Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1900-02-16
FAVOR THE INCREASE
Commissioners Approve Bill for
Advance in Judges Salaries.
REASONS IN SUPPORT OF MEASURE
The Appropriation Asked for Az
gregates $4,000 Annually.
DUTIES OF THE COURTS

The. District Commissioners have recon-
mended favorable action on House bill 1906.
providing for an increase in the salaries
of the justices of the Court Of Appeals
and the Supreme Court of the District.
THE high rank of the Court of Appeals"
say the Commissioners in their report on
the bill, land the attainments of the JUS
tees of that court, in our judgment, JUS
tify the increase of salary proposed in the
bill. The extensive Jurisdiction of the Su-
preme Court Of the District of Columbia,
and the work of that court steadily in
creasing with the expansion of the bust
ness interests of the District, as well as
the importance of the court to the inter-
ests Of the federal government. in our
judgment, justify the increase of salary
for the justices of that court. The Com
missioners believe that public interests
would be subserved by the enactment of the
legislation embodied in the BILL
The present salaries of these judges are
as follows: Chief justice of the Court of
Appeals, Sc 500 per annum, and two asso-
ciate justices, $1,000 each: chief justice and
five associate justices of the District Su-
preme Court, $1,000 per annum each. The
bill proposes an increase of 81, COO per an
mum in the salary of each member of the
two courts, also an increase of $1,000 in
the salary of each of the five members Of
the Court of Claims.
1t is said the salaries of the members of
the courts of the United States are noto-
riousy inadequate, 1t being asserted that
they are not only less than those paid in
England and other foreign countries, but
less even than the compensation allowed to
police justices in some of the states of this
country.
The federal courts in the District stand
apart and alone and on very different
plane from the circuit and district courts
nirrnit nf n "a
United States. their duties being very diff
ferent in their scope The Supreme Court
of the District is said to be the court of
largest jurisdiction in the United States. as
1t Is not only a tribunal for all federal
purposes, having all the jurisdiction of the
circuit and district courts of the United
States but is likewise vested for the Dis
trict with all the jurisdiction that a state
court can exercise within a state 1t has
also most important functions with respect
to the officers of the federal government
and numerous cases are drawn to it by
reason of the fact that the seat of the
federal government is here.
TIL Court of Appeals of the District has
an appellate jurisdiction coextensive with
the original jurisdiction of the Supreme
Court of the District and the Police Court
and has likewise a special appellate juris
diction in patent cases adjudicated by the
commissioner of patents.
Judges Serve Nine Months Annually.
All these courts are in continuous ses-
sion for nine months in each year Even
during the summer months one of the JUS
tees of the District Supreme Court is re-
quired to be in constant attendance and
It's members divide that period between
them. During the same season the men,
bers of the Court of Appeals are frequently
required to pass upon applications for spe-
cial appeals, and the justices of both courts
nave occasion to carry much of their bust