The Brattleboro daily reformer. (Brattleboro, Vt.) 1913-1955, 1920-12-16
DEC. 16, 1920.
III PAY OF JUDGES.

Vcrmont'S justices of the supreme court
and superior judges receive annual sal
aries of $4,000 each in addition to their
necessary expenses when they are away
from home on official business. They
are not allowed to demand or receive
fees for any of their official services, and
custom at least has prevented their doing
other work along the line of their profess
| sion. The very nature of their duties
is such as to prevent their devOting any
time to work other than that which their
position requires. and in the case of
supreme court justices they are pre-
vented by law. as they should be, from
being officials in banking, railroad or in
| surance corporations.
To be a good judge a man must of nee
cssity be a good lawyer, and if he is to
become valuable on the bench he must
give to its service the best years of his
life-years when if he remained in prac-
tice he would be acquiring a compe-
tence for his old age and means to sup
port and educate his family. If the in
tegrity and high standing which have
been characteristic of Eermont's judici-
airy in the past are to be perpetuated-
and it is vital to the states institutions
that they are-the judgeships must pro-
vide salaries of sufficient size to promise
at least a dignifed living for the men who
fill them. Otherwise there can be no
hope of continuing the sort of tribu-
nal which Vermont has had for so many
years and has today.
On this account The Reformer believes
the legislature which assemblies in Mont
pelier next month should look with favor
on the proposal which it understands will
be made to fix the salaries of the chief
justice of the supreme court and the chief
superior judge at $4,000 and of the other
members of either court at $4,000 each.
The total cost of this change would be
$4,000 annually considerable item
possibly and yet not so large when com
pared with items in some other depart
ments. Moreover, the judges by the very
nature of their duties are prevented from
making any effort to induce the legis-
lature to give them what is obviously
their due, and The Reformer therefore |
is glad to bring their plight to public at
tention even though it is opposed to a
general increase in the salaries and fees
of state officials.
BY way of comparison it may be inter-
esting to know what other states pay
their judges. In New Hampshire the
salary is $1,000 and the legislature of
1921 is to vote OF a proposed increase. |
In Maine the salary IS $4,000 and the
next legislature is to vote on a proposal
to increase it to $4,000. In Connecti-
cut the chief justice receives $500 and
the other members $4,000, this limit being
established by constitution. In Massa-
chusetts the chief justice receives S12,-
500 and other members $4,000; in
Rhode Island the CHEF justice $4,000
and other members $4,000. Going out
side of New England we find Pennsyl-
vania paying its chief justice $4,000 and
other members of the judiciary $4,000
with an allowance of $4,000 for clerical
hire. New Jerseys chief justice gets
$4,000 and other members $4,000. In
New York the chief justice receives S14.-
200 and the other justices $13, 100, and
the next legislature is to act on a pro
posed increase to $1,000.
The only states in which the pay of
judges is as low or lower than in Yer
mont are Arkansas, which pays $4,000
with an allowance of $1,000 for a stem
ographer for each judge, and South Da-
kota where the salary is $4,000 with
5000 additional for expenses. In both