Daily Los Angeles herald. [microfilm reel] (Los Angeles [Calif.]) 1876-1884, 1884-10-01
A DAMNING RECORD.
A Continuation of the Spring
or Report.
A RepubIican President Respond
ing to the Demands Of siamb-
Iers and Criminals and Con-
tinuing a Corrupt FEEDER
al Judge In Oniee.
Especial 10 he Herald By A ssociated prsssl

lSpeciut 10 Ae HeTttu oy a sSocfeee"f 'essl
WAsHIsGToN, Sept. 30.-The follow.
ing is an additional extract from the
Springer report: Numerous illegal acts
are cited on the part of Marshals in the
Southern States in proof of the above
charges and the report calls special at
tention-to the practice OF exhibiting the
ingenuity qf officers in evading the law
and the sAhmeful prostitution Of the
powers Of their Office for unworthy ends.
Frivolous and vexatious prosecu-
.tions had been SO common that an
effort was made to stop it and
an order was issued that no
State's Commissioner should issue q
warrant Of arrest in an internal revenue
case without an affidavit from the In
ternal Revenue officer that he had ex-
amined the matter, and that prosecu-
tion should be had. In order to evade
this, Deputy Marshals secured appoint
ments as revenue officers. SO as to be
able to make the official affidavit re-
quired; they then worked up case as
Deputy Marshals; signed aflidavits rs
Deputy Collectors and then served war.
rants ss Deputy Marshals, in this way
completely multiplying the order made
for the protection OF citizens. 1t would
be difficult to devise schemes by which
the dearest rights Of citizens could be
more thoroughly trampled under foot.
Continuing, the report says:
The testimony shows that Stilwell H.
Russell, as Marshal of the Western Dis
trict of Texas, 30 managed the affairs OF
his office that in about three years forty
thousand dollars Of the government
funds passed through his hands in such
q mysterious manner that it could not
be accounted for, besides amounts ilIe-
gally taken from his deputies. and which
we cannot ascertain. This Marshal car
ried off goods belonging to his flee and
systematically swindled private citizens,
and, according to the testimony, whole-
sale forgery was committed in his Office
for the purpose of defrauding the gov
erament. Russell was indicted, tried
and convicted and is now serving out
his term of sentence in the Southern
Illinois penitentisry, at Chester. OF
John Hill, who was Marshal in the
Western District Of Pennsylvania for
nine consecutive years, the repsrt says:
He actually returned, as earn ed during
nine years, $50, 1903, when, in fact, be
had really earned $l'6.96l.
This spirit Of peculation seemed at one
time about 10 reach mp to the examiners
of the Department Of Justice. "We
may well agree" says the report, with
tile chief examiner in saying that the
abusers Of the fee system are not con-
fined TO any district or section Of coun-
try; but that they are, with q few nota-
BILE exceptions. 30 prevalent and so
odious that it il not TO be wondered at
that Deputy Marshals and Deputy Col.
lectors Of Internal Revenue have been
shot down as If they were enemies Of
the people. Such a systematic scheme
Of defrauding the public and harrassing
the peaceable citizens OF the country, of
course without any possible justification
or exouse, Is without o parallel. 1t
would seem that If those high in posi-
tion and having the appointing power,
had made any reasonable effort to secure
honest and capable men, they would
have met with better success. In fact,
IL is hard to understand how
any man, unless himself an expert in
these wicked practices and skilled in dis
utthhtu1b,uB uctWccH pdu Hfcns cOufu
hsve succeeded in selecting so many
disreputable public officials; but the
very peculiar civil service rules adopted
in the appointment and promotion of
this class Of officials will doubtless ac-
count for some of the bad results. The
report here names several officials who
were rewarded by promotion or otherwise,
in spite Of illegsl acts and says; " With
such system of section and advance
ment OF officials, 1t Is not to be won
dered at that the country has been
cursed with officials whose least
heinous crime was that OF pub
lie plundering. Probably the most
remarkable case in this way
rewarding bal characters was that OF
Judge Conger, formerly Associate JUS
tice of the Territory of Montana.
Charges Of such . serious nature and
we'll known to the public, were made
against him that he was suspended from
Office. There were two petitions for
warded to the President in connection
with thiA matter, one asking for the re-
tirement of the Judge was signed by 2l6
citizens. representing 70 per cent. Of the
taxable property Of Gallatin county; the
other, asking for his restoration to the
bench. was signed by 50 persons, of
whom ains were then under indictment
in court for fraud and one for withhold
ing county records; one had been
several times arrested for larceny,
another WAS then being pursued
for the theft of sixteen horses, and, of
the remainder, twenty nine were saloon
keepers and gamblers in Miles City. In
the face Of these facts the President of
the United States, in the exercise of the
Functions Of the high Office held by him,
deemed IL his duty to the people Of this
great country TO restore Judge Conger to
the bench. The report recommends the
abolition Of the corrupting fee-system
and the liking of definite salaries for the
Uuited States District Attorneys and
Marshals, and closes with the statement
that Investigations have disclosed the
wanton waste of the public revenues aud
. criminal disregard Of the rights and
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