Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1854-12-23
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.

nad barely time yesterday ere going to press
70 announce the passage, through the House,
OF this measure Of so great Importance to the
interests of the people Of the District of Co.
lumbia We can now assure the members OF
both Houses that we never witnessed a more
joyful state of feeling in community, than
that which is being exhibited by our business
fellow citizens, in all walks in life, over the
prospect that the measure in question will be.
come law ere the termination of the present
session. True, there are hundreds among rs
70 whom this prospect is distasteful. But, for
the most part, they are persons who are noto
riously directly or indirectly profted by the
civil disabilities under which the mass of Their
fellow citizens rest, owing to the heavily &C.
cumulsted defects and embarrassments in our
present judicial system. A great many of
them are our personal friends and neiehbors
OF a life time. Men against whose interest We
are ana shall be exceedingly 10th to publish
aught But, in this case We have duty to the
community to perfofm, far above that to per
sonal ard dear friends and associates This Dis
tfict has been for the last quarter of century
far behind the rest of the American world in
the matter of the laws under which justice is
administered here and private rights enforced
and protected Every real business man, in
whatever calling engaged, who has had occa-
sion to 60 into any District of Columbia court,
in that time, has been injured to greater or
less degree by this state of things, which is
not chargeable to the administrators of the
law here, who execute the present system
perhaps quite as we'll as system so jumbled,
imperfect, and antieuated as ours, can be ad-
ministered.
1t is notorious that the debtor here who will
not pay, need not, however anxious our courts
may be to make him, pay. 1t is notorious, too,
that costs upon litigation hero are enormously
out-of-proportion high. 1t is notorious here
that, at present, If our circuit court doubts-if
he two judges are divided in any case whore
less than one thousand dollars are involved
one party or other loses his rights, the vene
able and reveref presiding judge being inca.
pacitated altogether from service by sickness,
the result of decay of his faculties through
age.
1t is notorious, too, that our present system
is standing premium on efforts on the part of
sinister justices of the peace and their off
GERS to keep their neighbors in bot water
as In many cases the United States Trea-
sury foots the bill of costs We are
far from charging such conduct on our Justices
of the Peace, United States Police Officers and
Constables, as class. But there are, we be.
lieve, 6fty-two of the former, and the Lord
knows how many of the latter. As they are
all human, some of them misuse their posi-
ton beyond doubt it having been standing
allegation for at least thirty years past that
here and there such officers in this District
were to be found, who thus abused their
several trusts for what they might make by
80 doing. Congress must know that where q
single magistrate and constable, serving un.
Ter system wherein they have so rich and
sure client as the United States Treasury to
foot their bills, choose to lay their heads
together to do great deal of business, they
can make mischief enough to keep hundreds in
misery, only that their profits may be swelled
Promoters of litigation in such positions are
notorious curses to society, the world over, and
we are most anxious, for the we'll being of this
comm unity, that the great incentive to their
existence here may DO removed, as the bill in
question proposes to remove them
But our limits will not permit US to pursue
this subject further to-day. We may however,
in single additional sentence, ask honorable
Senators to converse freely with unobtrusive
business citizens of the District upon this SUBJ
ject, and they will learn that nine in every
ten to whom they may breach it, are most
anxious for the change proposed
Be Cautious.-It is a violation of law, and
subjects the offender to penalty Of five dol.
lars, If the receiver refuses to pay letter post
age, to inclose or conceal letter or other
thing, Except bills and receipts for subscrip-
tom or to make any memorandum in writing
or to print any word or communication, after
it's publication, upon any newspaper, pamph-
let, magazine, book, or other printed matter.
Any memorandum in writing, or by marks OF
signs upon the cover or wrapper, of any arti.
Gle of printed matter, other than the name
and address of the person to whom it is to bs
sent, subjects the package to letter postage
So do the words, with respects of the author,
u sender" &c, often written upon tho blank
leaves Of books, under the impression by
many that simple compliments of this kind
may be thus transmitted through the mail
without subjecting> the packet to additional
postage.
An Escaped Convict.-A telegraphic dis
patch has reached us from New Orleans con-
'eying, briefly, intelligence of the escape of
Major W. H. Wilder, former member of the
louisiana Legislature, and also a member of
he last Baltimore National Democratic Con-
IGNITION, who had been convicted of several
rauds on the Pension Office He was in the