The Portland daily press., 1899-01-19

the dignity Of their Office and public po'
penses
Another quite serious burden now cast
upon the judges Is the expense OF type
writing. Ii has really become n necessity
Tor the judges 70 have all their opinions
anu much OF their correspondence copied
by typewritsrs, and the work paid for by
Themselves.
presume IL would be considered Just
and equitable II judge should receive
salary enough to afford him an oppor
nifty to lay aside something from 10 an
nually as a means in time for establish
ing some reserve fund or life insurance
for the future necessities of his family.
But however that may be feel quite
sure that the present salary considering
all things, is entirely Inadequate TO pro
vide support for judge and his fami-
| ~ in any such manner as one In his po-
sition Is reasonably entitled to- am
quite sure that not member OF our pres
ent bench finds his salary sufficient for
his support without some other means
In addition to the salary more or less.
And in this connection l VIII state
my own experience; have been on the
bench continuously for IS years last year.
and my salary ut first, s3,OOi and since
1887, s., 800, has never for single year
paid my years expenses or anywhere
| near 1t The nearest IL has ever come 10
making the two ends meet was In 1874,
the year next after my appointment when
my expenses Of support were sf,4lo. ANA
this sum did not include house rent, u
own my housed, but did include house re-
pairs. nor did IL include taxes nor ef-
pense of board and travel when at court
away from h ONE. nor money paid Tor
law looks, nor gifts TO friends ana reih-
tives excepting small current charities.
| The next nearest to this was In 1881,
when my living expenses. making the
same exclusions or deductions as hefore
stated, were g. $50. The disparity, In all
the other years of my occupancy OF u seat
on the bench. between receipts and ex-
penses, was greater than In the instance
named. And while 1t may not be worth
while to expose the facts In detail, l will
say in general terms, that for the period
of more than quarter of n century dur.
| ing which l have teen a member OF the
court, and wholly in the service OF the
state, my ordinary living expenses, not
including any OF those Items enumerated
above, exceed all the amount of salary
| received by me from the state by more
than the sum of x, 1000. And still l am
not aware that l am regarded by my
friends and neighbors as living at ALL
extravagantly.
| do not intend TO state these things at
all reproachfully nor to express any per.
/
none on my part with the past, and
while would be better pleased to make
no statement at all of these facts, still
am impressed with tho belief that IL is
my duty to do SO, as the same may be
considered important as bsaring on the
question as to what would to the just
| thing to do for others In the future.
| Now 1t may be said, and think proper
| ly, that the honor conferred by the po-
sition Is of itself some partial compen-
sation for the official services which a
| judge renders TO tho public. l certainly
agree to that, and that was u considera-
ton Of weight and Importance with
| me when / took the Office in the year
| of 1878 at the age of 81 thinking at the
| time that, as | have since found to be
| true judicial work would be agreeable
| TO me But there have been vast changes
since 1875 and before 1890, ami the com
pensations paid for professional services
are vastly larger now than then, and
there are nov no such Inducements AS
there were for able lawyers to leave the
| bar for the bench, and naturally enough
| so when IL Is not an uncommon thing
| for lawyers in Maine as well as elsewhere
| nowadays to receive for Single Zee or
ina single litigation more than the
| judges salary for "a year. But the fasci
nations of the judicial office are not u
reason why just and reasonable salaries
should not be paid by the state to its
judges. And is there any reason why
| lust and reasonable salaries should not
be paid by the state TO Its judges And
Is there any reason why the judges in
this state should receive SO much less,
as Is the case, than the average judicial
salaries paid In other states ana in our
circuit and district federal courtsY From
the schedules going the rounds of the
newspapers Ii appears that our Judicial
salaries are well nigh at the very bottom
of the list.
| think it important for the best inter.
ests of the state especially, that there be
no longer delay in making read Just
ment of the salary such us would make
1t surely reasoHa Die and sufficient. The
court in this state has ever been, with
slight exception, composed of men whose
learning, ability, and integrity have been
of high order. But a general uneasiness
is now being felt by the bar and leading
citizens OF the state generally, that in
order 10 ensure continuance in the fu-
ture of such praisewoIthy judicial repu
tetion, more inducement than now ex-
lists should be offered to tempt our
strong and able lawyers TO accept place
on the Bench in the future. While
salary of So, 500 will now attract but few
men to accept u judicial appointment
\ salary Of So, 00J might and probably
would accomplish much IN that direction.
although there will still be many who
would not go upon The bench for any
amount of consideration which the law
might offer them. IL is publicly and gem
orally known that Governor Powers. at
least indirectly, offered an appointment
last spring TO several of our learned and
able lawyers TO MI vacancy on the
bench caused by the termination of Judge
Fosters term, and that the appointment
was declined IN each instance ON account
q