The weekly Floridian. [volume] (Tallahassee, Fla.) 1867-19??, 1881-05-24

Section IS Of Article Of The Constitution
1877 of Georgia reads as follows:

Georgia and Florida Salaries.
Section Is of Article Of The Constitution
uS71 of Georgia reads IS follows:
PARAGRAPH L The Judges Of the Supreme
Court shall have, gut Of the treasury OF ne
the Judges of the Superior Courts shall have sal
aries not to exceed 1000 per annum; the At
tomeY- General shall have q salary not to exceed
$4,000 per annum and the Solicitors General
annum but the Attorney General shall not have
any fee or perquisite In any cases arising after
the adoption Of this Constitution; but the pro-
visions Of this section shall not affect the salaries
of those now In ONCE.
"PAR IL The General Assembly may at any
time, by two-thirds vote of each branch, pre-
scribe other and different salaries for any or all
Of the above officers, but no change shall affect
the officers then in commission"
The latest act of appropriation QS79- 'SO) made
by the Legislature Of Georgia gives to the Judges
of the Supreme Court $500 per annum, with a
proviso that if any of such Judges shall be
elected by the legislature or be appointed by the
Governor he shall receive the minimum ixedby
the Constitution, viz: $1,000. The same act
made an appropriation of e., 500 for each OF the
Judges Of the Superior Courts, with the same
provision to election or appointment, when
the pay was to be $4,000 per annum.
The same act gives the Secretary OF State
salary of g. 600 and 81 900 tor clerk hire; the
Comptroller is given a salary of $4,000 and
g. 900 for clerk hire; TO the Treasurer is appro-
priated 81, 900 for salary and 81 900 for clerk
hire.
This is the latest act on the subject of salaries
that we have seen.
1t will be noticed that the Constitution fixed
the minimum of salaries Tor Judges thereafter TO
be elected or appointed at $1,000 and $4,000 re-
spectively, with power in the Legislature to in
crease or diminish these stipends. 1t will be
found probably Qor we have access to no later
statute than the appropriation act of 1S79-'SO)
hat the neao Judges, whether OF the Supreme or
Superior Courts, receive the minimum fixed
by the Constitution, "Spofords American AL
manac and Treasury of Facts to the contrary
Notwithstanding.
1t will be observed that the officers of The Elk
ecutive department., Secretary of State, &C., re-
ceive the same salaries as those paid in Florida
but with large appropriation for clerk hire in
addition. No department except that of the
Comptrollers receives any pay for clerks in this
State
In this connection it may not be inappropriate
to trace the salaries paid in Florida:
The Constitution of 1888, (Which, by the way,
was adopted or ratified by scratch'O fixed no
salaries, but left that matter to the Legislature
The State was admitted into the Union in 1S45,
and from July of that year up 10 1859 the salary
ofthe Governor vas 81 $780, but in 1851 an act was
passed allowing him $500 for house rent, which
made his salary equivalent to $4,000 In 1859
another act was passed fixing the salary for the
incoming Governor at $4,000, TO include house
rent. After the war, the Convention which met
in 1865 and framed the Constitution of that year
fixed the salary at $1,000. The Constitution Of
1868 made the salary 5000, but an amendment
adopted in 1871 reduced it TO $500 at which it
now stands.
The salaries of the Judges of the Circuit Courts
were fixed at $4,000 under the old Constitution,
and this pay continued up TO 1859. In 1851, or
Whereabouts, separate Supreme Court was es-
tablished the Justices Of which receiving the
same pay as the Circuit Judges. In 1859, how
ever, the salary OF both classes was made 81, 800
Under the present Constitution the salary of the
Chief Justice was originally fixed at 81, 500 and
that of the Associate Justices at $4,000; the Cir
cult Court Judges received each So 800 In 1871
these salaries ere reduced to $4,000 for the Su-
preme Court and 81, 500 for the Circuit Court
Judges by the same amendment the salaries
of the cabinet officers were reduced from S., 900
to $4,000 each per annum.
1t will be interesting to state here that Flori-
ida's first Governor, NIosely,) among his first
messages, insisted that the system of making
the Circuit Judges an Appellate Court should be
abolished and that Chancery or Supreme Court
should be established. This was done later
In 1877 the first Reform Legislature had sub
mitted 10 it, by q special committee, an elaborate
report recommending general reduction in sal
| aries accompanied with bills and Constitutional
amendments covering the whole subject. The
report failed of adoption chiefly because out
siders " and insiders wanted a " Constitutional
Convention and nothing else. But for extreme
views, there would have been to-day reduction
in expenses, so far at least as salaries are con-
cerned.