Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1879-12-01
THE EVENING STAR.
N.ONDA f........... December 4, 1879.
annual Report of the Attorney.
General.

III ms annual report submitted TO Congress
To-Day the Acknowledgement recommends addi
tlonal legislation to protect tn, execut,vo
civil officers OF the government In the perform
ance OF their duties and also against outroras
which are committed upon them because thew
have faithfully performed them. L. = courts
should be clothed with proper power to punish
those who murder their officers while dischary
ing their duties or because they have discharged
Them. Every effort has been made TO reSolutely
and fairly execute all the election laws. Some
addition has been made to the expense OF the
department on account Of prosecutions growing
out OF violations OF these laws principally for
" ballot-boN Stufling."
An appropriation for deficiency on account OF
judicial expenses for the fiscal year, of 1870, 900,
Is required. IL Is recommended that district
attorneys be paid by salaries due-not by fees,
as now Salaries for assistant attorneys should
also be fixed in certain districts. The re-enact-
ment OF the act which provides that u. S. attor-
neyS may appoint substitute attorneys In GER
tam cases when they cannot attend to their
duties themselves, is recommended Attention
Is called TO the fact that clerks OF IT, s. courts in
the District OF Columbia are not compelled to
make any return OF the emouments OF their
Office, either TO the Department OF Justice or the
Treasury department. The whole matter should
be revised and the clerk should be held res pom
Slbie Tor his acts In the same manner as the
clerk OF any other L. s. court. Where the sane
person is clerk OF both L. :. circuit and district
courts his maximum of compensation should
not exceed $1,000, and he should be especially
dt barred from holding any other Office under the
United States. Under the system OF u. s. con-
miSsionerS there are many trivial prosecutions
Tor the sake OF fees and too many commission
erS. II Congress should fix the number OF COM
mSSionerS in each district and prescrib, their
MAXIMUM and should give authority TO the
Judge of the district court 70 diSalow fees where
warrants were careleSSly issued much might be
done TO limit expenditures for U. $. commission
erS.
The last session of the present Congress hav-
ing adjourned without making appropriations
for the pay OF marShalS and their deputies
under the advice that they could do so, given by
the Attorney General, the marShalS have faith
1ully performed the duties required of them by
law and advanced from their own means the
expenses which have been necessary In their
performance The Attorney General considers
their conduct in all respects worthy OF the
highest commentator, and earnestly urges
that the appropriation necessary to compensate
them for their service be made with all suitable
expedition. The amount which has heretofore
been estimated for this purpose and submitted
is 5000, 900, which now constitutes a deficiency
in the current appropriation.
The territory of Utah persstently declines to
make appropriations for It's territorial courts
which all other territories OF the United States
make and which it should make 1t will be
for Congress to consider whether some system
cannot be adopted by which the territory will
be compelled TO meet an expenditure which the
legislation OF Congress has treated as a proper
charge upon it, Ii would be obviously impoSsi-
bic in the meantime to permit the proper ad-
miniStratiOn OF territorial justice to fail.