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Supreme Court of the United States were raised to ten thousand
dollars a year, and a provision for a retiring pension, to
be continued for life to such of them as became seventy years
old, and had served ten years on the Bench, was enacted.

But it is always very difficult indeed to get salaries raised,
especially the salaries of Judges. That it was accomplished
them was due largely to the sagacity and skill of Mr. Armstrong
of Pennsylvania. He was a very sensible and excellent Representative.
His service, like that of many of the best men from Pennsylvania,
was too short for the public good. I had very little to do
with it myself, except that I talked the matter over a good
deal with Mr. Armstrong, who was a friend of mine, and heartily
supported it.

After I entered the Senate, however, I undertook to get through
a bill for raising the salaries of the Judges of the United
States District Courts. The District Judges were expected
to be learned lawyers of high reputation and character, and
large experience. Very important matters indeed are within
the jurisdiction of the District Courts. They would have
to deal with prize cases, if a war were to break out. In
that case the reputation of the tribunals of the United States
throughout the world would depend largely on them. They have
also had to do a large part of the work of the Circuit Courts,
especially since the establishment of the Circuit Courts of
Appeals, as much of the time of the Circuit Judges is required
in attendance there.

I had great difficulty in getting the measure through. But
at last I was successful in getting the salaries, which had
ranged from $1,500 to $4,000 in different districts of the
country, made uniform and raised to $5,000 a year.

Later I made an attempt to have the salaries of the Judges
of the Supreme Court of the United States increased. My
desire was to have the salary of the Associate Judges fixed
at $15,000, being an increase of fifty per cent., that of the
Chief Justice to be $500 more. I met with great difficulty,
but at last, in the winter of 1903, I succeeded in getting
through a measure, which I had previously reported, which
increased the salary of the Associate Judges to $12,500, and
that of the Chief Justice to $13,000. The same measure increased
the salaries of the District Judges from $5,000 to $6,000,
and that of the Circuit Judges from $6,000 to $7,000 a year.

The salary of Senators and Representat