The Portland daily press. [volume] (Portland, Me.) 1862-1921, 1885-10-06
ALABAMA CLAIMS COURT.
Walker Blaine Begins Suit to Re
cover His Salary.

WASHINGTON, Oct. 5.-Walker Blaine, ESD,
one OF the associate counsel OF the Alabama
Court, whose salary the comptroller cut on mas
commenced suit against the goyernment m the
Court of Claims to recover his salary refused py
the treasury officials. This is test case and the
other two dozen or more similar eases will depend
upon its fate. The Alabama court will go right on
with its work. and will be run day and night until
December 81 the date of the close of its existence
Every employe will ''stick' and soon additional
clerks will be engaged. In fact the court Will
fairly boom for the next three months and it is ex
pected the entire docket will be cleared. The
money necessary for running the court will be tur
nished by the attorneys who have cases on tne
docket. Some law firms have expended as mucn
as hundred Thousand dollars in collecting evl-
dence In the prosecution of their cases, and can
notnow afford see the court crippled in any man
ner. Hence they have contributed literally 70
large fund which has been collected quietly during
the past few weeks. This money will be sufficient
to run the court in fine style and the employees,
who have their salaries suspended by the treas
ury, will be paid promptly out of it, There are
judgments on the records of the court aggregat-
ing five millions OF dollars and the lawyers feared
the very life OF the tribunal was at stake The
movement toward crippling the court is said to be
be remembered in the Senate discussion, desired to
give the insurance companies a better status be-
fore this tribunal than was eventually done by
Congress The insurance companies, OF course,
would be glad to see the court completely wreck
ed and the balance of the Geneva award would
be distributed among them,
The Court of Alabama Claims met this morn
ing after its summer recess, and resumed the con-
sideration of current business. Judge Harlan,
tile pTtSlufuB JUuS6 OI LIle court. Uldut puDilC
announcement of the recent decision of the First
Comptroller of the Treasury that the salaries OF
only such employees as were named in the organic
act would be allowed in settling the pay accounts
of the court and said that therefore If all other
employees continued in their present duties It
would be with the expectation that provision will
be made for their pay by Congress. The regular
force have notified the court that they will con
tnue in their present duties with that under
standing.
All the principal attorneys for claimants before
the Court of Commissioners of Alabama Claims
have signed an agreement to pay to Jeremiah NJ.
Wilson and Frank W. Hackett, attorneys, certain
sums of money to loan or advance TO the clerks
or other employees of the court not to exceed the
amount due such persons as salary and authorized
by existing law, and any portion of the money not
used, and all moneys received in return for the
advances and loans made are to be divided pro
rata among the subscribers. This action is taken
on the ground that the expenses hitherto incurred
by the court are in the opinion of the attorneys
just aud reasonable and such as the court was
authorized to incur; that all such ex-
penses will first be deducted from the
money now in the treasury before the
balance will be apportioned among their clients;
that by reason of such fact such expenses are in
the end be plid by their clients and that unless
some provision is made for paying its clerks and
employees, the court will not be able to dispose of
its business and the interests of their clients will
Suffer thereby.