Nashville union and American. [volume] (Nashville, Tenn.) 1853-1862, 1853-11-23
from The NASHVILLE uSiA AND AMERICAN,
SALARIES OF TIE JUDGES.

This is the most appropriate anne 10 llA Ciie Saa
res of the Judges and Chancelors- All seem to adj
NIT that they are very badly paid; when the re-
ouisite qualifications for the station and the heavy
expenses they are bound to incur at taverns travel
ling and the purchase of books are taken into view
The compensation should be such as to draw
from the Bar to the Bench the ablest lawyers, and
this can only be done by giving them something
like what they can make in the practice. tits GER
anly the interest of the people to get the ablest
men on the Bench. To the Judiciary all must
look for the protection Of property character and
personal liberty. The compensation should be so
fixed as to enable men who have the ability, to
accept without regard to their pecuniary circum-
stances Now unless lawyer has some other
means of support, he cannot 60 upon the Bench if
he has family. So the poor, no matter how well
qualified they may be, cannot, in justice to their
families, accept Judgeships. A Judge should de-
vote his whole time to the study of his profession,
and not be under the necessity ofdiverting his at
tenton to other means of making money to splice
out an insufficient salary The people are willing
to pay what is proper but timd politicians refuse
What pity it is that men in public places will not
do right and trust to the wisdom and intelligence Of
the people to sustain them The people are dis
paraged by an opposite course.
They always sustain what is right when properly
presented to them and fairly explained. On this
subject there is believed to be but little or no dvis-
ion among the people. 1t is confined to the small
politicians have said this is the most fitting time
to act upon this subject By article 6, section of
the Constitution the compensation of Judges cannot
be Increased or diminished during the time for
which they are elected" So if it is not done by
the present Legislature it win be eight years before
it can be again acted upon. The election goes be-
fore the people now for the first time and the
amount of the salaries should go with it. Let the
pay be respectable so that the rst-rae men of the
Bar in each Circuit or Division of the State can be
induced to accept Let it be such as to enable the
Judge to feel independent and devote himself ex-
cusvely to his Office for the benefit of the people
who have honored him with their confidence and
willing to pay him literally for his arduous SER
vices. Let it be such as to stimulate the Young
men to qualify themselves for the station. Ten
nessee is now, in all respects, about the fifth State
in the Union. She cleared herself of the reproach
of starving out her Governor by increasing his sal
airy from two to three thousand dollars Has any
one heard the least complaint among the people
about this? Has any member who voted for it
found any difficulty at home? The people are
ahead of the politicians on this subject They are
ready to do right. The poor man is aware that it
costs him nothing, and the property holder is will
ing to pay because he has the better protection
from the talents drawn out by good salaries.
Compare the pay of our Judges with that given
to qualified men in other stations. Our Governor
now gets $4,000; and how does his labor compare
with that of a Judge2 That of the Judge, says
Governor CAMPBELL, who has filed both stations
as oe,sty times greater The truth of this remark is
known by all malxlbo are acquainted with the
subject The Ffesident of Railroad gets from
four to five thousand dollars a year. The Presi-
dents of some of the Banks in Nashville get three
thousand dollars. The Architect of the new Capt.
tol two thousand five hundred, and have heard
there are Book Keepers in your city of Nashville
who get two thousand dollars year for their SER
vices. Now should it be expected that man who
has spent long life in the acquisition of that knowl
edge necessary to qualify him to discharge the i'm
portant functions ola Judge, and make, if he be
thus qualified from three to six thousand dollars at
the practice would be content to serve in an Office
so responsible and aborious for fifteen hundred dol
lars? 1t should not be required, even if many are
willing for the honor, or because they have other
means Of support to take the offices. How often
is it found that the best qualified men in the Cir
cults or Divisions positively refuse to accept these
places on the ground that the pay is so much less
than they can make at the Bar and will not sup
port them and their families?
But let US compare the salaries of our Judges with
those of other respectable States.
South Carolina has four Chancellors at SO 00O six
Judges of the General Sessions and Common Pleas T
1t 3d. 900, and one at $500.
louisiana -Four Judges of the Supreme Court
1t $500.
Pennsylvania Salary of Chief Justice 1885,
H.
Massachusetts. Five Judges of the Supreme Court
50 500, for the Chief Justice and SO 900 for each
fthe other four.
NeO York city and county. Six Judges at So
90
From these instances it will be seen how this
naIIer IS reSarued Dy some OF our sister States
IS to size and quantity of business, Massachusetts,
inferior to Tennessee. But she employs fire
judges to do the business of her Supreme Court,
nd pays them s., 900 each with an additional $500
D the presiding Judge, when Tennessee only en-
loys three Judges to do the same or more business,
nd pays them $lSOOl Should we talk any longer
Yankee parsimOny? Surely our present Legis-
4ture will wipe off this reproach as to the Judiciary
the last did in relation to our Executive
1t may and ought, however, to be said in justif-
alton Of the Legislature, which fixed the present
cry inadequate salaries, that the times were then
cry different from the present The cost of living
as not half so much nor the price of land and 9TH
property near so high. Now everything has
one up and our Judges ought to be enabled by !
eir pay to sustain themselves independently in the
ciety and circle in which they live The high re-
possibility of the office requires this The people
oud undertake and condemn him if he did not !
it. s
1t is believed thatit is only necessary to get the
embers of the present Legislature to look at this
hject right, to settle the question in accordance
m the honor of the State and the best interest