The Vermont watchman. [volume] (Montpelier, Vt.) 1883-1911, 1884-10-15
Salary Of Supreme Court Judges.

The newspaper discussion of this sub
ject continues. The ground taken by
the Rutland Herald is the ground held
by most of those who favor large in
crease in the pay of the judges. The
supreme court suffers, it is claimed,
from the fact that the salaries are so
meager that an able lawyer cannot af-
ford to give his life to the bench; the
rewards of the bench are not sufficient
to tempt our ablest jurists to accept
seat upon it; it would be a matter of
sound economy to make the salary of
the judges up to the average of the sal
aries paid for similar service through
out the Union; such average is found
to be about 81 500; the minimum is
found in Delaware and Oregon at so 900;
West Virginia pays s2,250; Georgia,
Nebraska, North Carolina and Vermont
$500; New Hampshire, 50 800; Maine,
$4,000; Kansas, $4,000; Maryland 49,
500, and the higher figures are reached
in Ohio at IS 900, Pennsylvania, IS 900,
and New York 81 800, with an allow
ance of 81 900 for expenses in the lat
ter state. The conclusion is reached
that if the state paid a salary of IS 900,
it would attract and secure to the state
for life lawyers like Phelps, Stewart,
Fifield and Edmunds. The danger that
threatens is found to be that the SUI
preme court is deteriorating in quality
and permanency year by year" In this
connection the history of the supreme
court of the state is instructive. Be
ginning somewhat more than half
century back, at time when Vermont
was emerging from the wilderness. we
find that Charles X. Williams was
chosen to the bench in 1922, was made
chief Judge in 1884, and by reason of his
years retired in 1876 after nearly quar-
ter of century of service. The salary
during the greater part of this period
was 81 900 for the chief judge and 5000
each for assistant judges, and, during
|
the last seven years, 81 1915 for each
| Judge. In 1926 Samuel Prentiss was
chosen Judge, and became chief judge
in 1929. In 1880 the superior dignity
and honor of United States senator
ship allured him from the bench. Ste
phen Royce went ON the bench in 1895,
became chief Judge in 1916, retired in
1882, and, like Judge Williams, rounded
out his official career in the governors
chair. Samuel S. Phelps was elected
Judge in 1881, and, after seven years.
service, like his illustrious compeer,
Prentiss, was called up to the United
States senate. Jacob Collamer served
on the bench from 1884 to 1912. In
1S43 he took his seat in the national
house of representatives, reappeared on
the bench as judge of the circuit court
from 1850 to 1851, and in 1854 became
F. Redfield was elected assistant Judge
in 1885, was chief judge in 1852 and in
1860, and after twenty-five years contin-
uous service, retired, advanced in years,
from position whose honors and pro-
fessional advantages he had exhausted,
and whose duties his long tenure of the
Office had made commonplace and irk-
some. AS assistant and chief Judge,
Luke p. Poland served from 1S48 to
1865. He had long before reached the
ultima thule of professional and intel
lectual advantage on the bench. The
trial of cases had become pastime to
him, and when in 1865 an opportunity
came to use his brilliant talents in a
wider and more distinguished field he
followed in the footsteps of Prentiss,
Phelps and Collamer. John Pierpoint
was Judge and chief judge from 1857 to
1899. James Barrett was judge from
1857 to 1880 and Asahel Peck from
1860 to 1874. These are some of the
ablest, most distinguished jurists of the
times in which they lived. They are
the very ablest Vermont has produced.
The record shows a tenure of office eX-
tending in several cases over period
of quarter of century, in others, Of
twenty years and more, and in many
} exceeding decade of years. Perma-
nency has been the rule and change the
infrequent exception. The highest abil
ity has been the rule and mediocrity the
exception. Mediocrity and feebleness
: have generally found the position un,
! tenable, ability has been as permanent
as human aspiration and the span Of
human life would allow. When the
, choice between Vermont judgeshiT