New-York daily tribune., 1859-09-27
JUDGE EDNONDS on JUDGES
SALARIES.
To tie Editor Of The n. y. Tribune.


SIR In your emission Of to-day you have inserted,
in your editorial column, and in letter from Mr.. Bus
teed, the Counsel to the Corporation, a furious at
tack on Judge Roosevelt for asking for the additional
compensation allowed him by law.
Az am engaged with Judge K. in this attempt, and
have acted throughout in concert with him, am LA
bic to all the assaults which you and Mr.. Busteed
have ade on him, and therefore demand hesring
through your columns.
IL 1852 the salary of Judge of the Supreme
Court was $500. found this sadly insdequste in
this city to my necessities as poor man. was cut
off from all my charities. was deprived even Of my
pew in church. could buy book for my library to
keep up with the decisions and could not even pay Tor
a newspaper / could afford no recreation, and found
il hard work to maze the two ends meet.
therefore applied to the Legislature TO increase TIE
compensation, which, though adequate to the country,
was greatly inadequate in this city.
Owing to the clause in the Constitution the Legsa-
ture could not increase compensation out of the
State Treasury and they passed law authorizing our
Board Of Supervisors to allow us, who resided In New
York an additional compensation.
In December, 1852 that Board resolved TO allow US
81 500 year, dating from the previous LIST OF July.
In December 1853, at the close OF my judicial term
the Board of Supervisors allowed my account tor sneh
additional compensation, to the ist oil January, io'f
That has nerer get Teen Pd'd
Last Winter, the subject wss brought up before our
Board Of Supervisors and the Legislature, and sum
due the Judges then in office.
After the "tsx levy" had become a law. we applied
to the Controller to pay us the amounts allowed us by
these acts of the Legislature and these proceedings o
tue Supt rvs0rs.
The Mayor and the Controller doubted their powe
TO pay though the money being raised Tor this pur
pose could not by Law be appropriated to any otne
purpose and they ufused to give us warrants Tor on
moLev uuti, the Courts had passed on the question
But how was tbst to De done was the inquiry. We
might sue out msndamus, commanding them 70 sign
warrants; Eight bring sus against them ior re-
fusng TO sign the warrants or we might agree upon
case under the Code. which says:
Parties question in difference with might be the SUB,
jsct Of civil acton may witnJa, @ SCION assee and
present submission of the same TO sny Court whon ~oua
have jurisdiction If al action had been brought =, ~
We Thought il best 10 prepare under the Code
inasmuch as there was no dispute about facts We,
therefore, prepared case and left II with the Controi'
ler leaving it for him and the Mayor TO determine
whether they would adopt that course or drVe Us 10
our action at Law; whether they would agree TO that
case OF amend it, and whether they would have the
question tried in the Supreme Court or IN the Superior
Court or Common Pleas or in this Judcla Dstrct Ok
some o.er-we leaving /. 10 them to determine these
questions. IL,
They ans wered TO us that they must leave those
questions to the Counsel for the Corporation, and
should therefore, submit the matter to Mr. Busteed.
Nothing whatever agreed upon between az
and the Msyor and Controller, but everything as TO
the manner of bringing up the question was to oe eit
| TO the Counsel Of the Corporation.
1le whole QcestlOn DciWecu luc hSyoi ouN N'''
troer the ore side and the other whether
the matter should be brought up on case to be agreed
on under the Code should be LETT 10 our suits az
| law Nothing whatever was agreed lpon between
them and u.s. but it left by them to the Counsel oil
| the Corporation.
We were reluctant enough to have the mater take
this c, urse but We could not help ourselves and we
therefore left our sse with the Msyo. aud Controller
with entire liberty their part to agree 10 our case a.
we prepared it or alter il, to bring up the question
in that way or have four lawsuits about 1t, ana 70
have the question disposed of by the Judges OF tne
Supreme Court in this District or any other District
by the Judges Of the Superior Court or OF the Common
Pleas. $50
| All this was well understood between rs and the
| Msyor ard Controller, but no agreement was made
| between u.s. as the Counsel 20 the Corporation might
easily have sscestsined oquiry and the whole OBJ
iect Of the negotiation a. TO the manner OF bring
| ing up the question.
| We mean to aave tie question passed upon by the
Courts; We care not how nor when.
How you ara Mr. Bus,eed can find in this determins
ton Of appealing 10 the Courts of the country tor thi
decision Of grave question ground for your unsps-
ing denuncia,ous, / leave for you to decide; ,o,,,
| Years. Ac., j. W. EDNOSbo'
| Netr- York, Sept -, 1889.