The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1879-08-02
The Marshals.
From the Chicago Times


From time to time since the adjourn
ment OF congress, it has been given out
from Washington that, because of the
failure of the confederate brigadiers to
make the necessary appropriations to de-
fray the expenses of the arrest of Offend
ers against the laws of the United States, |
it was a serious question whether failure |
of public justice must not follow. First |
from the internal revenue bureau came
the startling announcement that it had !
been discovered that the loss of large |
revenue was threatened because no apprO-
priation had been made which could be
expended to cover the cost of arresting
the mOonshiners aud other illicit distillers
in the south aud fetching them into court
for trial, The enormous extent to which
illicit distilling has prevailed under the
present administration of the internal
revenue bureau WIS advertised by esti
mates Of the large number of illicit estab
lishments and of the force of deputy mar
shals required to close these, and the
amount that would have to be expended
in arresting the offending parties. The
natural deduction from this all was that
the collection of the internal revenue was
seriously imperiled, and thar the enforce
ment OF the law against the whisky crooks
in the greater part of the southern states
had been rendered practically impossible.
Then came reports that it had been dis
covered that no appropriation had been
made TO cover the expenses of arresting
and taking before the courts counterfeiters
and other criminal Violators OF the United
States law, and that by this omission con-
Gress had practically provided for car
r,ix al of -
came the announcement that ray OF hope
had been discovered. It was that, rely
ing upon the next congress to reimburse
them, the marshas in the various districts
would periodically advance the money
out Of their own pockets to temporarily
supply the omitted appropriation. There
upon from every side came responses
from the marshals that, so far as they
could, they would do that patriotic thing,
and so keep the law a terror TO evil-dOers.
This patriotism of the several marshals
had received extensive gratuitous adver-
Using. But It has not altogether suficed
20 assure the country that there would be
no failure to uphold the laws against of
tenders. There seems to have been a
widespread feeling that when the upholdiDg
OF the laws came to depend upon the pay
officeholders out of their own pockets, with
no small uncertainty about being repaid,
che laws would not be upheld very much
nor very long.
IT may relieve the minds of law. abiding
citizens TO know that there is DO occasion
for any apprehension OF a failure of public
justice because OF any failure of the con
federate brigadiers to make the necessary
NrT. If Il
the arrest aud fetching before the proper
courts OF offenders against the laws OF the
United States. 1t may relieve the minds
of law-abiding citizens to know that the
administration of justice in the federal
courts against revenue thieves and other
criminals does not depend upon the self
sacrificing patriotism OF the marshaIs. The
carnival of crime has not been invited by
failure or refusal of congress to make the
proper appropriation. 1t was made. The
item Is specific in the bill. for 1.-THE trans
portation OF prisoners. The appropria-
ton ls tor the usual amount, and there is
no mlstaklng what it is for. Any person
against whom warrant is issued becomes
prisoner the instant he is arrested upon
that warrant; aud the appropriation is
made to cover the expense of his transpor-
Ihtlon 10 tue place Wnere the court Is held.
But it occurred to some small official in
one of the departments to make ''con-
struction" of the appropriation act. His
construction was that only convicts could
DC prisoners, and that consequently the
appropriation could only be expended for
their transportation. But the word con-
Wet does not occur in the appropriation in
question. IL is for the transportation of
prisoners. Any person under arrest,
whether before or after conviction, is a
prisoner. The language of the act is
identical with that used in other acts max
Ing appropriations for the like pur-
pose. After having made whatever
political capital was to be made out OF
this construction, it has already been
practically abandoned in the internal
revenue department as absurd and