention. The whole time
on the opening day was taken up with
an exposition of the committee report
by its chairman, James w. Collet, who
went very thoroughly into an eXpla-
nation of the reasons for the changes
made in the present constitution. He
reviewed briefly the provisions of the
report for a judiciary composed of a
supreme court of nine members in
stead Of the present seven, and to be
made up of three divisions instead Of
two; courts of appeal as now consti-
tuted; circuit courts with fifteen dis
tricts instead of thirty-eight; county
cours be cours of record and to re-
place probate courts, county courts
and criminal courts, as now existing;
establishing a commission of three
members to transact the business now
done by the county court; abollshlng
Justice of the peace curtis, but pro-
viding that justice courts and munic-
ipal corporation courts may be re-es-
tablished by legislative action; the es-
| Establishment of a judicial council OF
thirteen members, to be composed OF
five members from the supreme court,
three presiding judges from the courts
of appeal, three circuit judges and two
county judges, this council to make all
the rules of practice and procedure
pertaining to courts of record. Re-
plying to a question in regard to this
! judicial council, the chairman de-
/ clared that the vesting of the powers
in this proposed body was only an af-
frmation of the inherent power al
ready possessed by the judiciary,
which should be entitled to make its
own rules just as the Legislative
branch made its own rules of proceed
ure. 1t was the belief of the commit
tee, said Mr.. Collet, that the estab-
lishment and operation of such a
council would expedite the courts
business much better than under the
present system. i,
Opening the debate on the second
day, John H. Lucas of Osceola de-
clared himself in opposition to the
committee report as whole. In eff
feet he would do away with the courts
of appeal and would preserve the cir
cult courts as at present existing and
would also retain justice of the peace
courts, which he designated as the
peoples courts. He was against
classification as expressed in the pres
ent court system as well as in that
proposed by the committee.
L. NJ. Henson, of Paplar Bluff, a
member of the committee. defended
the committee report and pointed out
what he deemed to be advantages IN
the proposed changes. Justice Of the
peace courts, he contended, were as a
rule farce under present conditions.
The justices seldom knew anything
about law and usually cared nothing
except for the fees connected with the
office. He denied that there was any
division of people into classes, but
that the divisions related only to the
kind of cases, and it was purely mat
ter of expediency I'd divide the work
of the different courts. 1t would in
sure the hearing of all cases before
competent judges and that many cases
now going to the circuit court would