The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1885-07-01
FOR THE MARINES.

The fee fends attempt to excuse them
fselves for piling up fees and making
cases yield double fees when only single
fees should be taxed, by explaining that
the law compels them to turn into the
treasury all over a certain stated sum.
and that the sum having been reached
they will be obliged hereafter to give
back to the government the money
that would otherwise belong to the
fiends. This might apply to two of the
plundering trio, but not to the third,
the favorite Commissioner. There is no
limit to his fees. He can go on and on.
charging and getting, and all is his be.
You'd the power of the government to
recover, And it looks as if the other
two officials were operating largely i'll
the interest OF their commissioner. 1t
is certain that many cases are taken
before him unnecessarily. The com
plants are filed in his court, the war
rants and subpeenaes are issued by him.
and he holds the preliminary inyestlga-
tons, when the grand jury is in session,
and at times the inqnisitors are so
lacking in something TO do that they
take cases from the Commissioners in
the midst of MS examinations, leaving
him absolutely nothing to do. If the
District Attorney and Marshal are not
working the fee industry for the benefit
of their man Friday, the Commissioner,
why are they so determined that every
thing shall go before him, when the
only object in The proceeding is to put
him in the way of taxing costs on the
government? Again. it seems that
bond cannot be given, or an .acknowl-
edgment taken except by the pet Com
missioner. And these all involve fees.
Until the fee fiend trio came into power,
this business was done in the District
Courts. The files will show that bonds
used TO be approved by the District
Judges and fled with the District |
Court clerks. rT ffi
But as to this matter of turning /
surplus fees into the Treasury. Did
anybody ever hear of any official ever
giving up anything? In the opinion of
he officer did District Attorney of
Utah ever reach the limit allowed by
aw? We have had District Attorneys
lere who came to Utah paupers,
md who after spending annually
vice their legitimate salaries
ave gone away in good finan-
ial circumstances. 1t IS not so long
go that any of us have forgotten the
ase, that a man left 81, 400 position to
ccept the Utah District Attorneyship,
nd while he didn't work the fee bust
ess with half the vigor and industry
ow displayed, heretired after four or
We years OF official life, with a fortune
all the way from $4,000 to
100000. Since leaving he has lived in
lie style of a man with a $4,000 a
come, and has earned little or no
oney in his profession. The present
istrict Attorney was next door tc
upper when he came to Utah. He was !
oxen and starved out Of his town. and
1e recommendation for appointment S
as his poverty. Now after a couple
years of service, he is understood to
man in prosperous circumstances,
wing excessively and enjoying life as
le' most thrifty attorneys do. Has he
lrned anything into the national trea-
Try, or is he doing like all his prede-
'ssors did, getting all he can and keep
g all he.gets, accounting for the sur
us aboze, the sum allowed him by
W, by bills for Office expenses, II
and so on? When Mr..
lckson. can show that he has given C
lex 10 the government all fees and
nolunasnts. in excess OF the sum
lowed him by statute, people may
'lieye that he is not fee fiend in his
yn behalf, though that will not ex-
ain away lhis deep anxiety for his
ling and hungry Commissioner.
1t is ia new thllgi if a Utah Marshal
8 ever returned cent to the govern .
ent. On the contrary, the rule with !
e Marshals has been. to go out of
ice owing the government, not for
e extra fees converted to their own ;
e, but for money unaccounted for .
netimes to the sorrow of their bonds =
N, and usually to the sorrow and loss H
the national treasury. i q
The story about turning the extra Is
npensation into the Treasury is s
asy in the extreme. 1t is tale to be e
to the marines. s
RESIDENT CLEVELAND wanted to show IS