Litchfield enquirer., 1861-12-12
our present system: the Supreme Court be Of convenient numbeAeSery event.

A1A1hs ooN NtIHU RSbA Y, !, 1 our present system. E the Supreme Court be of of convenient numbeAesery event. af- Then, First, Let thaHSle country be divided ot into circuits of conynia size, the supreme d. Judges to serve in nlalh Of them correspond es ing to their own numbe., independent circuit
 Judges be provided for ale rest.
 Or, Secondly, Let theh ieme judges be relev- e. ed from circuit duties aI cicuit judges provided mt for all the circuits
 le Or, Thirdly, Dispen5 with the circuit courts s. altogether, leaving the lldical functions wholly c. 10 the district courts ld all independent su- a preme court.
 10 REVISION STATUTES.
 a respectfully recomnhd to tho consideration l. of Congress the present Dnditon of the statute e laws' With the hope that pngress will be able to t ma an easy remedy for lany of the inconve- J. niehces and evils whiclconstantly embarrass them. . oince the organization of le government Con- l eTess has enacted some firt thousand acts and
 Jolnt resolutions, which fillmore than six thous. 5 ana closely printed page and are scattered through many volumes. Nby of these acts have
 been drawn ln haste and wshout sufficient eau ton, so that their provisioB are often obscure
 m themselves or in conflict with each other, or at least so doubtful, as to rder it very difficult
 TOT even the best informed persons to ascertain
 precisely what the statute lw really is
 itseems to me very impotant that the statute
 ii"s should be made as paM and intclligiile as possible, and be reduced to as small a compass us us may consist with the funess and precision of the Will of the legislature and ;he perspicaty of us language these well done would I think, greatly facilitate the labors of those whose duty Is to assist in the administration of the laws and Mou!u oe lasting benefit to the people by plac- ing before them, in more accessible and intelli- sioie form, the laws which so deeply concern ,helf interests and their duties. I all informed py some, Whose opinions I respect, that all acts ol congress, now in force, and of permanent a'a general nature, might be revised and rewrit- .eh' so as to be embraced in one volume. or. at least: two volumes of ordinary and copyienient slzc, ana respectfully reeam4sgto to theft Wis1rom sal seem most pf6ggn .J l''a, the attaiment of tine end proposed. One of the unavoidable conse- quences of the present instruction is the entire suppression in many places or all ordinary means in the forms of existing laws. This is the case in whole or in part in all the insurgent states, and as our armies advance upon and take pos session Of parts of those states the practeed evil becomes more apparent. There are no courts nor officers to whom the citizens of other states may apply for the enforcement of their lawful claims against citizens of the insurgent states, and there is vast amount of debt consti- tuting such claims. Some have estimated it a. high as two hundred millions of dollars due in part from insurgents in open rebellion, to ioy... citizens who are even now making great sacrif ces in the discharge Of their pttriotic duty to support the government. Under these crcan- stances have been urgently solicited to estab- fish by military power courts to administer sum mary justice in such cases. hare thus far de- clined 10 do it, not because had any doubt that the end proposed-tle collection of the debts was just and right in itself, but because have been unwilling togo Ayyolstl the pressure of necessity in the unusual exercise of power. But the powers of Congress suppose are equal to the anomalous occasion, and therefore re- fer the whole matter to Congress with the hope that a plan may be devised for tie administfa- tion of justice in all such parts of the nsurgent states and territories as may be under control of this government. whether by voluntary re- turn to allegiance and order or bJ the power of of our arms this however not to te permanent institution, but a temporary substitute and to cease as soon as the ordinary curts can be re- established in peace.
 It IS HI poililI tllttt SOlne Hi9!e CoIf SilieHt means should be provided if possible for the ad- iay in view of their increased number, by req son of the war. It is as much tle duty of gov ernment to render prompt justice against itself ill favor of citizens as it is b administer the same between private individuals.
 The investigation and adjudication of claims in their nature belong to the Judicial Depart ment besides it is apparent t1at the attention of Congress will be more than usually engaged for some time to como with great national ques- tioHs.
 It was intended by the organization of the Court of Claims mainly to remove this branch l of business from the halls of Congress but while the court has proved to be an effective and val uable means of investigation it in great degree falls to effect the object of its creation for want of power to make its judgments final. 1 Fully aware of the delicacy, not to say the danger of the subject commend to your careful consideration whether this power of making judg- mcnts final may not properly be given to the court reserving the right of appeal on questions of law to the Supreme Court with such other provisions as experience may have shown to be necessary.
 ask attention to the report of the Postmas- ter-Genaral, the following beinga summary state ment of tine condition of that department:
 The revenue from all sources during the fiscal year ending June 30, 1861, including the annual permanent appropriation of seven hundred thou sand dollars for the transportation of free mail matter, was nine million forty-nine thousand two hundred and ninety-siX dollars and forty cents, being about two per cent, less than the reye- nue.
 For 1860 the expenditures were thirteen mil lion six hundred and six thousand seven hundred and ffty-nine dollars and eleven cents, showing a decrease of the previous year, and leaving an excess of expenditure over the revenue for the last fiscal year of over five hundred and ffty-se- ven thousand four hundred and sxty-two doll ars and seventy-one cents The gross revenue for the year ending June 3, 1863 is estimated at an increase of four per cent on that ofle60-
 making eight million six hundred and eighty three thousand dollars to which should be added the earnings of the department in carrying free matter, viz, seven hundred thousand dollars
 making nine million three hundred and eighty
 three thousand dollars. The total expenditure: for 1863 are estimated at twelve million five hundred and twenty eight thousand dollars lea one hundred and forty five thousand dollars tt permanent appropriation.
 The present insurrection shows, think tha
 the extension of this district across the Potomac
 river at the time of establishing the capital hers
 was eminently wise and consequently that tht
 rclinquishment of that portion of it which lies within the State of Virginia was unwse, ant dangerous submit for your consideration tn expediency of regaining that of the district ant
 the restoation of the original boundaries thereo
 through negotiations with the State of Virgin