The Cape Girardeau Democrat. (Cape Girardeau, Mo.) 1876-1909, 1895-06-01
The Pay of Judges.

United States District bench on the
ground that his salary of s., 600 year
is insufficient to provide for the wants
of his family calls attention to condi-
tiOns which suggest serious considera-
ton of the question of whittier We are
drifting.
In an interview in to-day's Sunday
POst-Dispatch Judge Priest asserts.
and his assertion is supported by the
opinions of "A number of lawyers. that
the salaries of our judges are made
quate. He declares that a man can.
not properly support his family on
lawyer can afford to give up the re-
muneration of private practice for that
sum or for double or three times that
sum.
To the great mass of people who look
upon $1,000 a year as a munifent re-
muneratiOn Judge Priests assertion
that hewas slowly starving to death"
on that salary will seem humorous.
! But the incident with the utterances it
has provoked is full of grave signif-
cance. Not only does it suggest the
wide distance between present con-
/ ditions and the republican simplicity.
the plain living and high thinking
of the fathers. but it emphasizes the
| tremendous power that money wields
in American life.
The incomes which are compared
with the salaries of judges are the in
comes of lawyers whose services are
purchased by the great corporations.
II Is doubtful if Judge Priest before he
became Il corporation lawyer earned
s.. 900 in any year. Il would be inter-
esting to know how many lawyers not
in the pay of corporations make $1,000
year.
The implication therefore Is clear
that the only lawyers who are regard
ed as tit for the bench are lawyers in
the employment of corporations and
that the government must enter into
competition with rich corporations for
the services of legal talent
Unfortunately this view has been too
common among the men who have eX-
ercised the appOintiye power. with the
result that the bench is packed with
Judges whose training and sympathies
make them lean to the corporation
side in the Interpretation of law. The
bench would be improved by their
resignation and exclusion. 1t is better
that such lawyers should be paid hand /
some salaries Incorporation as attorneys /
than As corporation Judges on the /
bench. st. Louis POst-Dispatch.
Out of the World and Into ii caven.
People who turn out to hear public /.
speakers speak these days are not !
little surprised at the frequent mention
of God by the orators. No matter .
what the occasion may be nor what .
the standing of the speaker re-
ligiOusly. he wanders off his sub
ject and lugs in the name of tine
Creator. Last Tuesday on the Oc-
caSiOn of our water works celebration
three speakers took turn about at the
speakers stand. The people were .
there 20 hear them talk about water
works, their advantages and con-
veniences. but they We're disappointed. .
The words water works were never f.
uttered by one of the orators. They F,
talked about God and the churches. /
They talked about christian people. /
They told the vast audience before f.
them how nice it was to bring the lit
tie ones up with tears in their eyes,
because Christ was crucified, and
Judge Ross. on behalf of the Mayor.
lauded the men of this city who attend
church and look solemn sky high. The
Mayor selected Judge Ross to deliver
the address of welcome to the visitors
who came here to help us celebrate an
enterprise that we look to to give us
new life. The subject for the speech
was plain and easy to handle. but the
speaker was so full of holiness, so full
of the gospel that he wandered off.
He scared upward and upward till he
got up among the angels and then he
lost his bearings and he and God had
it. The heavenly fight lasted for some
time. The Judge was hard to handle
but he was handled. He returned to
his subject minus his wings and then
in few well chosen words did what
our Mayor had asked him to do-wel-
coined our visitors to the city. Judge
Ross was responded to by two other
gentlemen and they too, got out of the
world and into heaven. /,
How Unpleasant
it is to see a beautiful child's face dis