Year: 1869

Our District and Our Judge.


The Circuit Court for Ohio county
was to have commenced. yesterday. For
causes which are certainly painful, pos
sibly disgraceful, it didn't commence.
We have every reason to believe that
there will be no Court to-day. Indeed
it would not be an extra hazardous
statement to say that the present term
of the Court will adjourn itself, be dis
posed of tomorrow by legal limita-
ton. ARd ii it became positive
ly necessary to set forth the
Gaze, definitely and fully, it might be re-
marked, without the slightest impro-
priety, that so long as the present in
cumbent of the Judgeship of this Dis
trict continues to occupy the position
there will be no Court held here worthy
of the name, unless some kindly-dis-
posed, well-balanced and properly be-
haved Judge from a distance can be
induced to meet the legal necessities OF
the District with the charity of his
presence and judicial services.


We have no wish to speak hastily or
to judge harshly in this matter. But
there are now orcr four hundred causes
awaiting trial in the Circuit Court of
Ohio county. To keep this amount of
business in suspense, from term to term,
awaiting the health" +" the habits, or the
caprice of the person selected by Gov
ernor BOREMAE to act as Judge for the
First District, may be a very pleasant
proceeding for the sole beneficiary in
the case, but it is rather too expensive
and too annoying to be borne
by the people. Ohio county
is not the only sufferer. Every
county in the District has been, or will
be victimiGed, through the incompetent
cy or irregularity of the individual now
creating a practical vacancy upon the
bench of our Circuit and obstructiDg
legal business to an enormous and in
tolerable extent. We have no means OF
estimating the actual cost OF the expert
ment upon the patience of the people he
is now engaged in trying, The State
has her jurors and her officers of the
Court to pay, the parties to suits have
their witnesses and their COun-
sci to fee, and every farmer
or business man who is compelled to
leave his calling for the farce of attend.
lug Court is greatly the loser in time,
money and business. -Four counties are
thus kept in condition of chronic
worrimeEt ana distress, because the
honorable nonentity whom FOREMAN has
compelled us to call Judge either can't or
won't give that attention TO his duties
which every honest man helds himself
obliged to render when he draws a sala-
ry therefor.


There is a remedy for all this. Here
tofore it has not been publicly discussed.
Feelings of mistaken charity have
tended 30 keep down the indignant
clamor, naturally incident in such a
case. This may be well enough in a
matter involving merely private inter
ests But when great public concerns
are at stake, it is an error to allow per
sonal considerations to outweigh those
that refer to the general good. There.
fore let us give q slight expression to
public opinion upon this subject. If the
Judge of the First District is physically
unable t. discharge his duties, he ought
to resign. If his incapaoity result from,
those habits which have made his name
bywOrd and reproach among sober
and upright citizens, he ought to be i'm


peached. If a sickly pretence at sym


pathy be allowed to prevent impesch


ment, and if the incumbent allows hi:


love for his salary to prevent him from


cultiyating the virtue of resignation


then let n subscription be taken ur
among parties interested or likely to b,
Interested in litigation in this District
to pension off our great obstruction in
that easy and oblivious style Of life t
which his propensity and his practice
appear to incline him. The place of tht
eminent supernumerary might then bt
supplied in a manner that would re
lieve the ermine and the bench of the
shame and scandal that now hang round
them.


We see no other relief. Probably BORE
MAN might suggest some practical expe
dient. He forced this man on
the people, and ought to be
willing to exercise his genius to enable
US to get rid of him. With anything
like the. cudiellipg of brain aud the
straining of conscience that were neces.
sary to set aside the election and thrust a
good man out of the Judgeship of this
District and force a worthless one in,
FOREMAN could certainly devise some
continuance for disposing of his late and
lovely legacy to the people of this end
of the State. We commend the subject