St. Landry democrat. (Opelousas, La.) 1878-1894, 1885-10-17
HE ALABAMA CLAIMS.

The Court Sitting Itself For a Grand FSaiy
to Close Out the 1,4G6 Gases Renainlns
On Its Docket Within the Prescrioe"
Time = Court Employees. Working O'
Faith.
WAsHIxGrox, D. c., October Con !
the reassembling Of The Court OF Als-
bama Claims yesterday, Presiding Juass
Harlan said:
ssIt is obvious that the 1,4G6 remaining
cases can not be properly adjudlcatea'
the interest computed, and lists OF Judg"
ments> compared and certified to the
Secretary of State Swithin tine seventy
four WORKING days remaining, without
extraordinary efforts on the part OF the
court, its officers and employees, ana
also on the part of the counsel for claim
ants. But with such efforts and coop
Grafton, the court thinks it will be pos
sfble to achieve this result. In view OF
the great hardship which would accrue by
q further postDonement to many thou
sands of legal claimants, who have al
ready waited long for their just dues,
the Court feels compelled to adopt ana
to rigidly enforce the most stringent
rules consistent with justice and the u.s.
ages of courts, to hasten the trial and de-
termination of causes; and on its own
part to devote all the time within the
limits of physical endurance, without
reference 10 the usual hours for office
work, in the endeavor to complete this
work prior to the date named"
After stating certain requirements
which counsel for the claimants would
be expected to observe in order to facilf~
tate business. Judge Harlan continued:
SIN the opinion of the Court, after
careful consideration, it wild be impossl-
BILE for it to complete its work within the
time limited by law with a smaller
force of employees than it now hag on
| its pay rolls. Nor does it think ahat
their compensation could be justly
diminished. The monthly payment of
! considerable number of these employees
has been unexpectedly suspended
on account of question having
! been recently raised by the &C
counting officers of the Treasury
Department as to the legal authority of
| the court to authorize their employment
which it Ia understood is under consid-
Grafton by the Department of State. The
court Is not yet advised of the views OF
that department. In the meantime the
| employees whose payment was suspended
l
| their respective positions, and have vol
| unfairly informed the court of their will
| lingness to continue to do so with their
former fidelity at their own risk of being
hereafter paid by the government 1t
has also come to the knowledge of
| the members of the court, that DUR
| ing the recess counsel for claim
ants, learning that the major
part Of the employees depend solely on
their salaries for the support of them
| selves aud families, and knowing that
their services could not be dispensed
| with without serious embarrassment to
the court, have made arrangements to
relieve the immediate pecuniary necessi-
ties of said employees during such time
as their pay be suspended, which action
under the urgent circumstances of the
case, meets the approval of the court"
The court heard and took under adj.
visemant during the day twenty-nine
cases. and forty-one other cases were
dismissed by consent. About thirty
cases day will be set for trial until the.
docket is cleared, and all cases in which
claimants are not ready when called will
| he dismissed