I will now call the attention of the Convention
to two of the Western States, Kentucky and
Ohio, by which the comparison will appear infin-
itely stronger, and show more conclusively the
unreasonableness of this bill.
In Kentucky there are 24 judges, at a
cost of $31,000
In Ohio there are 26 judges, at a cost of 27,200
(See American Almanac, pp. 272 and 275.)
The population of Kentucky in 1840,
was 779,828
The population of Ohio in 1840, was 1,519,467
(See pp. 74 and 78 census of 1840.)
The capital invested in manufactures in
the foreign and retail trade in Kentucky,
was $15,977,155
In Ohio it was 44,115,682
The agricultural produce of Kentucky
Was, in wheat, barley, oats, rye, buck-
wheat—bushels, 53,153,279
In tobacco—pounds, 53,436,909
In Ohio, in same articles of wheat, bar-
ley, &c.— bushels, 66,232,692
(See page 958 census of 1840.)
I have before given the statistics of Maryland
in the same articles, with the exception of tobacco.
It will be observed that Kentucky raised of
this article 53,436,109 pounds. Maryland raised
24,816,012 pounds. (See page 359 of census of
1840.)
From these facts the extraordinary spectacle is
presented, that with the immense contrast of pop-
ulation, capital, produce, and territory between
these States and ours, they have together but filly
judges, at a cost of $58,200.
I will now further show that the districts which
I have had the honor to recommend, as compared
with the other States, are by no means unreason-
able, as exhibited by the table I now submit. It
will be seen that this table represents the popu-
lation in the districts as recommended by my
amendment, and that I have contrasted it with
districts in Pennsylvania, where, as I before said,
the judges in these districts perform Orphans'
Court, common law, including criminal and chan-
cery jurisdiction.
TABLE exhibiting the population of the judicial districts
in Maryland, as proposed in my amendment.
District. No. 1.
Population of Worcester, 18,377
Somerset, 19,508
Dorchester, 18,843
——56,728
District No. 2.—Caroline, 7,806
Talbot, 12,090
Queen Anne's, 12,633
——56,728
District No. 3.—Kent, 10,843
Cecil, 17,232
Harford, 17,120
——56,728
District No. 4.—Alleghany, 15,699
Washington, 28,850
—14,549 |
District No. 5.—Frederick, 36,405
Montgomery, 15,456
—51,861
District No. 6.—Prince George's, 19,539
Charles, 16,023
St. Mary's, 13,224
——48,886
District No. 7.—Calvert, 9,229
Anne Arundel,
Howard Dis't, 29,532
——38,761
District No. 8.—Baltimore County, 32,086
Carroll, 17,241
——49,327
TABLE exhibiting the population of some of the
judicial districts of Pennsylvania, census of 1840.
Population of Cumberland, 30,953
Perry, 17,096
Juniatta, 11,080
—59,129
Westmoreland, 42,699
Indiana, 20,782
Armstrong, 28,365
—91,846
Philadephia, 3 Judges. 258,037
Northampton, 40,996
Lehigh, 25,787
——66,786
Centre, 20,492
Clearfield, 7,834
Clinton, 8,323
——36,749
Crawford, 31,722
Erie, 31,344
—62,066
Columbia, 24,267
Lycoming, 23,649
Northumberland, 20,027
—66,933
The gentleman from Prince George's will
say that the object should not be to save ex-
pense, but the faithful administration of justice.
I fully agree with him. I say that his system
will not give employment to our judges; and I
argue from the experience of other communities,
as well as the experience derived from our pres-
ent system. The system which 1 propose will
give employment to the judges of the state of
Maryland, one of the most important matters to
be considered in order to secure good judges.
Retrenchment is strongly demanded by the re-
formers of the state. The people of the state,
with a magnanimity unparalleled, have borne
the present system of taxation for a long time,
and have upheld the credit of the state, and sus-
tained it in the pledge of its faith. They now
call upon this Convention to relieve them, as far
as practicable, from the burden so heavily im-
posed upon them.
My plan unites but three counties. I have
provided by my amendment that the register of
the orphans' court shall not only perform the
duties of that court and of the chancery court,
but that he shall have the right to issue injunc- |
