Jasper County Democrat, Volume 11, Number 58, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 23 December 1908 — ORIGINATES IN STARKE COUNTY. [ARTICLE]

ORIGINATES IN STARKE COUNTY.

Bill to Have Circuit Judge In Every County Not Result of Local Brain Storm. It developes that the proposed bill for a circuit court judge for each county in Indiana, which will provide that no judge shall sit on cases in the county from which he is elected, that an Indianapolis paper says Abraham Halleck stated he would introduce in the senate is not the product of Abe’s brain but originates in the caranium of one Henry 8. Robbins, an attorney of Knox, Starke county, according to the Starke county Republican, and Mr. Halleck is to introduce it at Robbins’ request. The Republican says of the proposed measure: “Section one of the proposed law provides that the Circuit courts of the State of Indiana shall be divided and embraced in six Judicial Districts; each county shall constitute a Judicial Circuit. Section three specifies that each county shall elect one circuit judge/ who shall hold hts office for the term of six years, and be ineligible to become his own successor, either by election or appointment. Section six provides that each circuit judge of the state shall hold four terms of court each year in his respective district of which his circuit forms a part, but he shall have held one term of court in each of the counties composing his district, other than the county from which he is elected. No judge shall hold the second term in any county of his district until he shall have held one term in each of the other counties of hts district. "On the first Monday of August of each year the judges of their respective districts shall meet and assign to each bis work for the ensuing year, in accordance to this act. The place of the meetings in each of the districts shall be designated by the governor of the state. Section eleven specifies the time of holding elections and says that each county shall elect a judge of the circuit court whenever a vacancy exists, on the second Tuesday of July of said year. ' Said election shall be according to the Australian system, and each person desiring to be a candidate shall be permitted to have his name placed on the ticket by recording his name and request with the clerk of the circuit court thirty

days before the date oft the election. No officer shall be voted for at the election other than the circuit judge, and where there are more than one candidate, the party receiving a plurality of the votes cast shall be the party elected. "The salary of the judges is fixed at $3,500 per year, with traveling expenses. The proposed law also provides that prosecutors shall receive a salary of SIOOO per year and that they shall be elected, at the regular November elections, for a term of three years. Starke county is included in the first district which is composed of the counties of St. Joseph, La porte, Lake, Jasper Pulaski, Porter, Newton, Starke, Fulton, Cass, White, Miami.” This would be a beautiful law indeed, and would just about double tne cost for circuit judges and prosecutors in the state. Besides the special* time for holding the elections to elect the judges would cost from SI,OOO to $3,000 for each county.