County Courts are held in each county, and in five counties—Milwaukee, La Croese, St. Croix, Douglass, and La Pointe—have a civil jurisdiction at common law where the sum involved is less than five thousand dollars. In the other counties they have jurisdiction of probate of willa, administra tion of estates of decedenta, care of minors, and general probate jurisdiction only.
13. Justices of the Peace are elected in each town for two years, by the people. They have a general jurisdiction in civil cases arising from contracts, injury to persons where personal property is sought to be recovered, of forcible entry and detainer, and to recover etatute penalties where tbe amonnt in volved does not exceed one hundred dollara, with an appellate jurisdiction to the circuit or county court. They have a criminal jurisdiction concur rent with the circuit court where the fine imposed is leas than one hundred dollars.
Tribunals of Conciliation are organized in tbe various counties tinder etatutes which have final powers vvhen the parties consent to their arbitra tion.
The state may incur a debt of one hundred thou sand dollars, but must at the time pass a law rais ing a tax sufficient to pay principal and interest in fi ve years, which ia to be irrepealable. It may also borrow money to repel invasion.
Corporations without banking powers may be created under general laws, but no banking cor poration may be created without the sanction of a direct vote of the people.
(spelled, also, wit tena-gemot, gewitena-gemote, from the Saxon toita, a wise man, gemote, assembly,—the assembly of wise men).
An assembly of the great men of the king dom in the time of the Saxons, to advise and assist in the government of the realm.
2. It was the grand council of the king dom, and was held, generally, ir. the open air, by publio notice or particular summons, in or noar some city or populous town. These
notices or summonses were issued upon de termination by tbe king'e select council, or the body met without notice, when the throne was vacant, to elect a new king. Subse. quently t,o the Norman conquest it was called commune concilium regni, curia magna, and, finally, parliament; but its character had be come considerably changed. It was a court of last resort more especially for determining disputes between the king and his thanes, and, ultimately, from all inferior tribunals. Great offenders, particularly those who were members of or might be summoned to the king's court, were here tried. The casual loss of title-deeds was supplied, and a very extensive equity jurisdiction exercised. 1 Spence, Eq. Jur. 73-76 ; 1 Blackstone, Comm. 147,148 ; 1 Reeve, Hist. Eng. Law, 7 ; 9 Coke, Preface.
3. The principal duties of the witena-ge. mote, besides acting as high court of judica ture, was to elect the sovereign, assist at his coronation, and co-operate in the enactment and administration of the laws. It made treaties jointly with the king, and aided him in directing the military affairs of the king dom. Examinations into the state of churches, monasteries, their possessions, discipline, and morals, were made before this tribunal. It appointed magistrates, and regulated the coin of the kingdom. It also provided for levy ing upon the people all such sums as the public.necessities required ; and no property of a freeman was, in fact, taxable withont the coneent of the gemote. Bede, lib. 2, c. 5 ; 3 Turner, Ang1.-Sax. 209 ; 1 Dugdale, Mon. 20 ; Sax. Chron. 126,140.
ViTITH STRONG HAND. In Plead ing. A technical phrase indispensable in describing a forcible entry in an indictment. No other word or circumlocution will answer the same purpose. 8 Term, 357.