The Legal World had in mind when they wisely made the position one for life. But, do you know that the hardest worked judges in this country are those who occupy the m'si pn'us and reviewing benches of the various states? The work which they are called upon to do is tremendous. In this judicial district, of which Cleveland is the centre, the reporters, when they are short of news, regale the public with the startling statement that the court is four thousand cases behind the docket, eleven judges work ing constantly. The same can be said pro portionately of all our great centres of popu lation. The questions presented are just as intricate, just as complicated and original,
and require just as high an order of ability as those which go before the federal judiciary. I am prepared to say, as a rule, they are much more so; and every lawyer will concede that the time and labor involved are far greater.
These judges are also inadequately paid, to say nothing of being subjected to the latest political gust, when their foundations are liable to be swept from under them. Massachusetts, like the founders of the Re public, knows how to get a good judge make him secure in his position, with proper reservations, and pay him a salary that will
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give him peace of mind. No state in the Union has a better, if so good, a judiciary as "The Grand Old Commonwealth." On a dis puted point, every m'si pn'us and reviewing judge in the country takes notice when an opinion from her is cited. And it has always been so. The explanation is easy. Why not start an agitation for the state judiciary, who are required to do a great and arduous work? I like the last sentence of your editorial in the June issue: “Salaries that impoverish work harm not only to the judges individually, but imperil the state by diminishing the popular respect for the effi cient administration of the law." You might have added that an insecure judiciary is as great a menace.
HARVEY R. KEELER. judge, Court of Common Pleas, june 8, 1910.
Cleveland, Ohio.
[We believe that the foregoing considera tions would apply with especial force to the proposition now being discussed to limit the terms of federal circuit judges to ten years by means of a constitutional amendment. Adequate salaries and tenure of office during good behavior, for state and federal judges alike, are both equally necessary to the highest efiiciency of the judiciary.— Ed].
‘or
The Legal World Since the Evarts act was passed there have been filed with the court 8166 cases and 8557
Important Liligalion The federal government has not abandoned its intention to dissolve the merger of the Union Pacific and Southern Pacific railroads, and the bill in equity filed some time ago is likely to be argued in the United States Cir cuit
Court,
for
the
eighth
circuit,
about
October 1. With two vacant seats in the United States Su rerne Court, it has fallen slightly, though only slightly, into greater arrears, and ad journed with 108 more cases undisposed of than was the situation a year ago this time. However. that is not a large number com pared with the congestion that obtained in the court before the Evarts act went into effect creating the Circuit Court of Appeals. This was in 1890. At that time there were 1800 cases on the docket; now there are 586.
have been dis
sed of, in the number bein
cases previous y filed. The yearly avera e 0% the number of cases filed is thus 408 an the number decided 422, showing that the court is overtaking the number of cases waiting decision. This year 391 cases were decided. With Mr. Justice Moody back and Governor Hughes in his new seat, the Court will doubt less quickly make up for lost time. The trial of Charles R. Heike, secretary of the American Sugar Refining Company, on the charge of conspiracy to defraud the gov ernment in the sugar short-weighing frauds opened at New York City May 17, and he was convicted on June 10. The trial took lace before Judge Martin in the United tates Circuit Court, and five others, former employees, were tried at the same time. The
