THE JUDICIAL SYSTEM.
Mr. SHIRLEY said the session was drawing to a close, and as yet no sufficient action had been taken by the General Assembly looking to the revision of the judicial system, as recommended by the Governor in his special message. He therefore moved to take up Mr. Woollen's concurrent resolution providing for raising a joint committee of six members of the House of Representatives and three on the part of the Senate, to sit during the recess and revise the indicia! districts, with a view to equalizing them. Mr. S said some of the Judges were working only six months, while others were working eight, and still others ten, and by this means justice was often delayed. If the circuits could be equalized justice could be speedily administered, with diminished expense. He thought the salaries of all the judges should be raised, but was opposed to considering any measure for such increase until the districts and the labors of the Judges had been equalized. He felt confident that this joint committee will find that we have enough Judges already, and that we ought to increase their salaries. Five thousand dollars would be little enough for the Supreme Court, $3,000 for the Circuit, and $2,500 for the Common Pleas Judges. In quite a number of the Circuits and Districts the Judges are working only about six months in the year, and if we increase their salaries they should work at least ten months of the year. With the present compensation there is no lawyer who can take a judgeship without pecuniary sacrifice. We can't expect to get adequate talent without adequate compensation. This is matter that requires our attention as much as anything else. I wish to say, further, that I desire to adopt into our judicial system a rule to give the judges power to appoint trial terms and issue terms. It page: 308[View Page 308]will save the time of the jurors and witnesses, by excusing them from the necessity of hanging about the court houses.
Objection being made to taking up the concurrent resolution, the motion was not entertained.
