The Dillon tribune. [volume] (Dillon, Mont.) 1881-1941, 1881-12-31
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WASHINGTON LETTER 4
(From our SECULAR Correspondent
WASHINGTON, Dec. a3rd, 1881.
There will como before Congress, when
1t gets down to business, few sutiects of
more pres sing importance than the rerfec.
ton OF plan for relieving the Supreme
Court OF Its enormous accumulation of
business. If deaav Of justice be a denial
thereof, there is certainly such denial in
the case OF every suitor who at this time
undertakes to enforce rights or obtain rem.
edies through the United States Supreme
Court. There are now, on the docket
nearly twelve hundred cases, which, at
the rate of three hundred and fiftv cases
per annun, the number the Judges are able
to dispose of, will occupy the time Of the
Court for the next four years, and the
amount ofbusincssi is constantly increasing.
Several bills are now ,efore Congress and
different plans have been sugeested-io
establish intermediate appellate courts in
the different circuits, as Judge Davis pro.
poses-to increase the number of Justices
to twenty one and divide them into three
chambers, as Mr.. Manning of Mississippi,
thinks best-to create a new appellate
court of nine or fifteen Judges to sit in
Washington and determine cases not in.
volving constitutional questions, as has
been also suggested. Each Of the ways out
OF the difficulty has its advantages, SO that
the approval Of either Is not Of SO much
Importance as the immediate enactment of
some statute to remedy this crying evil.
The existing vacancies in court cause
embarrassment anu pile additional labor
upon the already over.burdened justices.
Since the beginning Of lis session in Octo.
Der the court has been sitting with bare
quorum Of six justices. 1t was expected
that President Arthur would promptly
name succe ssor 10 Justice Clifford, but he
has not. And when this vacancy is filled
there will slilll remain another, practically,
though not nominally. Mr.. Justice Hunt
has for three years past rendered no ser.
vice whatever and his course in holding on
to place, the duties Of which ne cannot
di;charge, and which the public interests
urgently demand should lie filled by an
active man. has been severely criticised.
Justice Hunt is simply waiting to be retired
on full pay, though when the ten years
"service" required for that service have ex.
pired, constructively, he will, In fact, have
served but six years. That one of the
highest judicial officers In the land should
hold his commission and draw his salary
for more ,ilan four years without rendering
any service whatever in return Is matter
for serious consideration in ITSELF But to
the public the matter Of salary is the least
important aspect. Within the past three
yeas constitutional questions Of extraordi.
nary difficulty and importance have di
vided the Court and demanded the pres
enre OF every member vet during this long
period and under these exceptional circum-
stan es Justice Hunt has been unable to
sit himself and unwilling that another
should tale his ;,lace.
AS usual nothing will BE accomplished
in Congress until after the holiday recess.
ST.; hundred more bills wee introduced on
Money, and it was not a good dav for bills
either. The CIV is "still they come" The
agony anent the Craftsmanship is over, but
strange AS 1t may seem everybody is not
satisfied. In order 10 give congressman a
little Christmas money, the Committee on
Alileages was named in advance Of the
others and rusi, on hatlCommitteea',eean
at once. But the Chairman, Mr.. A. Herr
Smith, felt dissatisfied with the place given
him, and appeared 10 DC in hurry 10 graf
ify Inc i,npecunous .1embers. You would
not think that Congressman every got
"hard up" unless you knew them, but
some of them even sell the stacks Of public
documents allotted to them 10 the waste.
paper dealer as means Of "raising the
wind" Some Members mortgage their
salaries In advance TO ten per cent. money
sharks, and are happy until financial dis.
tress strikes them again. But the trials Of
Congressman are nothing to
the trouble Representative Deuster en-
countered in getting home from Europe.
He arrived this week and was sworn in
having ;,een since the 9th Of November &C.
cupctl in irving to get here. The steamer
Oh which he first sailed encountered; a ter.
rible storm and losing its ruddcr was obliged
to drift back to the English coast, a dis
tance of eight hundred miles. The vessel
was so badly injured that il was with great
kept from sinking. The passen.
gers were nut on half rations and about
gave themselves up for lost Taking an
other steamer from Plymouth, ihe.v were
again overtaken .v a severe storm, and
were fifteen days in mailing the passage.
avenue may now he seen a
SCuy UlSICStNISs WI VI ~ ~ - = su~o"S-
lion portrait, in marble, Of the late Presi.
dent Garfield. The likeness is admirable,
the execution highly artistic, and the whole
arrangement of the setting most agreeable.
The pure white material from which the
likeness was made formed part of the
tablet recently erected in the rail-
way station where the late President was
shot; and the artist, who produced the
work with only the blade of DOcket nife,
Is an employee ofthe Baltimore & Potomac
Co., and was present when the assassination
of the President took place. His name is
Joshua Davis, and instead of being com.
PEELED to suppor: his interesting family by
a life Of drudgerv in railway station, de
serves to be practicing the profession Of
sculptor under the most benign circum'
stances. The w6rk deserves place In the
Corcoran Gallery, or better vet. 10 accom-
pany the memorial recently set up on the
spot where the President fell.
Dom PEDRO.