The Redwood gazette. [volume] (Redwood Falls, Minn.) 1873-1940, 1926-09-29
WE GET EDUCATED!

4 FEW issues back were simple enough
~ to confess ignorance on Amendment No.
l and its merits, and to proclaim that we
needed considerable education" concerning it be-
fore we would vote for it. Immediately comes
help! Every reader of the Gazette who has
legal turn of mind comes forward with offers
of assistance! August Erickson, editor of the
Springfield Advance, carefully explains the whole
thing in words of one syllable, making it so SIM
pie that even feminine mind can grasp it. And
Mabe Moreaux of the Luverne Herald does like
wise. We are reprinting Mabe's editorial in
which he makes feel weak, ignorant person
without intellect, understanding or judgment. The
fact that it does make the matter so very plain
to us is our reason for reprinting it in order
that others may also become conversant with
this amendment which appears, after elucida-
ton, to be most worthy one.
First be it understood that our state con-
stitution, framed in the days when the entire
population of the state was about equal to that
OF the City of Duluth today limited the mem
bership of the Supreme court to one chief Justice
and four associate justices. This limitation re-
mains unchanged despite the tremendous increase
IN the population of the state and the necessarily
corresponding increase of litigation brought be-
fore the Supreme court.
OeCoHu, repeated failures, through the m
difference OF the voters, to secure an amend
ment to the constitution permitting the add-
ton OF two seriously needed justices so that the
court could better handle the steadily increasing
business of the people of the state, led the egis
iature OF 1913 to remedy the intolerable position
OF the Supreme court by authorizing the appoint
ment OF two court commissioners, each of whom
should possess the same powers and receive the
same salaries as the associate justices.
1.-THE state is therefore confronted with the
incongrous position of having Supreme court
actually composed of seven members while the con-
stitution recognizes but five, and the two COM
missioners placed in the unenviable position
of being appointive officials, doing the same work
as the associate justices, but denied the title of
associate justices and the recognition of being
e'eeslVe eH'eefs' 49, Is 1Sss
ut is to correct this incongrous situation
that the proposed amendment, increasing the
number Of associate justices from four to six is
offered. 1t will not In fast increase the present
membership one bit, for insofar as numbers are
concerned now have six members the bench
in addition to the chief justice The effect of the
amendment will merely be to confer the title of
associate justice to the present two commission
ers, make these two extra members elective in
stead of appointive, and make the constitution
conform to actual and existing condition.
Assurance is had that the amendment will
not result in crowding more men onto the BENCH
because the law creating the office of commits
sioner provides in itself that whenever the con-
stitution is amended providing for six instead
of four associate justices the law creating the Of
flee of commissioner automatically becomes void.
"No valid reason can possibly be advanced,
when the situation is understood, why every vot-
er should not give the amendment his hearty sup.
port"