The Ocala evening star. [volume] (Ocala, Fla.) 1895-1943, 1906-10-27

Reading in a Bad Light When You
Accept Statements Without lnVesti-
CATION.
Attention has been called 20 a let
ter Of Mr.. L :. Lights. published in
I the Ocala Banner. dated the 18th Of
October, which il 50 full OF errors as to
( salaries and amounts paid by the va
( riOus states % appellate courts that II
/ necessarily must be misleading. His
first error is that the clerical help Of
( the supreme court OF Florida is paid
( by the state, and is $1,000. This is in
correct The clerk Of the supreme
court receives from the state 1920 a
I year. the typewriter 1920 a year; the
( janitOr. who acts as librarian. gets
$500 The law provides for . stenO-
grapheT at 5000 per year. but at pres
ent no stenOgTapher is employed.
Mr. Light says that North Carolina
pays the supreme court judges $4,000
each. OF $4,000. North Carolina has five
supreme court judges, and at $4,000 a
year they would get $4,000. He says
that South Carolina pays her chief
justice. $4,000 and associate justices,
$500. and clerical help, 5000. South
1
judges. who are paid $4,000 per annum.
He says Texas pays her three supreme
court judges $4,000 a year and that the
total appropriation for the court is
$40. 600. and that 400 cases are acted
en-. He says that Florida judges get $4,000
each. and 5000 for clerical help. max
ing $4,000. and only 200 cases are
acted upon. These statements are
very misleading. Taking the year 1904,
the only one in which the reports are
accessible, and the Texas court wrote
opinions in I29 cases. If IL acted in
other cases IL was 10 refuse jurisdiction
and without opinions. in which COM
paratively little labor Is required. From
June term 1905. 10 June term 1906. the
Florida supreme court wrote 164 opin-
ions. Moreover the Florida supreme
court does not pay $4,000 for clerical
help, and not much more than half
that sum. In Texas there is a court
Of criminal appeals. whose three judges
get $4,000 a year. and an intermediate
court Of civil appeals consisting Of five
divisions Of three judges each. whose
salary is $500 per year. The apprO-
priatiOn in 1905 for the two courts,
namely: Supreme court and Court OF
Appeals. six judges. was $41,s70. and
for all Of the appellate courts, $105,520,
page 462. Laws Of 1905. The total sal
aries Of the appellate judges in Texas
is S76,50O per annum.
These figures are given 10 rebut the
inference Of Mr.. Lights letter that the
appellate business Of Texas is done by
a court Of three judges. at a cost Of
$4,000.
Two years ago the state Of Georgia
increased the salaries Of her supreme
court judges 10 $4,000 per annum. and
recently established an intermediate
court OF appeals Of three judges with
salaries Of $500 each. Alabama pays
her seven supreme court judges a SAL
airy Of $500 per annum.
II costs more to live in Tallahassee
than il does in more northern states,
perhaps 20 per cent. more than in North
Carolina The cost of living has in
creased more than 50 per cent. since
1872. when the salaries Of the Florida
supreme court judges were fixed Six
OF the ableSt Of the Florida supreme
court judges have left the court within
ten years because the salary was in
adequate. namely: Raney. IIddOn. Car
ter. Mabry. Maxwell and Glenn. Such
Of them as had families found them
selves unable to pay expenses and
educate their children. Those of them
who have gone back TO law practice
are making more than twice the sal
airy Of the supreme court judge. A wise
people will not desire TO have a court
OF last resort from which the best and
most active lawyers are to be excluded
because Of the inadequacy of the sal
AIRY. A wise people will desire the
best lawyers on its court Of last re-
sort. and SO will every wise man. The
adoption Of the salary amendment will
not add one iota to the present rate
Of taxation.
Supreme court judges by virtue of
their situation and duties are exclud-
ed fro mmaki1E money in business
pursuits. II they are not rich. at the
present salaries they must expect TO
die paupeTs- This is not a pleasant
fate. which Mr.. Light insists shall be
that Of the judges II the supreme
court who are not in independent cir
cumstances.
The Florida supreme court il up
with its docket and attending 70 all
the business that comes before ii.
What more can be demanded2