The Grenada sentinel. [volume] (Grenada, Miss.) 1868-1955, 1920-03-05
JUDGE
ON COMPENSATION
CONTINUED from tirst page,

presumed to have skill in analysis
and writing. The publishing com
pany which publishes "The Southern
Reporter" a law publication, has
heretofore got up the h~ead-notes and
often do not digest in the head-notes
the real points decided by the courts
and in more than one case coming
to my knowledge have not stated any
rule of law at all, merely stating that
under the facts the court held there
was no error, etc. The a~nnotations
of the decisions to the sections of
the Constitution and statutes will not
only aid the Legislature in the per-
formance OF its duty, but will greatly
help justices Of the peace, boards of
supervisors, city officials, heads of
state institutions, and State officers
in performing their duties, as we'll as
assist Chancellors. Circuit Judges and
lawyers in knowing exactly what the
court decided.
Necessity of Increasing Salaries.
The salaries of the Supreme Judges
were fixed in 1902 when prices were
much lower than now, and what was
a reasonable salary then is wholly
insufficient now since prices have in
creased 1876 percent in the last six
years on what we buy in a neces-
sary living. Before siw years ago
there had been a gradual increase in
the cost of living. Under an AssOci-
ated Press dispatch sent out from
Washington January %, 1920, it is
shown that the average increase in
the cost of living during the past
six years amounted to 1913 per cent.
while the increase in the price of
farm products in the same period was
144 per cent, and the average in
crease i'm the price of lumber in the
same period had increased 1853 per
cent AS agricultural products and
lumber are the principle things we
sell to get money, it is easily demon
strable that it takes less pounds of
cotton and less feet of lumber to pay
the proposed increase than it formerly
took to pay the salaries of the old
standards. While the articles COM
monty sold in this State have more
than doubled in said time the in
creases asked amount to less than
forty-five per cent. These prices
have increased over a period of years
and the Judges have borne the whole
burden during the past years and
now ask the public to assume less
than half the increase. If the Judges
are to be required to serve on a fixed
salary the public ought to see that
the purchasing power of the dollar
as paid is stable. The officers have
no control over prices but must pay
what the market demands and the
public ought not to want the Judges
embarrassed financially. His mind
ought to be free from financial wOr-
~ and kept in the best condition to
perform his duties. Personally I
have never craved money or wealth
for its mere sake, nor have my am
billions beer for social prestige, and
/ have never lived eXtravagantly. L
like to be useful and have had a
patriotic desire to serve my country.
But ambition does not satisfy the
grocer the dry goods merchant. nor
the banker, and it takes the coin OF
the realm to buy the necessities OF
life. ] want only enough to meet
the demands of the position and to
be able at the end of my service to
live above want until l can re-estab-
lish myself in business. l have to
the best of my ability done my full
duty to the public and have been &C
tuated by honorable motives in all
nv acts. No man in Mississippi, or
elsewhere, has more reverence for
the constitution than l have. | be-
lieve the people wart it to be posi-
Bile for their public servants to maxi
a comfortable living in office and by
reasonable economy lay away a few
dollars for the times of sickness, mis-
fortune and old age. l believe that
the public service will be promoted
by such a policy. God save us from
the day when only the rich and the
CRATER a hold Office in Mississippi.
GEO. H. ETHRIDGE.