The Sunday herald. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1866-1887, 1882-11-19

The movement for reform has reached
even the solidly conservative Supreme Court
Of the United States, and what is now ad-
mitted to- have been a semi-centennial abuse
was swept away last week. To simple and
honest people, unembarrassed by any maze
Of "rulcs aud technicalities, the matter
appears very plain one. The records of
cases in the court, often very voluminous,
have to be printed. To do this it is neccs.
sary to send them to the printing office. As
it was considered improper to allow the
originals to 60 ont, certain high tariT was
rixei for making the copies supposed TO he
necessary. The abuse consisted in sending
the original nevertheless (breach No. y and
charging for the copies as it actually made
(breach No. - II was doubtful who intro
dUced this beautiful invention fifty years
ago, but Mr. Mckinney, the popular new
clerk, is universally acquitted OF any moral
blame i'm regard To it, though it was first
brought prominently forward and corrected
under his administration.
The cause of such recurrput scandals lies
ments OF them, in the abomiuable sppcula-
tive system OF paying public officers bv fees
and letting them make all they can out of
their places. 1t is entirely foreign to our
theories OF government, and was either inn
stated from ancient English models, where
perquisites and monopolies for royal favor
ties were the rule, or introduced in early
days, when it was feared the public treasury
could not afford to pay fixed salaries, and
iunctionaries We're accordingly let loose on
the people to make their living out of them
as best they could. The results are nearly
always the same 1t is useless to illuminate
penalties against overcharging, eXtortion,
and =" constructive fees. Human nature
is generally too weak to resist the tempta-
tion, and though the vigilant es cape, de-
fenseless and ignorant suitors gradually
come to he imposed on. Even il this is not
the case, the compensation of the officer
steadily grows to he Unfortunately large, and
we must either regard that the people are
excessively taxed or the public treasury de
trauded out of the overplus.
The remedy is very simple and often men
toned. Let every officer receiving fees he
directed to return an account to the Treasury
and pay over what he receives in excess OF a
fixed salary. We believe in generous pay
for good service, both civil aud military
The clerk of the Supreme Court, for instance
might well receive $40, 200 year. But lei
there be no secresy, no speculation about it
Where there is publicity, as in the case o
the clerk and marshal of the Supreme Cour
of the District, there is no complaint. Wher,
there is the reverse, as in the case of th,
justices of the peace and so on in ascendu.
scale according to the real or supposed gain,
OF an office, there is always an undertone o
both envy and scandal. Subordinates ar,
apt to be underpaid, necessary expenses o
the office stnted, and service graduate,
rather by fees to be gained than the duty t
be performed. There are number of office
to which Congress might apply this salutar.
remedy at the next session, with advantag
to all concerned. There should not be on
under the Government of which it can h
said. as now, -" No one knows how much j
i'is worth"