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The incumbent of the Circuit Court had less experience,
but he had surprised every one by the ability with which
he had discharged his duties. As for the judge of the
Criminal Court, he had in his (Mr. G. 's) estimation taken
proper exception to the constitutionality of the act creat-
ing the City Court, and hence the conflict of jurisdiction
which had been spoken of.
The amount of labor performed by this judge was
enormous, hearing 6, 000 cases in one year, and however
much they might dislike him as a politician, they could
not deny that he performed his duties. These charges of
corruption were made too lightly.
Mr. Brown did not know whether to further debate this
question or not, as it was evident that the Convention
took little interest in it. The Convention had, however,
decided this whole question. After a very long and ex-
haustive debate the Convention had decided on the plur-
ality of judges for the counties, and against the one-
judge system. If the former system was suited to the
counties, it was much more suited to the city of Balti-
more.
Gentlemen complained that the old system shall not be
uprooted, but he would ask what court were their heart-
strings wound about ? It could not be the Criminal Court
or the Circuit Court, and as for the new court, it had been
in existence so short a time that it could not concern any
one but perhaps the officers. As for the Superior Court
and the Court of Common Pleas, he had never until today
heard that any one maintained that they were of any
value. He believed that a great deal of the opinion
against the majority report was manufactured. He did not
regard the utterances of a heated orator at a ward meet-
ing, and had as yet heard nothing concerning the views
of the people in which he placed confidence. He did not
believe that the people generally knew anything about it.
He believed that this majority report was as perfect a
system as could be devised by the ingenuity of man, and
he asked this Convention not to weigh them down on the
mere assumption of a majority of fifteen from the city
in favor of a system which could not be recommended by
reason.
The administration of justice must be purified by the
404
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