The true northerner. [volume] (Paw Paw, Mich.) 1855-1920, 1874-03-06

our statute books. General laws are safer and
better In every case In which they can be
made to accomplish the desired end. Over
governing is growing evil that these restric-
tons would do much to cure.
The changes proposed in the Judiciary De-
partment, in Art. VI, are radical. The pro-
posed increase In the number OF Supreme
Court Judges to five would give permanency
and solidity to judicial decisions that an
evenly-divided court cannot give, willis
the increase OF business coming be-
fore the court will soon require
an additional Judge. Believing that
education is a necessity to good self-govern-
ment, we spend millions of dollars annually
to educate ourselves and those who are to
come after us, to make sure that our Govern
ment shall be good and, 30 long as our peo-
ple are thus educated, just 80 long will they
be fitted to elect their own Judges. Our ex-
perence for tho past twenty-five years with
an elective judiciary is, to my mind, an abun-
dsnt proof of this statement. In very many
Ca es craftsmanship has been silent, and the
peopl have united in casting their su TRACES
for Judges whom they knew to be upright
and capable regardless of other consider
tions. There can be no higher evidence Of
the fitness Of an intelligent people to select
their own judges than this. / believe th It
whenever political power is taken away from
a people, their fitness to be intgusted tn
power is decreased, and that whenever they
are called upon to perform new duties, they
are stimulated to fit themselves to perform
them intelligently and well.
The Commission, in Secs. ! and 2 Of Art.
IN, provide that in lieu OF the present salaries
paid the State officers aud Judges, they shall
be fixed by the Legislature. That the sala-
lies of some OF the State officers, and espe-
cially those OF the Circuit Judges demand
revision, seems to be generally conceded.
Very many Of our counties have, at differ
ent times, made appropriations to be paid d.
&c ctly to the Circuit Judge. There is no
practice 80 reprehensble as this but the ne
cessi.y Of it has seemed 80 apparent that the
improperly and Dlegal,ty Of IL have been over
looked. trust that by no action of yours or
the people will our county authorities be
tempted in the future to make these unconsti-
tutional appropriations. Since the first Of
January. 1873 five of our Circuit Judges have
resigned, for the reason that they could not
pay their expenses and support their families
with their salai.es. These frequent changes
in the Judiciary, in the matter Of expense
alone, cost more than a fair salary, while they
take from our judicial system what should be
its Leading charac teristic, viz: permanency
aud stability.
The pre- sent Constitution was lopted in
1850-nearly a'quarter Of a century ago. Our
only State institutions at that time we're the
State Prison and the University. The receipts
less than "a 900 per annum, while today
they are nearly S2,0)0.0CJ. Almost eve Y
State officer at that time received in fees MOI o
than bis salary. No money was paid the Stat
by its Treasurer for interest on deposit of
State funds. To-day no State officer receives
single fee of any kind. From table - " in
The Auditor-General's report for 1873 you
will le.srL that the payments into the treasury
of the State for interest on public deposits,
srd fees fl ON the State officers from 1851 to
Sept. 80, 1872, were 1921, 435.47, sud the re
ceipts from the same sources for the year
closing Sept. so, 1873, were $780, 1908. From
1888 to the year 1854 not dollar was received
from any OF these sources. L fail to find ju
the financial reports Of other States any such
aggregate of receipts as this-in many of them
none at all-from similar sources. i call you,
attention to these figures for, though Otter
published, l believe they are not often read.
These facts show very plainly that, whatever
may have bee a the intention OF the trainers
OF your present Constitution, the greater por-
ton Of the State officers received in fees eact
year more than their salary. The practice o.
! pay ing the deputy State officers a greater
selary than the principals would seem to indi
cate that it was expected that the deputie:
should do the work, and the principals draw
the fees and wear the houors. The business
o. the State has grown into such volume tina
any State Officer who faithfully performs hi
duty Qf he does it personally and not b,
proxy must give to it bis entire time and at
tention. That they do not, is simply becaus,
some time and attention must be given Il
some pursuit or occupation by which they Cal
live. Ought we not, n lieu of this pernciou
system, to saw to our public officers You
3 !; shall be a rec sonable one you shat
have such az lstants as the business of yor
| Office demands; but We expect and demand o
you your personal attention aud your ind
vidusl care OF the duties OF your portion
This is the straight plain and economical
way. l do not believe in high salaries 70
public officers. A salary that will induce me-
to seek position for the sake of the salar
would tend to deteriorate the public service
1t is not pleasant 10 ref It that tn
best men often cannot afford to serv
the State, and that private fortune must b
an indispensable condition in filing certain
important public positions. This, too, VII
deteriorate the public service. We all hav
an earnest and commendable desire to procur
economy in administration, and patterns o
republican simplicity in public life; we can d
this. not by parsinony nor by extravaganza
but by occupying common ground Of com
mon sense that lies between the two. hav
said that an educated, intelligent people al
abundantly qualified to elect their own officers
L also believe they are willing to pay thei
public servants dc Gently and fairly, as Il @
would do In their private affairs.
Inc article on Corporations other thai
Municipal" contains some new provit ions
and makes changes in existing provisions, a
OF which l think are improvements. But
refer to this article not so much for the pun
pose of calling your attention to what it con
tains, as for what il does not contain. Sect;o
IL of this article is left to stand as in tn
present Constitution. II is apparent that til
sole and simple purpose of the first paragrap
OF this section is to secure and presery
to the public the benefits which come froY
competition of railroads in the carryin
business; there is no other though
or idea in it, And it is equa' ar
parent that the prov sion, as it stand wi
fail OF this purpose. " Consolidation G
stock " is only one OF the modes by wbic
parallel or competing lines" may combiu
and become one in interest A very commo
method OF etfectiDg the same result is for on
of the competing companies to lease the roa
of the other. Another is to acquire the COZ
trolling interest in the stock Of the competiu
company, and thus secure ciltrol OF tf
road. There are also other device
for securing the same result III
be conceded that the policy OF OF
couraging competition in railroad transpo
tation is wholesome and just, as I think
must be, then this provision should be so a
tered and amended as, il possible, to accom-
plish this end. Upon reference to the pr,
ceedipgs Of the Commission, it will be see
that the section, as reported by the Committt
on Corporations, reads as follows: