Alpena weekly argus. [volume] (Alpena, Mich.) 1871-1893, 1877-04-18

uerlng OF that S2,0UU,OUU. HOW III
has come about that this great sum
has proved insufficient to pay the
current expenses of the Federal
courts for one year, We shall now
explain.
1t has long been the habit to in
sert, in the annual appropriation
bills for 'sundry civil expenses of
the Government, section making
an appropriation of a liberal sum
for defraying the expenses of the
courts. In these expenses" moth
ing has been included for salaries
of Judges, District Attorneys, or
Marshals. The expenses have al
ways included nothing but the fees
of officers for attendance on the
courts, and the other Incidental
charges of fuel, light, the fees of
Jurors and witnesses, the expenses
of prosecutions for offences, the
expenses of suits in which the
Government is concerned, and for
the safe keeping of prisoners.
Prior to the year 1871, when the
Federal Election law was enacted,
100000 was found to be the
average sum necessary to pay the
current expenses of keeping open
the courts. For the fiscal year
ending June 30th, 1872, Sl,200,00O
was appropriated for this purpose.
But after the Federal Election law
took effect, a new item made its
appearance in the annual customary
section for defraying expenses Of
the courts, which was now made to
include "the expenses which may
by incurred in the enforcement of
the act relative to the right of citi-
zens to vote," as well as the ordi-
nary expenses of the courts and
thus the whole SUN for all the eX-
penses was raised to So, 100000 for
the year ending June 30th, 1878.
For the year ending June Both,
1875, the appropriation for these
purposes was S3,000,000; for the
year ending June 3Oth, 1876, it was
the same sum; and for tie current
fiscal year, ending June S0th, 1877,
it was 100000.
If now we take a liberal average
for all the annual court expenses,
not including the expenses of rum
ming elections under the guise of
enforcing the rights of citizens to
vote, as being sl,500,000, we find
that during the three fiscal years
ending respectively in June 1915,
1876, and 1877, the Attorney-Gen-
erat has had the spending Of S.
100000 for all the court expenses,
and S4,000,000 of this enormous
sum represents what has been APP
propriated for the expenses of run
ming the Federal elections, of which
the Circuit Courts are general ad-
ministrators. Moreover, the figures
show very plainly that out OF the
whole appropriation of S2,500,000
for this current year, 100000
was all that could be properly ex-
pended under the election laws,
without encroaching on the fund
that belonged to the other and or
binary expenses of the courts; yet
the successor of Mr.. Taft finds that
the whole appropriation of $4,000
600 has been so nearly exhausted
by Mr.. Taft that the courts may
have to be closed. OF course the
money has gone, where the greater
part of the SS,500,000 went during
the three years, to pay the expen-
ses of running the Federal cleo
tons in the interest of the Repub-
lican party.
When the next House of Repre-
sentatives overhauls this vast ex-
penditure of more than eight mil
lions by the Department of Justice
in three years, to which are to be
added sundry deficiency appropria-
tons that have been made for the
same purpose from time to time,
the people will have a very pretty
insight into the beauty, the econ