Evening journal., 1897-03-20
THE SALARIES OF JUDGES.
STRONG DEBATE IN CONVENTION
OVER ALLOWING THEM $4,000.
THE INVITATION" FOR JUDGES
TO RESIGN AT 20 YEARS OF AGE
AND DRAW PAY WITHOUT WORK
WAS DEFEATED.

" 40 Dhf IA lED.
DOVER, March 20.-Section 4 Of the
Constitutional Convention judiciary re-
port was sayagely attacked by Messrs.
Cooper Johnson. Ellegood, Pratt and
Hearne. They regarded il as an invita-
tiOn to judges to resign at 20 years Of
age in order that they might for four or
five years draw pay without work.
Messrs. Spruance, Biggs, Richards and
Burns defended the proposition, but ii
was defeated by a vote of eight ayes to
eleven nays.
Section 8 provides for the pay OF the
jduges, and SAYS it "shall not be less
than the annual sum of $4,000" DR..
Cooper wanted this sentence stricken
cut. He was opposed to pay the judges
SO 600, but wanted it left to the General
Assembly to fix the pay. Messrs. Brad
ford and Spruance insisted upon a fixed
sum in the Constitution. The court
must be kept Independent of the Legis-
lature, pointed out the latter. and if
SO 900 was too high a figure let II be
reduced, but under no circumstances
should the matter be left TO the General
Assembly. DR.. Pratt wanted the state
to pay all it could afford to its judges
1t would be better to pay them still
more.
The section was adopted as reported
and reads as follows:
Section 8. The chancellor, chief JUS
tice and associate judges shall respec-
lively receive from the state for their
! services a compensation which shall be
| fixed by law and paid quarterly, and
shall not be less than the annual sum
/ of So 600. and they shall not receive any
! % Ffaff N
| salaries for business done by them ex-
cept as provided by law. They shall
hold no other office of profit.
Section 10 provides that two sessions
Of the various courts may be held a
the same time excepting the Court o
Chanecry, and it was amended so as q
exclude the Court of Oyer and Termi
ner. and make It agree with the amend
ment providing that three judges mas
invariably sit in that court! This il
the one court where three and not tw1
must be a quorum.
An open letter from the Wilmington
annual Methodist Conference, in ses
sion at Chestertown, Md, this week
! asked the convention to adopt the ma
ioritv report of the Committee on In
toxicants, and grant the people of Del
aware the privilege of voting on th'
question whether the sale Of intoxi
cants shall be licensed or not at tn
next general election, and as oftel
thereafter as one-fourth of the voter
of any Of the local option districts shal
petition.
Sections II, -, 13, IA, Is and 16, o
the judiciary report was resumed an
adopted in short order. They detin
the jurisdiction of the several court
and provide for an Orphans Court
composed of the chancellor and the as
sociate judge of the county, with an an
neal to the Superior Court Of tina
county. Section II. defining the pow
/ ers of the chancellor. was debated q
, length with a view Of conierring upo
+ The chief justice the powers Of the fol
mer in the event of the ehancellcr's al
esnoe from the state.
n In the provision for the appointmer
Of Judges ad Item by the governor
secure a quorum at all times, it is pei
mitted TO appoint member of Cor
gress or person holding any other Fe'
eral office.