The Ocala banner. (Ocala, Marion County, Fla.) 1883-194?, 1911-05-19
THE PAY OF THE JUDGES


In his famous message in relation
to the circuit judges, their salaries,
etc., the governor intimates, by COM
parison with other states, thatSthe sal
aries paid such judges in Florida is
sufficiently large. Is he correct in
his opinion? We do not believe that
he is, and are confident that very few
persons who have given the subject
proper thought and are qualified to
form an opinion will coincide with his
excellency.
The governor gives the salaries
paid in all of the seven southern
states, from Virginia to Louisiana, in
elusive, and the average of the seven
is a fraction over $317S, as against
$275O in Florida, ranging from $4,000
in Virginia the lowest, to $4,000 in
North Carolina and Louisiana, the
highest, showing that Florida pays
little more than four hundred dollars
less than the average salary, and alb
solutely less than any other, save one.
But if we paid as much as, or even
little more than, the above average
we would still be paying too little.
The salaries paid to judges in all of
the above named states and all other
of the southern states are too low.
So, even if it could be proven that we
pay as much as the average, which it
cannot, that would not be proving
that we pay enough.
Judicial salaries should be suffi-
cient in amount to place the recipi-
ents beyond the need of taking
thought as to their own futures and
those of their families. They should
have no anxiety as to their means of
support and whence it is coming, the
education of their children and the
providing for the approach of old age
when the capacity of earning shall
have ceased. Their mental faculties
should be kept at their brightest and
highest powers, to be, devoted solely
to the grave and important duties de-
volving upon them constantly. for
daily and almost hourly the dearest
rights of their fellow men, those to
liberty, property and even life itself,
are dependent upon the right exercise
of their moral sense and mental pow
ers.
Those selected to fill the tremen-
dously important position of circuit
judge should be men not only of un-
Improbable moral character and I'M
surpassed mental powers, but they
should be men of the highest possible
professional attainments Men of
this character and of these attain
ments cannot be induced to forego all
thought of professional advancement
and of pecuniary fortune without
compensation at least in some degree
approximating what they are resign
ing in order to serve the public.
There is no lawyer well enough equip
per personally, professionally, moral
ly and Intellectually to fill acceptably
the position of judge of the circuit
court who could not command many
times greater sums than the salary
paid in the practice of his profession.
The forfeiting of present comfort and
future prospects for the public good
requires higher degree of altruism
than the average man possesses.
The federal judiciary compares
more than favorably with that of the
states, and the reasons are found in
the facts that the men composing the
former are selected for their fitness,
appointed for life, or during good be-
havior, receive adequate salaries and
when they pass the meridian of their
powers are retired on full pay. And
the states will never possess a like
judicial corps until they adopt a sim
liar system.-Tampa Times.