Show I j i Ij I LETTERS h TOR D I Dear ar Sam Last week Judge Refer Keller in tn ina a n District Court decision upheld up up- upheld held the vall validity of ot the Dec appointment but please do not get the Idea that by that decision he lent his sup support port to the JP J.P. system lie He merely held that my theory regarding the CommIssIoners Commission ers ers' meeting was erroneous I it Isn't the first time I have been wrong and 1 I assure you that It will not be the l that last st st. j i There Is no question in my I mind that W has taken j I place here hero is fa not in the public interest but I do not blame the County Commissioners t for r what happened because j they didn't know and I 1 did If It anyone had the duty toa to a J Inform them it was me and andI i I neglected to do so You see I have felt fert in the past that since I was never elected tomy to j mv my office but merely merely- u filed u I without without opposition that 1 X Idid did not have the mandate of I the people and I have exert exercised exer exer- I the duties of my office office of of- t j fice lice with restraint I have allowed al at lowed owed things to go on in my j Court th that t shouldn't be allowed al ale alei i lowed even in a J J. J fr p court I have learned a alot lot as a aI I result of this recent situation and I hope It has made me a bigger man My personal of what happened are stated above but in tn the final analysis the decision as to whether the recent JP J.P. appointment was in the public interest is up to you the public to decide However let me point out a afew tew few facts The National Safety Sat ety Council is presently conducting con ducting a nationwide I c earn cam f to abolish the JF JP courts Quoting from an arthe arthe ar ar- the Deseret News by Justice Tom Clark of the U U. S. S Supreme Su preme reme Court The Justice of ot the Peace system Is outmode outmoded ed and not suitable for lor traffic traffic tra fic lie cases The fee system should be abolished and justices justices jus jus- tices of ot the peace where they continue to exist should be bo paid salaries not dependent depend depend- ent in any manner upon the thede de decision in the case The fee system of ot co compensation to public officials I is one of th the most corrupting 01 ur our entire political system It blights whatever it tou tou- ches rhes The Judge must favor his friends who bring him the business Justice must give Rive hostages to fortune With the excessive number of Justices of the peace all dependent dependent de de- pendent upon the fees of office office of of- fice flee for their we have spawned open competition tion and rivalry The Tho competition com competition petition Justice Clark speaks of has become so keen in the State of Utah that there are Instances where one JP J.P. makes over per year while another located in the same county only a few miles mUes away collects less than 1000 Grand County Is very sparsely spars sparsely spars spars- ely populated more maree than 90 per cent of the people live within the of Moab City We have ave two local gov gov- here nero a County anda anaa and ana a n City government both of which are re merely instrumentalities of the State established established to provide necessary services for the people on a local basis Because most of the county's population lives in the city it is substantial substantial- substantially ly y the same group of people that are paying taxes to support support support sup sup- port both of these local governments governments gov gov- the 10 30 per cent of the county's population that live in the city pay more than 95 p per r cent of the individual taxes collected by the county Now it is true that the County collects large amounts amounts amounts am am- of taxes from Corporations Corporations Corpora Corpora- in the County but cor corporations corporations cor cor- do not vote nor do they receive the traffic tick ets The public here pays per year for a City Court which is a court of record record re re- re cord that exercises countywide countywide county county- I wide Jurisdiction and public I funds have recently been een expended ex ex- ex to remodel our court court- ro room m Is that same public and the tourists who are so vitally necessary to the economy of our town to be denied dented the t to appear before that court or in that courtroom Are Arc they to be required to appear in the living room parlor b before fore the justice of the peace located a mile up the road Were traffic courts created to produce revenue for a local 1 local al government or were they created to promote traffic safety Were traffic courts created for lor the benefit benefit bene bene- fit It of law enforcement officers officers oUt c cers or were they cre created ted for forthe forthe forthe the benefit of the public How can can the public interest be best served An aroused public pub pub- lie lic interest is the key to bet- bet tr traffic courts DONALD D. D CRIST I City Judge |