The Bozeman courier., 1927-12-16

that unless this were done the counties
with hiya valuation would not pay the
same rae for their judges as counties
with low valuation. He said that the
levy for a district judge in Jefferson
county would be l mill on the dollar Of
valuation; whereas, it would be only 1-2
mill in Silver Bow, while in Dawson
county, which was Sparcely populated,
it would be mills. BY equalizing one
half Of the judicial expenses over the
whole state through a tax levied by the
state, the man living in rich county
would help in paying the expense Of dis
trict court in a poor county, and he be-
lieved this to be just. But when DR.. Par
berry spoke, he opposed such a plan.
Charles S. Hartman (repUblican), a
lawyer from Gallatin county, who is now
a democrat and district judge in Chou
teau county, replied to Mr.. Whitehiu as
follows:
There were one or two propositions
advanced by him that do not seem to
me to be in accordance with reason. In
the first place, from the tenor Of his re-
marks, he seems to indicate that those
persons who are opposed to the single
county system for a district are also in
favor of retaining the probate courts I
do not believe that there is a man on
the floor who advocates the consolidation
of those districts who is in favor Of re-
| tanning the probate courts, and therefore
/
our system is the same as his.
"NOt Here to Confer FavOrs"
Where we differ is In the distribution
, u them. He wants to distribute the
! money to three of four judges where we
; = to distribute it to one. We want
lt r ---'bute to eight judges throughout
the ate He wants II when eight will
( to thL y.c"l-
I NOV, mother proposition
ABOUT it. - thing for gentle
men 20 -s z tl-2ir teet here and
declare ~. ? ? ain s. n .s 81 eco
nOmlcal sy4C u; It is aoOtt. y 7nil8 o.
demonstrate it. He has absolutely fail
in every particular to show single H.
Of saving.
"We are not here to confer a favN
upon the people Of any county. We al
here to confer equal benefits and equal
burdens upon every citizen Of this great
state, and when a gentleman gets upon
the floor here for the purpose of saying
that he proposes to confer special Ia
vor upon the people Of some particular
district as against some other district,
, say he is advocating a doctrine that is
/ perniciOus and is opposed to the very
principles upon which our government is
founded and upon which all OF our IN
, stitutions are controlled"
Mr.. Dixon Of Silver Bow, chairman Of
the judiciary committee, explained 70
the convention that he believed the re-
port of the committee provided for more
districts than are necessary.
: IT have no doubt that even in the
} smallest county in the territory, it would
by a saving over the present system to
! allow that county to have a judge" said
Mr.. Dixon. But he went on to say tbet
he did not believe that the small cOun-
] ties would have enough court business
= to keep judge busy. Let a judge in one
2 of these counties dispose Of his business
? in 60 days and let him loaf the rest of
= the time and he would become in the
r course Of a year so demoralized that he
= would not be qualified for the office;
he would not have employment enough
r to keep him in good mental health; he
:, would retrograde."
r W. A. Clark of Silver Bow county, who
e was president of the constitutional con-
}, ventiOn, expressed himself as wanting
r the number Of districts cut to nine. "The
o main object to be had in view, and to
S much Of expense, but as has been properly
= suggested, to secure an efficient ano
n speedy administration Of Justice
o Goddard Supports Group Districts
u o. F. Goddard Of Yellowstone county
{ who is now district Judge IN Jha'
b county, told the convention he had 6
part in suggesting the grouping Of sew
eral counties within a district.
a In the counties Of Yellowstone, Gus
= ter and Dawson, think have sufficient
- AuOWACuSC u bllC 0uSAACoo VI bnOoC CO04'
: ties to be advised on that subject, and
e I undertake to say that any good, en-
e ergetic judge who can be selected from
= some of those counties in that distrtc
n could perform all Of the duties Of thl
II judge Of that district and have plent,
Is Of time as has been said to go fishing o
It to play seven-up' behind a hay stack
S, as have heard it suggested by the gen
20 tleman from Deer Lodge" said Mr.. God
J. dard.
re ''Now in relation to Cascade. Chouteal
le and Fergus, the same proposition is tru
1t there. do not believe that any Of thos
ly counties has had q term Of court lastin
over two weeks, and admitting that eacl
d Of those counties would have two-weekl
ID term Of court at every sitting, the judge
ly time would not be occupied more tha'
~ half Of the year, and the same beltev
would be true in Gallatin, Meagher an
ry Park, and also in the district which
I'd composed Of jefferson, Madison an
IN Beaverhead."
We Walter A. Bmleigh (republican),
laWyer-delegate from Custer count
le voiced what he considered the generi
M principle which should guide the dele
Id gates ip deciding the issue. He said:
ly What I want, and always have wante
a. Of this convention, is that it shoul
s. calmly and deliberately determine upo
one thing which I am set upon, and
ry am willing to let all subordinate que
be tiOns yield to that paramount prinCipl
be and that Is that we have a gOYernmel
p Of the people, a government for the pei
ng Continued on AgricultSra Page)