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Edwardsville Spectator
Edwardsville, Madison County, Illinois
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Commentary from New York American on a British Parliament debate on May 16th regarding fixing Chief Justice salaries based on average emoluments, highlighting the unchallenged practice of judges selling offices, including by the current Chief Justice.
Merged-components note: News excerpt on English judges followed immediately by related editorial commentary; unified as foreign news on British judicial practices.
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Purity of English Judges.—In looking over the debates in the British Parliament, under date of May 16th, I was surprised to see the following passages:
"Mr. Scarlett moved, for fixing the salaries of Chief Justices, by the average of the emoluments for the last twenty years."
"The Chancellor of the Exchequer said, that the plan was not so fair as it appeared to be. Some of the Judges in the succession profited largely by the sale of the offices under them; with others, none fell vacant to sell during their whole public life. The present Chief Justice has as yet made nothing of his offices, &c."
I was aware that this was the fact, but had no idea it would be thus publicly alluded to, without producing severe animadversion. On the contrary, not one of the most rigid of the reformers, not even Mr. Hume, made the least remark upon this sale of judicial offices by the Chief Justice; and although the debate is recorded in one of the most radical of the English journals, the Editor does not seem to be aware of there being any impropriety in this system of venality. What would be said of our Chief Justice if he were to sell the offices of Clerk, Marshal, Tipstaff, and Crier of his Court, to the highest bidders? T. B.
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Foreign News Details
Primary Location
British Parliament
Event Date
May 16th
Key Persons
Outcome
debate proceeded without severe animadversion on the sale of judicial offices; no impropriety noted by reformers or radical journals.
Event Details
In British Parliament debate, Mr. Scarlett moved to fix Chief Justice salaries by average emoluments of last twenty years. Chancellor of the Exchequer noted uneven profits from selling subordinate offices among judges, with current Chief Justice yet to profit. Practice of selling offices like Clerk, Marshal, Tipstaff, and Crier not criticized by reformers including Mr. Hume or in radical journals.