Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1921-03-02

queer and that there must be some
mistake somewhere. and for one
want to go on record as believing that
we should have this thing threshed
out, and for that reason I move that
this bill be tabled.
(Cries Of mo. no.")
Mr.. ROUNDS: (Continuing) And
send the matter back to the commit
tee for further investigation.
Mr.. CARROLL of Norway: Mr.
Speaker, before that motion Is put,
would like to say just word, if am
in order.
The SPEAKER: The motion To
table the matter is not debatable: il
must be decided at once. All those
In favor of. laying this matter upon
the.table, will say aye; those opposed
will say no.
A vivi yoce vote being doubted,
Mr.. CARROLL: Mr. Speaker,
wish to make short resume of this
matter from business mans stand.
point. There is. no man on the floor
of this House who is more opposed
to excessive and extravagant expen-
ditures than / am, but do want IN
leave here when we leave this Legs
lature, the impression that am fair.
minded. Now 1 think every man in
this House today, if he is fair-mind
ed, will recognize the fact that the
judges upon the bench of our supreme
judicial court ought to get more sal.
airy than the engineer on the loco.
motive of the train which we ride
upon. That is pretty near the posi-
ton we are putting them in TODAY
The judges of our supreme court
have been obliged to devote a largo
part of their lives and a great deal
of their money, or that of somebody
else, to complete their education in
order to fit themselves for this posj-
ton, and when a judge of this court
gets $4,000, in comparison with a man
In business or a man in an official
capacity in some of our industries.
he is not being paid at all, because
while he has been obtaining his
education he has been paying out
his money, while the other man has
been getting an equal salary and has
been u constant Garner. do not
thipk it is fair to take man who has
spent so much of his time and 50
much of his energy to equip himself
with an education and then ask him
to work for. $4,000 year.
Mr.. DODGE of Portland: Mr..
Speaker, l hesitate about making any
remarks upon the question which rs
row before the House / am not a
lawyer and 1 am not really qualified
to speak upon this measure, but 7
would like to say a word simply in
the capacity of a layman. l. too. can
say with the other gentlemen who
have spoken, that / am in favor Of
keeping down expenses. DO not
believe anybody on the floor Of this
House is any more in favor of keep
ing down expenses than | am, hut |
do believe that this question Of the
salaries of the justices of our supreme
judicial court is one that stands out
by itself, and that it really has no
relation to these hundred and one
other bills that have been put in
here for increases of salary. The
proposition is to increase this salary
from $4,000 to $500.
Let me call your attention, gentle
men, to the salaries that have been
paid by this State to the judges OF
our supreme judicial court. Prior to
1901 they received $500; in 1901 this
was changed to $4,000; and in 1903
it was increased to $4,000 a wear
where it has remained ever since.
Now, gentlemen, we have always
had the highest type of men on the
bench OF the supreme judicial court
of Maine, and think we all want to
pay enough money to the judges OF
our supreme judicial court so that
we shall continue to command the
services of the leading lawyers of our
State. 1t is not merely to realize the
ambitions of the embryonic LAWYERS:
1t is not that; We want to be able to
pay enough so that we can obtain
the services of the very best Lawyers
there are in this State. / do rot
think you can get them under existing
conditions for $4,000 a year. | do
not think there is anyone in our
State who will regret more that this
subject has to be debated here on the
floor of this House than the Justices
of our supreme court themselves.
do not understand that this PROPOSE
ton emanated from them; il is from
the desire to recognize ability and T
think in fairness to our justices that
we ought to take this matter under
very careful consideration. and that
we should pay enough so that we
can get, as I have said before the
very best lawyers of our State. as we
always have had in times past
The supreme judicial court of the
state of Maine, stands pre-eminent
among all the states of this Union.
and the decisions which this court
has handed down rank among the
very best in our country We want
TO continue. that policy We could
not pay the justices of our supreme
court adequately if we were to double
or to treble their salaries. because I
venture to say that many of these
men could go into private practice
ana get very much more for their
services than they are now receiving.
Ihat, however, is not the question.
These men have to live and they
nave TO pay their grocery bills just
the same as everybody else; they
nave to raise their families, and this
argument as to their ages being so or
90 years, has no effect whatever: we