The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1880-06-04
SHALL UNITED STATES COURTS
BE CLOSED?
from the Chicago Tribnne.l

houses os Congress its leaders have pro-
ceeded upon the theory that Govern
ment in this country is mere piece of
party machinery, with no other am or
purpose than to subserve class of men
Who are seeking to control she distribu-
ton of taxes as spoils among their re-
tanners.
The present Congress has been in ses-
sion altogether about ten months, and
during that time it has not matured a
single measure for the promotion of pub
lie interests. Worse than this. it has
actually failed to provide for the proper
support of such working departments of
the Government as lie outside the scope
of political machinery, and this in spite
OF the enormous surplus revenue which
is accommodating by reason of the reduc-
ton In the interest charge and the main
tenance of the high tariff duties.
The Democratic party leaders set out
to repeal the Election laws, or to so
cripple them as to render them inopera-
tive, In order that the bulldozers at the
SoEth and the roughs of the Northern
cities might have full swing at the APP
preaching Presidential election. This
unworthy and dishonest party purpose
has been kept steadfastly in view ever
since it was adopted as a policy. The
Democrats of the last Congress refused
to pass the requisite appropriations for
the judicial service Of the Government
because they could not carry out their
notification project. The President
called an extra session of the present
Congress in order to perform the work
which the old Congress had deliberately
neglected At the extra session there
was q persistent, but futile, effort to
coerce the President into an approval
of the proposed notification, and, when
that attempt failed, an adjournment was
taken without appropriating the pay for
the executive branch of the United States
judicial system. The perversity of the
Democratic policy was emphatically con-
demned by the people In the elections of
1879, when the work of the extra session
was in issre. The Democrats. were de-
feated everywhere. Notwithstanding
this pointed rebuke, the Democrats re-
newed their efforts at notification at the
regular session. They delayed for
months to vote the accumulated def
cheney in the pay of the United States
Marshals, and then passed the bill with
a political rider which was sure to call
out an Executive veto, as it did. And
there the case stands to-day.
During the year III which no supplies
I,
Marshals have shown patriotism which
would not have been expected from
them if they had been Democratic Of
fceholders. They have performed the
services required of them without any
compensation, and without any assur-
ance that they would ever receive pay
which depended on the vote of Demo
cratic Congress. They have also made
personal advances for the necessary ex-
penses of holding court But the limit
of patience, and in many cases
of the individual resources of the
Marshals, has been reached Mr.. J. w.
Chapman, the United States Marshalfor
Iowa, has notified the Attorney General
that, after serving several months
without pay and advancing something
like $4,000 for the pay Of other court
officers and necessary expenses, his re-
sources are exhausted. The Attorney
General is helpless. He can only thank
Marshal Chapman for his past devotion
to the public service, and repeat that he
himself has over and over again directed
the attention of Congress to the injustice
of withholding the necessary supplies
and the injury that would unquestion-
ably be done to public interests. The
United States Court in Iowa must be
closed with full and important docket
of litigation that demands settlement
What has occurred In Iowa will soon
occur in other sections of the country.
The United States courts will of neces-
sity close unless Congress directs the
payment of their officers, and the public
who pay so dearly for the support of
Government will suffer losses amounting
to millions of dollars by the inexcusable
delay in litigation This would be bad
enough if it were the unavoidable result
Of an insufficient revenue, but it is in
famous when the United States treasury
is overrunning with money, and when it
is brought about to assist in the perpe-
tration Of a partisan wrong. It may be
that the nullifiers will be brought to
their senses by the actual imn1i-
nenee of the necessity for adj
iourning the United States courts, and
will now seek to make a tardy atone
ment for the wrong and injury they
have put upon the public. Even if they
shall do this now, because they dare not
longer fly in the face of public indigna-
ton, the people will not forget that JUS
tice in the courts, which is certainly the
first claim the citizen has upon Govern
ment, has been retarded and in part de-
MED in order that the Democratic ma
jority might urge the notification of
laws for the protection of honest cleo
tions. That was from the first, and Is
now, the only pretext for withholding
the necessary authority to pay the
United States Marshals and keep open
the United States courts. Never be-
fore was so outrageous a scheme at
tempted through such inexcusable
methods by any political party.