The weekly Ottumwa courier. [volume] (Ottumwa, Iowa) 1857-1872, 1861-12-04


should be denied them. II unuseful, no State
sh, uld have them Let them be provided
for all or abolished as to all.
Three notifications occur to me here
which think will be an Improvement up
on The present system. Let the Supreme
Court be Of convenient number in every
event. then, First, let the whole country be
divided into circuits of convenient size, the
Supreme Judge to serve in number cor
responding to their own number, and indie
pendent judges be provided for all the rest
Or, Secondly, the Supreme Judges he re.
lieved from circuit duties, and Circuit Judg-
es provided for all the circuits; Or, Thirdly,
dispense with the Circuit Courts altogether,
leaving the judicial fancti9ns wholly TO the
District Courts, and an independent Suprme
Court.
Ono of the unfavorable consequences OF
the present instruction is the entire sup
preston, in many places, of all ordinary
means Of administering civil justice by the
officers and the forms of existing law. This
is The case, in whole or in part, in al the
nsurgent States; and as our armies adv Ance
uron and take possession Of ports of these
Stats the political evil becomes more appa.
rent. There are no courts or officers to
whom the citizens Of other places may APP
ply for the enforcement of their Lawful claims
against citizens insurgent States, and there
is vast amount of debt constituting such
claims. Some have estimated it as high as
two hundr d millions of dollars due in large
part from insurgent rebels to loyal tiz'ns,
Tho are even now making great sacrifices
in the discharge of their patriotic duty to
support the Government. Under the cir.
cumstance have been urgently solicited tc
establish, by military authority, courts to
administer summary justice in all such cases
have thus far declined to do it, not be
cause had any doubt that the end proposed
the collection Of debt-was just and right
in itself, but because have been unwilling
to 60 hey ond the pressure ofnecessity in the
unusual exercise Of power. But the power
of Congress, I suppose, is equal to the anon
alous occasion, and therefore I refer tn,
whole matter to Congress, with the hop,
that plan may be devised for the admin
istration ofjustice in all such parts OF the in
surgent States and Territories as may bt
under the control of this Government
whether by voluntary return to allegiance
and order, or by the power of our arms. 1
is, however, not to be permanent institu
ton, but temporary substitute, and t
close as soon as the ordinary courts can b
| re.estabhshed in peace
! 1t is important that some more con
venient means should be provided, if pos
sible, for the adjustment Of claims agains
the Government especially in view of Their
| increased number, ny reason Of the war;
1t is as much the duty of the Government
to render prompt justice against itself in ia
vor of citizens, as iii: to administer the SAM
between private individuals. The invest
CATION and adjudication ofall claims in Their
nature belong to the Judicial Department
Besides, it is apparent that the attention o
Congress will be more than usually engaged
for some time to come, with great Eationa
questions. 1t was intended by the organ
ization Of the Court of Claims mainly to re
move this branch of business from the hall
Of Congress. But while the Court ha
proved to be an efficient and valuable means
Of investigation. it in q great degree fails (,
effect the object Gifts erection, for want o
power % make its, judgments Anal Full,
aware efthe, dellieacy, not to say, the dan
ger, of the subject, 1 commend to your care
ful consideration whether this poYer o
making Judgments final, may not properl,
| to be given to the Court, reserving the RICH
of appeal on questions of law, to the Su
preme Court, with such other provisions a
experience may have shown to be neces
Sary.
ask attention to the report of the Post
master General, the following being sum
mary sta ement Of the condition of the De
| n orfsvn In G., Ill
during the fiscal year, ending the 30th
June, 1861, including the annual perma
nent appropriation of seven hundred thou
sand for the transportation Of free mail mat
ter, was $9,049, 296 40: being about two
per cent less than the Revenue of 1860
The expenditures were $l3,6O6.7O9 IL
showing decrease Of more than 8 per cent
a. compared with those of the previous year
and leaving an expenditure over the Rev
enue for the fiscal year, of over 4,574,o27 20
The gross Revenue for the year ending june
| 30th, 1868, is estimated at an increase o.
per- cent on that Of 1861. making Sc, 683
800, which should be added to the carr
inys of the De ,artment for caryine
free matter. viz; $7,90o,O00. making So.
$4,000. The total expenditures for 1855
are estimated at $l2,52S 900, leaving an es
ti,nated efficiency of So, 345 900, to be sup
piled from the Treasury IN addition to thu
permanent appropriation.
The present insurrection shows, think
that the extension ofthis District across the
Potomac river at the time of the estab
| lishment fthe Capital here, was eminently
wise, and consequently that the rein
| quishment Of that portion of it which
lies in the State Of Virginia, was un
wise and dangerous. submit for your con
sideration the expediency of retaining that
part of the District and the restoration OF the
original boundaries thereof, through nego
Citations with the State OF Virginia a.
r. The report OF the Secretary Of the interior
with the accompanying documents. exhibit
the condition Of the several branches of the
public business pertaining to that Depart
inent The depressing influence Of the in
surrection have been especially felt in the
operations OF the Patent and General Land
Offices. The cash receipts from the sales Of
public lands. during the last year have ex
cceded the expenses of our land system only
sabouts@200, 900. The sales have been en-.
t:rely suspended in the Southern States
! while the interruptions to the business oil
the country, and the diversions of large
numbers of men, from labor to military ser
vice, has obstructed settlements in the new
States and Territories of the Northwest. =
The receipts ofthe Patent Office have de-
clined in nine months, about 300, 900, rem
dering large reduction of the force employ,
ed, necessary, to make it self sustaining.
The deman Is upon the Pension Office will
be lare ely increase by the resurrection. NJ
merous applications for pensions, based up
OH the casualties of the existing war, have
already bein made. There is reason to be-
lava thar manu- ,vho n 70 N ,,,, ,,no,, tho Da,,