Rock Island daily Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1886-1893, 1890-12-05
THE DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.
Attorney General Miller Thinks 1t Need,
Some STRENGTHENING

| Attorney General Miller Thinks 1t Needs
! Some Strengthening.
WASHINGTON CRY. Dec 5-The annual
| report of Attorney General Miller for the
last fiscal year shows that the duties of the
department of justice have been extensive
and varied The enforcement of the laws
and the difficulties encountered are set
forth. In some parts OF the country, SAYS
the report, the lawlessness to which atten-
| ton was called in the last annual report
of this department continues. The enforce
ment of the internal revenue laws and of the
| United States election laws is particularly
resisted and officers of the internal reye-
nue., as well as United States marshals.
are frequently met with violence, and are
| occasionally the victims of assassination
at the hands of those guilty of violation of
these laws and their friends Several as-
sassinations of officers and witnesses. with
the purpose of impeding the execution OF
the laws and orders OF the United States
courts, have occurred during the mast
| year.
Pertinent Illustration.
Within the last ten DAYS deputy mar
shall, attempting to serve warrant for
| the arrest of man for violation of the
| postal laws, was shot aud instantly killed
| by the man sought to be arrested Alta
preliminary examination before a Inaois-
trate of the state the prisoner was prompt
ly discharged. 1t is certainly an anomaly
in government that those who have COM
mitted murders for the purpose of stop
ping prosecution in the federal courts
should not only notbe punished, but not
even put on trial, although at least twoca
In one district during 1890 are well
known Yet, such is the fact
An Inefficient Law.
IL Is needless to say that the federal
courts have no adequate jurisdiction of
these otfenses. The attorney general then
quotes section $500, revised statutes, which
purports to provide for offenses against the
rights OF citizens, and says that if the sec
ton were SO broadened as to make any fell
ony committed while in the act of violat
ing any statute of the United States tria-
Bile in the United States court and pun
ishable according to the law of the state
wherein the same is committed, it would
greatly help in the administration of JUS
tice. The supreme court has recently de
cided that there is a ''peace of the United
States" Is it not the duty OF congress to
provide by law for the presel ystion of this
peace" everywhere and at az timess
4 Pretty State of Affairs.
III prosecutions Tor violations OF the
election laws, in several districts, convic-
tons and pleas of guilty have been OBJ
tanned in large number of cases. As an
illustration of one of the difficulties met in
such prosecutions the district attorney for
one district reports that in certain
county 6 number of whose citizens were
convicted OF violations of the election
laws, the county court ordered all fines
and costs assessed against them in the
United States court to be paid out of the
county treasury; and in another county, a
number of whose citizens were convicted
in like manner, or had pleaded guilty to
indictments for such offenses in the
United States court, 81 800 was actually
paid out Of the county treasury upon such
fines and costs in one day< These facts
speak for themselves