The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1889-12-06
ATTORNEY GENERAL
Miller on Crimes Against the
Ballot Box.
WOOL GROWERS IN CONVENTION.
A Committee Waits on Secretary Windom-The
Farmers Alliance Verdict in the
Minneapolis Tribune Fire.

WASHINGTON, Dec. SIN his annual re-
port, Attorney General Miller says that
during the year 2 ,2S7 civil suits and 14,5SS
criminal prosecutions were terminated, land
there are pending 1850 of the former and
1872 Of the latter class. Miller recon-
mends that provision be made for a
United States penitentiary and United
States reformatory, the latter being in
tended for the confinement of the milder
class of criminals. He also urges the es-
tablishment of prison bureau in the de-
partment of justice, where could be gath
cred, collated and recorded in permanent
form the criminal statistics of the United
States. In the chapter on law business,
the attorney general says:
Very soon after the 4th of March last It was
brought to my attention that at the recent Con-
greSsional elections there were very numerous
and far-reaching violations of the federal laws
relating to such elections. 1t was charged that
by the intimidation of voters, by SeiZing and
destroying ballot-boxes, by the substitution of
false ballots, by false returns by bribery Of
voters and the election of officers, and by vari-
Gus other means well known to those engaged
in this nefarious business the popular will was
stified and falsified and the returns obtained
were wholly at variance with what would have
been the result of free and fair vote honestly
counted District attorneys have been instruct
ed to investigate where the department has been
informed as to violation and to prosecute every
persons implicated in such violations Of the
federal laws and in number of states such
prosecutions have been successful. large
number OF indictments have been returned, upon
some OF them trials have been had, and III
number OF cases convictions have been obtained.
II is proper to say that in some cases efforts
have been made, some of them recently, to pre-
vent and cripple these prosecutions by at
temptS to 1ntlmldate the marShalS from Serv-
ing process, and witnesses from giving their
testimony, such intimidation going to the ex-
tent of actual aSSnation. But it must not be
supposed that the hostility TO United
States courts and officers is con-
fined to election matters. On the con-
trary the records Of the department Of justice
Show that in some districts that the civil pro-
cutions, wholly disconnected with the elective
franchise. cannot proceed because the lives of
necessary witnesses are in such danger that 1t
would be simply inhuman to enforce their at
tendance and the giving OF their testimony,
while there is evidence to the effect that in GER
tain localities no occupation is so dangerous as
the faithful performance OF their duty by United
States marshals. OF course such lawlessness
cannot be tolerated.
The attorney general speaks of the i'm
portance of some changes in the judicial
system which will enable the courts, and
especially the supreme court, to dispose of
the accumulated business, and in this con-
nection he calls particular attention to the
fact that in view of the establishment
during the past year of new courts requir-
ing large increase in the expenditure of
money in payment Of witnesses that the
estimate for the next year has been made
in the sum of 81 ,000, 900, instead of 5000, 900
appropriated for the current year.