New Orleans Republican. [volume] (New Orleans, La) 1867-1878, 1871-02-19
SATURDAY, February il, 1877 !

SALARIES OF PARISH JUDGES.
Substitute for Senate bill No: sc, to in
crease the salaries OF parish judges to three
thousand dollars per annum, having been
called up
Mr. Ingraham said: This bill proposes to
add over forty thousand dollars to the taxa
ton of the people of the State. 1t proposes
10 increase the salaries of the parish judges
of the parishes which elect but one member
20 the House of Representatives, by one
thousand dollars yearly; while the Parish
Judge of St. Landry, who does ten times the
business Of one of these small parishes, is TO
have his salary increased by only five hun
dreS dollars. In the parish of Caddo
where the parish court does. perhaps, a lar
ger amount Of business than any other
parish court in the State, the judge is to re-
ceive the same salary as the judges OF the
parish courts of other parishes. which. pe.-
haps, have only three cases yearly before
them. l have just been handed Il calcula-
ton by Senator near me, by which 1t APP
pears that the increase in the taxation
Of the people of the State is over
three times as much as l stated at first. Ii
adds one hundred and thirty thousand dol
lars to the salaries of tho parish judges of
the State. The last Constitutional Conven
lion of this State, OF which was a member,
fixed the salary of parish judges at 5wo
thousand dollars per annum, with fees,
amount of fees that they should receive.
Under the constitution Of 1915, the parish
Judges received no salary whatever besides
their fees. voted yesterday TO increase
The salaries Of the judges of the Supreme
Court. because knew that they We're law
practice for the paltry SUM OF seven
thousand five hundred dollars per annum;
but feel safe in saying that there are not
twenty parish judges i'll the State who are
lawyers, and who have given up their prac-
tice TO accept the judicial positions they
occupy. Men have been elected III this
State TO this important office who know
nothing more about Blackstone and other
legal authorities than a boy learning the
+rst rudilnents Of the English language. l
shall vote against this bill, because / am
not in favor Of adding to the salaries of the
parish judges of this State the enormous
sum of one hundred and thirty thousand
dollars yearly, l believe 1t to be an III
position upon the people OF the State.
Nj. Smith: Ii seems IL me that some
change should be made III the present sys-
-em of paving parish jud yes. AS the law
now stands, the judges OF the courts OF the
smaller parishes receive five hundred dol
lars per annum less than the Judges OF the
more populous parishes, when they should
receive Just as much, ii not more. 1t Is
true that they do less amount OF business
han the other parish courts, but they also
collect i smaller amount of fees. The gen
tlaman from Orleans referred to the parish
Judge of st. Landry as doing more business
..,an almost any other parish in the State;
bat if he does ten times more business he
collects ten times more fees. and should.
therefore, receive a smaller salary.
Mr.. Smith was here interrupted 10y a call
for the order Of the day.]
After the transaction of some other bus!-
ness, on which there was no debate, the
Senate adjourned.