The news & observer. [volume] (Raleigh, N.C.) 1894-current, 1905-01-14
MESSAGE
FROM GOV. GLENN
Urqes Increase of the
Judges Salaries.
SOUTH DAKOTA CASE
Opening Gun Fired in House BY Res
oIution Providing For An lnvestl-
cation of the Matter Pertain
ing to the Judgment
and Bonds.

The chief event in the Senate
yesterday was the first official COM
munication of Governor Glenn, which
was transmitted to the Senate. All
other business then being considered
by that body was suspended, while the
sudden silence and attention it was
given while being read, indicated the
keen interest of the Senators in the
Message.
1t bears at length upon the necessity
of increasing the salaries of the
judges of the Supreme and Superior
courts of the State, and the Governor
commends to the consideration of the
General Assembly this increase. He
leaves the amount of the raise to the
Judgment of the fair minded men who
must consider and act upon 1t, but
urges that the judges be we'll paid and
then have no hesitation in requiring
them to answer all the demands made
upon them.
The complete text of the Governors
message is as follows:
'',Fo The Honorable The General AS
sembly
Gentlemen In this my first COM
| nlunication to your Honorable body, |
desire in behalf of a hard working,
ia. thful body, the officers OF a co-or-
dinate branch of the government the
| Judges of the Supreme and Superior
| Courts of the State. to earnestly COM
| mend to your consideration an In
crease in their salaries. OF late years,
as known to each of you individually,
the cost of living has greatly Increased
the purchasing power of dollar
! being less than at any time in our
knowledge; and yet, notwithstanding
this fact, the salaries of the Judges
OF the Supreme Court are even less
/ than they were seVenty-fve years ago,
when it was twenty-five hundred
| ($2,500) dollars. Under the old law
III force up to a few years ago the
| judges of both supreme and Superior
Courts received a salary of twenty-five
| hundred 2.500) dollars. III addition
! to this they were allowed to receive
passes from the railroads and were
! allowed one hundred t$I00) dollars q
week for every special term of Court
that they held. and the special terms
! held by each of them averaged / am
| Informed, from three to five hundred
| dollars a year and this, With their free
| railroad fare enabled them to save for
the support of their families the tWen-
| ty-five hundred ($2, 5000 dollar salary.
| Under the new law this is all changed.
The judges are allowed nothing for
! holding special terms except actual
| expenses and railroad passes are posi-
lively forbidden to be accepted by
them The two hundred and fifty dol
lars a year. allowed them for expenses
| does not pay half their actual wants,
and SO they do not have more than
iron fifteen to seventeen hudnred dol
lars for their support.
The salaries OF all other State Of
ficers have been from time to time
raised and the salaries of the United
States Judges have been quadrupled.
!1he United States District Judges who
once received fifteen hundred CYl,-
5000 dollars now receive six thousand
i t&6,000) dollars per annum besides his
travelling expenses when outside his
own district and the United States
| Supreme Court Judges who formerly
received three thousand five hundred
! ($3.500) dollars now receive thirteen
thousand dollars.
! TO every fair minded person who
| thinks about the matter ii is evident
| that the Judges should be paid a rea-
sonable compensation, taking into
! consideration on the increased COST Of
| living and the decreased purchasing
| power of money. They are called on
to dispense justice and hold As it were
in their hands the lives liberty aud
1 property righas Of the people, and
therefore should be not only men intel
ligent ana upright but also learned in
property rights of the people OF
! the position is willing to make some
sacrifices and accept the posiuon, but
should not be required to We on
salary not half abe amount he r1ade
/ as a practicing attorney, and totally
Inadequate for his proper support
/ have known and trusted the people
o9 North Carolina for twenty-eight
Years and while they require rigid
I economy III all things, they dc not
wish their judges to whom they look
up TO with respect. to have TO travel
on second class fare, occupy cheap
boarding houses and wear, worn or
second class clothes in order TO retain
itncir position. but they are willing.
Ian1 demand that the taen they have
elevated to this responsible and hlgii
trust should be able 10 30 IN a man
ner that represents the dignity of the
bench and the state. AS ] said in
my inaugural address, | do not desire
to infringe upon amy ot your preroS1-
Itives but under the Constitution ii is
nv duty to recommend to YOU such
matters as j think host ana most ex-
! edient and therefore while viii not
Iattempt i'm this message to suggest the
Iamount that shuuld be allowed--thiS
being entirely q matter for your ~ s.
dom still | most earnestly and hcaf.ily
Recommend that YOU pass j bill in
IcreaSing the salaries Of the Judges
both Supreme aud Superior and fix
Ian amount that viii keep them above
want aud enablc them. untramlneled
(Ccntinued on Page Tour)