The Red Cloud chief., 1901-03-22
MESSAGE FROM DIETRICH
Recommends Passage Of BlU Regarding
Salary Of supreme Court Clerk.

SALARY OF supreme Court Clerk
Lincoln. March 16.--Governer Diet
rich sent a special message to the leg
islature yesterday and with 1t he COM
municated bill which he had drawn
up relating to the manner Of payment
of the clerk of the supreme court. The
message was received just before the
house adjourned for the week and the
members did not realize Its full I'm
port.
The message reads as follows:
Executive Chamber, Lincoln, Neb.,
March ID. l90l.--To the honorable
Speaker and Members Of the House OF
Representatives. l here
with transmit to you n bill entitled.
"A bill for an act to regulate and fx
the salary OF the clerk and reporter OF
the supreme court and librarian" and
request that said b.i be introduced.
and duly considered.
The salary of reporter, clerk and IL
brarian Is fixed and prescribed by the
constitution not to exceed 81 500 Be-
ing so determined ii is not within the
province Of the legislative branch f
the government to increase that
amount.
The contemplated creation Of the su
preme court commission of nine mem
bers means u material increase In the
expense of maintaining the supreme
court and IL is but justice TO the tax
payers that the fees contingent upon
the expedition of proceedings should
be used to defray this extra expense.
II Is by far more equitable and Just
that these largely increased fees shall
go into the state treasury for the re-
lief of taxpayers than that they shall
go into the pockets OF any officer OF
the state.
! am reliably informed that as a re-
suit of the creation of commission
the fees for the next two years will
approximate $4,000. IL would be
manifest injustice and outrage upon
the public to permit any one officer or
set of officers TO receive any such COM
pensation. The commission will In
crease the salary expenses of the court
about $4,000 for the next two years
and II would afford relief to taxpayers
and be measure of justice to so leg
islate that the supreme court docket
may be brought up to date and re-
lieved of It's congested condition with
out additional tax burdens.
The custom of permitting the clerk
to appropriate to his own use the fees
OF the court Is botn eXtravagant and
pernlclous. II has for years 10 re-
suited that he has received emOln-
ments greater than the combined sal
any of the three judges. II is a gues-
ton whether such disposition of the
fees is not unlawful and with that
point inn view | shall require the at
ination and investigation along that
line and il sustained In this view in
stitute proceedings, not alone to put a
stop to the practice. but to recover In
commensurate amount from the pres
ent clerk and his predecessors.
Charles ii. Dietrich,
Governor.
A bill placing the clerk on a salary
of $500 year was defeated In Che
senate. Accompanying the message
was the bill which besides providing
that the supreme court clerk shall re-
ceive only 81 500 per annum, provided
that he shall nave the power to ap-
point two assistants at $1,000 per an
mum and three additional clerks at not
to exceed 5000. The sum of $11 500 in
all is appropriated in the bill for the
expenses thus incurred. The bin and
the plan proposed follows the line OF
Investigation proposed by Senator
Martin In the discussion in the senate
over the bill TO place the supreme
court clerk on salary. Mr.. Martin
then said he contemplated starting IA
proceeding that would cost the validity
Of the present plan of allowing this
officer to receive fees wher the consti
tuition provides otherwise.
The house continued the discussion
of the salary appropriation bill yester-
day and was In a better humOr than
on the day previous for there was not
such radical action. Provision for the
pay of supreme court commissioners
was made. only portion of the bin
being discussed.
Both houses adjourned to meet Mon
day at IL o'clock.
Governor Dietrich approved the fol-
lowing bills yesterday:
Senate file No. 80, by Ziegler. chang
ing the date of publication of county
treasurer's statement to the months of
July and January.
House roll No. 3, by Hathorn,
amending the criminal code by making
II unlawful for any person to vote in a
school district In which he has not re
sided ten days.
House roll No. 1870, by Wenzl. to re-
imhurse Frederick ulrich for $55.36
taxes enormously collected.
House roll No. So. by Miskell, for the
payment Of road taxes in cash and for
q division of the county road fund be-
ween commissioners districts;