Daily Kennebec journal., 1899-02-17

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only their opinions butt the statements OF
fact. and it would seem that the earn
ings of the lawyer who Is in full prac-
tice In a city are very great in COM
pasason with the salary of the justices
OF the supreme court. 1t is true that
the earnings of all lawyers are not
large, and l must confess, speaking
with candor, that have never earned
in any one year the net amount that
is paid the justices of our supreme ju-
dicial court, but am a country law
tar and have always practiced in the
country. and the men who are appoint
ed to the bench, men who are capable
TO NIL the judicial Office, are almost
UNANIMOUSLY taken from the Cities
ana the reason is this. that the lawyers
pred IN cities and practicing there have
advantages that are denied the country
attorney
Not only are they living in an atmos-
phere of learning, having access to H.
praries, but they are brought into daily
contact with men of great ability and
learning amid the never ceasing activ-
tiles of the city bred business man.
The scope of their business and the
magnitude of the cases that they draw
up and arrange is infinitely greater
than those of the country lawyer, and
SO 1t would seem proper that the city
lawyer is chosen a member of the su-
preme bench and not the country law
yer: indeed, from the last five and twen-
ty years and more only one lawyer from
the country have been appointed to the
supreme court. all the rest having been
taken from our various cities. Now, as
it has been said to us, and I believe
truly, those men who are capable of
filling judicial positions are in receipt
of great incomes from their profession
al earnings and it is indeed a sacrifice
for them to accept a place upon the
bench.
OF course men do make and ought to
make a sacrifice and l cannot for one
moment consent to the argument that
has been urged upon us that if we fail
to increase the salary of the justices
we shall not obtain competent men up
on the bench. That cannot be- The
'sime believe will never come when
competent men will refuse appoint
ments. because there are those who
from honorable ambition. or perhaps
sense of duty, win consent to fill the
place which is the proudest and the
loftiest that can be aspired to by a
lawyer of the State of Maine But that
does not answer the argument, because.
having made sacrifice voluntarily
and accepted a place upon the bench.
much more is it our duty to provide for
their wants and see to it that they do
net suffer to an unreasonable extent.
The salaries of justices of the supreme
judicial court are, it seems to me. far too
low in comparison with what has been
fixed as standard in other states, and
that standard may be discovered, per-
haps. by the most casual examination
of the list of salaries paid TO similar
officers in their jurisdiction, and let us
see what some of these salaries are
The lord chancellor of England re-
ceives as a salary 10000, peerage and
a pension for life; the chief justice of
England receives a salary of $40, 900, the
degree of knighthood. frequently a
peerage. and his associates are always
knighted. The justices of the supreme
judicial court of the state of New
York receives these salaries: The
$13, 700; of the little state of New Jer-
sey, little in area. not in population,
though great in wealth. the chancellor
receives $4,000. and each justice of the
supreme court receives $4,000; of Penn
syivania the chief justice receives
$500. each associate $1,000 and $500 for
travelling expenses. In the little state
of Rhode Island the chief justice is
paid the salary of $4,000 and the asso-
ciates little less. In Connecticut the
chief justice receives $4500. the asso-
ciates $4,000 and $500 for travelling ex-
penses. Vermont, small in population
and area, comparatively insignificant
in wealth and smaller still in business.
pays it judges $4,000; New Hampshire
pays it chief justice $350O and the asso-
ciates $4,000
Now it seems to me that this COM
parison may furnish us some basis up
on which we can fix the standard of
the value of the services of the JUS
tices of our supreme judicial court, and
ought it to be longer said of us that we
are paying one of the smallest salaries
of any state? In this comparison
have only cited the Middle and
New England states l have not
gone into the West where all salaries
and professional earnings are large.
do not suppose that anyone will say
that the supreme court of the State of
Maine is less worthy than the court of
last resort Of any other state. Here in
Maine we have today the purest sys-
tenn of common law that exists any
where in the. realm of the English
tongue. In spite of the demands of radi
calls, of refOrmers, of icOnOclasts, of
unread lawyers, Of pettifoggers, of
dreamers, OF enthusiasts, we have pre-
served the substance of the old system
of Jurisprudence that has everywhere
made the English speaking race great,
prosperous and powerful. and such a
system of Jurisprudence has had for
expounders and advocates men who in
ability, in character, in ethics. in stand
ing in every way. are worthy the re-
spect of the world.
We have had a Mellen, Shepley.
Tenney and an Appleton. and these
Judges and their associates have pro-
nounced opinions that have been cited
in every place where the rights of men
and property are regarded and the
system of English Jurisprudence pre-
walls. and say that these men are as
worthy to be considered as those III
their Jurisdiction; and their successors
now upon the bench. whose opinions
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