The Atlanta Journal,
Sunday, 2nd November 1913,
PAGE 1, COLUMN 2.
L. F. McClelland, E. D.
Thomas, J. B. Ridley, T. O.
Hathcock and Luther Ros-
ser, Jr., Are Recommended
GOVERNOR
WILL MAKE
FORMAL APPOINTMENT
Officials to
Succeed Justices
of Peace Chosen by Supe-
rior Court Judges From
Fifty Applicants
The five judges of Atlantas new
municipal court will be:
L. F. McClelland, E. D. Thomas, J. B.
Ridley, T. O. Hathcock and Luther Rosser, Jr.
They were chosen from among fifty
applicants by the four judges of the Atlanta superior court. The circuit judges
met yesterday afternoon and determined on these five municipal court judges
whom they will recommend to Governor Slaton for appointment.
Their recommendation will reach the
governor Monday and the appointment probably will be made that day. Only the
power to recommend lies with the superior court judges, but the appointments
will be made from the candidates whom they have chosen.
One of the five municipal judges will
be selected as chief judge of the court. The selection, in this instance, as
well as the appointment, will be made by Governor Slaton.
SALARIES OF JUDGES.
The salary of the leading of the
leading judge of the municipal court will be $3,600 a year. That of the other
four judges will be $2,000 a year.
A chief clerk, a deputy clerk, a
marshal, and several deputy marshals will compose the attaches of the court.
The chief judge and chief clerk will
take office at once to prepare for the last session of the court, which will be
held in January. The first of the new year all judges of the municipal court
will take office and the new court will go into effect, while all justice
courts in Atlanta will go out of existence.
This change is authorized by an act
bill passed at the last session of the Georgia legislature. A similar bill,
applying to Macon, was passed at that session of the assembly, but the justice
courts in no other cities in Georgia were affected. Atlanta and Macon were
alone in seeking from the legislature measures substituting municipal courts
for justice of the peace courts.
ONE JUSTICE NAMED.
An interesting fact in connection with
the appointment is that only one of the present justices of the peace, James B.
Ridley, has been named a municipal court judge, and the fact is considered an
unusual tribute to his record.
The establishment of the new court on
the first of the year means that practically all of the justice courts in the
city will be abolished, and among the officials who will automatically lose
their positions are Justice Edgar H. Orr, the oldest justice in point of years
in the county and probably in the state; Judge F. M. Powers, Judge Charles H.
Giradeau, Judge O. H. Puckett, Judge W. T. Jordan and several others.
While the clerk and the marshal will be
appointed by the municipal court judges themselves the races for these
positions are already on T.M. Miller, present deputy clerk of the superior
court, is looked upon as a likely candidate for the position of clerk, while
Newton A. Garner, at present an efficient attache of the solicitor generals
office, is running a strong race for the marshals place. The clerk will be
allowed one assistant and the number of deputy marshals will be determined by
the court.
INCREASSED JURISDICTION.
The municipal court will have
jurisdiction in all suits for amounts up to $500, while the jurisdiction of the
justice courts was for amounts not exceeding $100. As a result of the increased
jurisdiction, it is expected that the new court will cut into the business of
the clerk of the superior court to a considerable extent, and this is expected
to result in the decreasing of the force of Clerk Arnold Broyles. It will
decrease the revenue of the sheriffs office as well and it is probable that at
the first of the year some of the deputies or attaches of that office will be
without positions.
The act creating the municipal court
requires that only practicing attorneys be appointed to the bench. A number of
the justices of the peace of past years had little or no legal training.
Judges of the Atlanta circuit who met
yesterday afternoon and decided on the five candidates whom they shall
recommend to Governor Slaton for appointment, are Judge John T. Pendleton,
Judge W. D. Ellis, Judge George EL. Bell and Judge B. H. Hill.