The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1900-03-09

HE BILL OF senator Hoar 10
double the pay of justices of
the United States Supreme
court and to increase from
40 to 66 30 per cent. the pay of federal
circuit and district court judges is a
measure which should have public ap-
proval The chief judge of the highes.
court OF Great Britain receives $4,000
year: we pay our judge of cores
ponding rank $1O,5 and then wonder
sometimes why the really great men in
the profession of the law, when
proffered positions on the bench, hesi-
tate to accept because of the financial
sacrifice involved. Even the chief JUS
tice Of the Supreme court of the state
of New York receives $17,5O0 a year. and
he has few of the social expenses in
separable from the position of a justice
of the Supreme federal court.
Economy is a good thing but it can
be misplaced. There are a whole lot
of positions in connection with govern
ment where the emouments far en-
ceed the value of the service rendered.
fee system, can, for example. hire
deputies to do all the work and still
pocket $4,000 to $4,000 a year. The
same is true of many state offices,
notably the secretary of the common
wealth, a place feputedly worth $50, 900
to 100000 year to its incumbent, the
real value of whose services might be
exceeded by a salary of $4,000 a year.
A few Of these bonanza jobs yet re-
main In the federal service, but not
many; publicity is rapidly wedding
them out. 1t will be true economy to
bring about reimbursement of in
comes in connection with these offices,
with the tendency downward.
But in the case of a judicial position
the circumstances are wholly different,
a man fit to be on the bench of any
court necessarily has qualities of mind
anG heart sufficient to equip him for
earning more money out of office than
he receives as salary while in Office.
1t is true that money is not the only
nor perhaps the chief consideration
which impcls men to seek or to accent
the proffer Of judicial positions. Yet
1T is also true that the upright, con.
scientious and intelligent judge de-
serves so well of the community that
it ought to pay him generous salary
as measured by the earning powers OF
men of his rank and qualifications. The
higher we go in the scale the greater
this necessity appears; and when we
reach the august circle of the Supreme
court and find that, at costly capital
where, with economical management, 1t
costs to live in appropriate manner
more than in any other American city
the men who are officially at the sum-
nit of the judiciary of the country:
men whose work molds the whole
character of our institutions and is
most vital to every public interest Of
our time. receive in payment for their
exalted services hardly more than the
average pocketings of an alderman in
a fairly litigious city ward, the wonder
is that our great court of final appeal
has so well preserved in these later
years its dignity, reputation and char
acter.
1t is high time that the active en-
deavor of discerning men were en-
ployed in correcting these more con-
spicuous inequalities, and public opin.
ion should rapidly adjust itself to the
fact that in the new era Of national en-
pansion which is opening upon us
oh .,,tn Ii
ingly drafted into the service Of the
nation and paid for in such a way as to
insure their continued employment.