The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1906-12-27

BILL SHOULD BE PASSED TO
PAY 81, 500 ADDITIONAL SALARY
The District Is a Large One and the
Personal Expenses Of Judges
Are Large.

Are Large.
One of the important matters
to come up before the coming
session of the legislature, and
which will effect the fifteenth
judicial district will be q bill
effecting the salaries of the
district judges.
The experience of the past
few years shows an increasing
work for the two judges and
at a much added cost of ex-
pense to them in the way of
travel and time spent away from
home. Much of their time they
must spend away from home,
and the meager salary allowed
them is far to small for the
services required aud their ex-
pense greater than that of the
judges in any other district.
The fifteenth judicial district
comprises the counties Of Ait
kin, Grow Wing, Cass, Hubbard,
Itasca Beltrami, Clearwater and
Koochiching, an area of 1890
square miles which is over one
fifth the entire area of the
state and but little less than
one fourth. The trip to Inter.
national Falls and return re-.
quires a necessary travel of,
1910 miles, and it takes four
days to make this trip.
The entire district is com
prised of the newer counties of a
large area and the holding of the
terms of court are a long and
tedious affair, and as each county
has two terms there are at least
sixteen general terms and q
mum Der Of special and adjourned
terms.
So great is this work that the
judges are required to adjourn
some of the general terms in one
county to take up the general
term appointed by law in some
other county, and then return at
a later date to finish the term un-
completed at the time of ad iourn-
ment.
A comparison of the work
done by the Judges of this dis
trict with that performed by the
judges Of Hennepin, Ramsey and
st. Louis counties will serve at
this time to show the inconsist-
ency Of the law governing the
salary Of the judges paid in this
district. In these counties the
judges are required to go away
from home but very little; their
work does not commence until
8 or 10 in the morning and with
two hours for noon and closing
at 5 o'clock their labors are con-
siderably shortened.
By a law which applies to those
counties their district judges are
paid an additional 81, 800 per year.
from the county treasury. This
plan is feasible in the counties Of
the fifteenth district and if
passed the pl oport..ona 8 share
for each county for the two
judges would amount to only
$3l. Is per month.
The Fifteenth judicial district
has in Judges McC Clenahan and
lSpooner, two good officials and it
is important to the district that
they be retained as long as pos.
sible. They should receive .
compensation equal to thatof the.
judges in Hennepin, Ramsey and
st. Louis counties. In the selec.
tion and retaining ef district
| liudges we must take into consid-
GRAFTON their personal interests,
social interests, financial and
property interests.
Their Office is mos t important
one. 1t is also one of the most
expensive, as the Judges are
obliged to spend consid derable.
money in travel and time away
from home. Upon tho integrity,
fairness, god character and
ability of our judges much de-