The evening times., 1900-04-16
PAY OF Federal JUDGES
Views of New York Law Journal
Regarding Increased Salaries.
The District Bench officials Affect
eel by the Proposed ChHngc-Im-
auire> thc Best Legal Minds to BE
Hnd-ApprONed by the Profession.

In commenting upon the suggestion Of
Attorney General Griggs. that Congress
make an appropriation. to meet the cz-
pense Of an increase OF the salaries Of the
Federal judges Including the salaries OF
the Justices o. thc Supreme Court Of the
District. a lcaGiug law journal. Law
Notes" published in New York. says
we noticed a short time ago the pro-
posal Of the Attorney General OF the
United States TO increase the salaries of
Federal judges. The movement in the dI-
rectiCn OF increased pay for judicial Off
GERS seems 70 be spreading. Bills have
been introduced into both Houses of Con
gress to increase TO $1,000 and 5000. re-
spectyely. the salaries Of the Judges Of
the Court Of Appeals and the Supreme
Court OF the District Of Columbia. and
the Legislature Of Massachusetts, has be-
fore 10 a bill TO increase the salaries of the
Judges of the Supreme and Superior Courts
i'm that state The Judges OF the supreme
Court Of Massachusetts now receives So
ooH. except the Chief Justice who has $500
more. It is proposed 10 raise all salaries
$1,000. The usual discussion pro ana con
has been the result 4 large proportion
OF the press and the legal profession al
most without exception approve the in
crease.
Lawyers point out the desirabilitv Of
making sure the occupancy Of the bench
by .he leaders AT the bar. the importance
CT the work done by the judges and The
vast amount Of labor involved. the gradual
change m conditions which have rendered
The present salaries inadequate. the dis
proportion between the salaries paid and
the incomes derived from active practice
by men Of the class who occupy tne bench .
the lowering Of the dignity of the common
wealth involved in asking such large sac
riiCes from the men who assume judicial
positions. On the other hand. a certain
part of the press warns against public eV-
IravaEance. and says that plenty of desira-
bic judicial material is always to be had.
though an occasional appOintee may be una
bic TO accept place on the bench because
he cannot afford TO give M a lucrative
practice, and il is even said squareIy
meeting the argument for an increase.
that not iufrequeutIy a judge is in receipt
of an income much larger than he was able
&c earn by the pursuit Of his profession
Such arguments as these have lately
prevailed in Maryland and Ohio. and plans
to Increase the salaries Of the Judges
in these States have failed. The voters in
Mar. land recently rejected q constitutional
amendment increasing the pay OF Supreme
Court Judges from $500 70 s.. .OC0 A bill TO
raise the pay Of the Judges Of the Ohio
Supreme Court from Sf.CCO 20 S5.CCO has
just been defeated in the Legislature of
that State.
Tie Ohio bill is said TO have been beat
2n by the agriculturists aided by few
lawyers Most of the lawyers favored the
bill. but the mem Ners from the rural coun-
ties argued that the sentiment OF the peo-
pie and the tendency OF the times demand
ed a decrease rather than an increase in
the pay or public officials 1t is hard to
imagine what these gentlemen mean by
the tendency of the times The sentiment
Of the people UnqucstiOnably demands
economy, but it does not demand a rig-
gardly parsimony. The trouble is that the
average elector or rural legislator mas no
proper standard by which to distinguish
economy from parsimOuy. To Farmer Jones
or Farmer Brown a salary Of 81. 800 or 81
0e0 seems Drincely. almost regal. and any
increase is resented as an unholy and cor
rupt wasting OF public moneys. The
growth Of a healthy spirit Of State pride
and general broadening OF ideas viii i'm
time cause the scales to fall from the eyes
Of these gentlemen. In the meantime they
and their fellOw-citizens get great deal
more than they deserve in the services Of
worthy and able judges at miserably insult
hcient salaries.
There is an Old adage TO the effect that
wisest men occasionally relish a little non
sense. The Judges Of our highest courts
whose title to superlative wisdom II were
heresy for a legal magazine TO question
prove at least their humanity by an occa
sionai descent TO leyity. In a very recent
opinion of the Supreme Court OF West Vir-
ginia. Mr.. President Dent. remarking on a
mistake in the drafting OF a lease. declared
that it might be the result Of ignorance
But he proceeded, Ignorance or moi
he dlg the pit and his friend fell into il
Many 80 likewise. lie is not the only nab-
ble. Times change A hundred years ago
n judge would have supplied the place OF
this slang by some classical tag. perhaps
'bumanum est errare.' But then a hundred
years ago gentlemen wore queues and ruf-
fes and cultivated dignity and the clas-
slcs. Is the old OF the new way better2"