The Indianapolis sentinel. [volume] (Indianapolis, Ind.) 1880-1904, 1885-02-10
FEES AND SALARIES.
High Fees and Low Salaries-The Less
Ability, ard Less Labor Required
10 FIJI an Office, the 6reater
the Pay.
The Greater Ability sDd Learning, and the
Greater sbor Required to Fiji
once, the Less Pay.
Communicated


Such as the foregoing headlines indicate.
Mr. Editor, seems % have been, and 70 still
be, the policy Of Iudisns, I an forc,bIy
reminded of this by bills now pending IN
the Legislature.
Ibsve nstpoliced any bill FOR the reduction
Of fees allowed TO officers whose compeu-
sstion consists in the main, of fees. fny
one who knows anything upon the subject
knows that there are officers filing offices
that require neither much learning nor
ability, nor, indeed. much labor on the part
OF the officer in chief who are making for
tunes from the fees allowed and collected.
These seem to be passed 6y, and al effort is
made TO economics by cutting salaries snd
the compensation OF clerks and assistants
down to starvation rites. And in this effort
the old rule seems to prevail, that the less
ability aud lesrDing duirsd the mora nav.
and vice verss. For example, cue Of tn Re-
form bills proposes &C give 20 a clerk ~ tue
Superintendent OF Public Instruction. 81 2J0
per year. and 10 the Assistant AttorHeP Gen
sIal 500 per year. The oDs is 4 simpls
clerk. Surely TO great ability nor great
learning is required 10 perform the Gddes Of
clerk to the Superintendent Of Public To.
stTuciioD. The title OF the office indicates
what IL is, clerk. Il has no duties
requiring much ability or learning ANY
ordinary bookkeeT er. doubtless, could per
form the duties. What, ON the other hand.
is the Office Ct Assistant Attorney General?
What Is this cfficer for? He is not a mere
clerk 70 any enc. BE - not 70 keep mem
OraDdum, simply, OF what the chief does or
has done. He Is to assist IN doing il. And
what is this? The Executive, legislative
and judicial are the three departments OF
the State government The Attorney General
belongs to the Judicisl department. Reis toe
constitutioDal advisor of the other depart
mepts. If the Executive have doubts upOn
any question or constitutional or statutory
Law, goes TO the Attorney General. If
any Of the officers, including the Slperia.
teu6ent Of Public Instruction, have doubts
upon any question arising under the Consti-
tOtion CT Jaws Of the State, they submit toe
ouettion 70 ths Attorney General Upon
ihst officer. until the question reaches the
Supreme Court, rests tie entire responsi-
bilty. IN al these doubtful questions from
the other departments OF the Government.
And tbete doubtful questions are always the
more important questions involving the
States and the peoples greatest interests
The Attorney General must also prossouts
and defend in all cases inYOl wing tbe States
interests He must act for the State in all
criminal cases on appeal 10 the Suprsme
Court. Here. as elsewhere, be Is called
upon to meet some of the best legal talent
10 the State, representing the adverse side.
IL must st once be apparent that great re-
sponsbility rests upon this officer, and that
he must be man Of ability,
and learned in the profession OF
OF the law, or the State mSy greatly suffer
and lose. An assistant is required because
the Attorney General can not alone DO all
of the work. Therefore, the Assistant At
t0Tney - not simply TO act az a cislk bat
be is to assist in the important aad response
bic work. BE is to shsre, IN a measure the
responsibility of tue chief. It is manifest
that he must be man OF lesrniug-well up
in bis profession. 1t is riskipg nothing at
all to assert that much of the time you may
find that Assistant Attorney General
g1sppling with difficult questions after
the clerk hss closed bis days labor. For the
overEork, for the benefit of his learning
that has cost time, labor aud money to sc
quire, and for the responsibility That DE
must assume, the State proposes to pay $500
per year; while tn the clerk OF the S2perin-
tendent o. Public Instruction It is proposed
10 pay 81 200 per year. | write this without
the knowledge Of the Attorney General or
his assistant, and without any kind OF pref
eyence for either of the of4i ces or their clerks
or assistants. l have no reference to them
as men. l mention these two Offices
because OF the pending bill and
the Illustration it affords OF what / have
stated, that in Indiana, the more ability,
learning ana labor required to ill an Office,
invariably the less pay. do not think that
s 200 is too much pay for the clerk. but in
sist that If $1,000 is not too mnch for the
clerk $500 for the Assistant Attorney Gen
eTsl the assistant law officer OF the Govern
ment, is unjust and ridiculous n the ex-
treme The State Of Indiana must want the
cheapest talent, and the cheapest learning
IL this important and responsible place,
which requires both talent and learning. Or
she wants these without anything like fair
cOmpeu sstlon. There are 3l3 working days
in year This proposed Ealsry to TIE As
sistant Attorney General amounts ID $l9Il :
per cay. Is il possible that the clerks. door
keepers and their assistants in the Legisla
tnre are worth s. psr day, including
SUNDAYS. ard the Assistant Attorney Gener-
al bit 81 81 Z per day for the working days2
With other Offices and officers, there are
greater and even more unreasonable and IN
just inequalities, which l propose to point
out hereafter. And ~ doing so. as here,
have no reference 10 the men who nov hap
pen 20 occupy the Offices. JUsTITIA.
February 8.
CALLS FOR APPELLATE COURTS.