Audubon County journal. (Exira, Iowa) 1884-1993, 1897-10-21
THE ATTORNEYS GENERAL.
A Sovereign State Not Always the Most
Generous EmnlnYer.

Generous Employer.
In nearly every one of the sover-
eign states of the Union there is an
attorney general whose functions
are to act for the commonwealth in
legal matters, furnishing his more
or less valuable advice, giving opin-
Ions to executive officials on disputed
points and interpreting laws. The
pay of the attorney general does rot
appear to be based on the amount of
skill which he brings to the dis
charge of his official duties, on the
knowledge of the law which he pro-
fesses or on the benefits which &C.
crue to the state by reason of his
professional services.
The attorney general of New York
state receives $1,000 a year and is
about the best paid. The salaries of
some of the Others are worthy of lit
tie more than country lawyers with
limited lotteries of clients. The at
torney general of Kansas gets So, 500
year. The attorney general in
Minnesota gets $500 and in Ne
braska $4,000. The attorney general
of New Hampshire, who has COM
paratively little to do, gets So, 500,
and the attorney general of Michi-
gan, who has considerable to do,
gets only $1,000. Colorado pays her
attorney general $4,000; Delaware,
81, 900; Georgia, $4,000, and Florida,
81, 500. The attorney general of Iowa
gets sort of contingent fee on a
sliding scale. He receives salary
of 81, 500 and IS day for each day
that he is or ought to be in court.
The attorney general in Maine gets
$4,000; in Louisiana, $4,000; in Ala.
bama, So, 500, and in California, So,
900. The attorney general Of Ken.
lucky receives $500 and fees. The
amount of these fees varies.
The attorney general in Missouri;
receives $4,000; North Dakota
81, 600; South Carolina, 50, 100; Rhode
Island, $4,000. West Virginia is te
elect an attorney general this year,
and, when elected, he will serve fol
four years and get $4,000, or 50, SOC
a year. The attorney general Of
Wisconsin gets $4,000, but the attor
ney general of Utah, the newest Of
the states and the one in which some
of the most serious problems of leg
islation are to be considered, gets
only 81, 500. The attorney genera.
of South Dakota, likewise a new
state, gets 81, 900, but Texas is lib
eral with her official lawyer and
pays him $4,000. The attorney gen
eral in Washington state gets $4,000
and in Montana $4,000. In some
states, Illinois and Mississippi among
them, the attorney general gets only
fees. In Indiana the salary of the
attorney general is $4,000, but il
Ohio, one of the wealthiest states
and one in which there is almos
constant official litigation, the salary
of the attorney general is 50, 900.
1t is an almost general rul,
: throughout the co,df s5edaf15 stsr
neys genera. .sti5 = stta ssoyzSch a,
congressman, though The service O
the congressman is rendered during
only a portion of each year, where
as the attorney general serves al
the year. On the other hand, an at
torney general who is alert and sue
cessful gains opportunities of subse
quent professional advancement
which are not to be moderated
Among the attorneys general o
New York state have been Martil
Van Buren,, Greene G. Bronson, Og
den Hoffman, Daniel S. Dickinson
and Aaron Burr.-New York Sun.