Iron County register. [volume] (Ironton, Iron County, Mo.) 1867-1965, 1890-12-11
DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE.

Annual Report of Attorney-General Mil.
ier-Justice Declared to be DISTRACTED
la Many Places, Officers and Witnesses
Assassinated and the Murderers Pro-
tected Under State Courts-The Work
of the Year.
WASHINGTON, Dec. 5.-The annual
| report of Acknowledgement Miller for
the last fiscal year shows that the du-
Ties OF the Department of Justice nave
| oeen extensive and varied The en-
| forcement of the laws and the dlfhcul-
ties therein encountered are set forth.
The report says:
In some parts of the country the lawtess-
| ness to which attention was called III the
| last annual report of this department con
| tlnues. The endorsements of the Internal
| revenue laws and of the United states Eiec-
ton laws is particularly resisted, ana ON,
| GERS OF the internal revenue, as wen as tillteu
states lnarshals are frequently met win tio-
| lence, and are occasionally the victims OF as
| sassination at the hands of those Sulit! Oh
| violation of these and other laws, ana thef
| friends. Several assassinations OF o1ncef5
| and witnesses, with the purpose OF iiipeu-
| ing the execution of laws and orders OF the
| United States courts have occurred during
the past year Within the last ten days Il
! deputy marshal attempting to serve a war
| rant for the arrest of man Tor VOCATION VI
| the postal laws shot and instantly Killed
|
preliminary examination before magistrate
| of the state, the prisoner was promptly DIS
| charged
| 1t is certainly an anomaly in government,
| that those who have committed murders Tor
| the purpose of stopping prosecutions III the
| Federal courts should not only not be pun
| i5hed, but not even be put upon trial,
| although in at least two cases in one district
| during 1890, well known. Yet such is the fact.
| 1t is needless to say that the Federal courts
"a jurisdiction these
| fcnses. Section $500 of the Revised Statutes
| provides that if any person attempts by in
| timidation, threats, etc, to prevent any citi-
| zen from exercising the right of suffrage,
| and i'll doing commits felony, or If two
| or more persons conspire to debar any per-
| son from the enjoyment OF any of his civil
rights and in doing commit a felony, such
| felony shall be punished according to the
| laws OF the State wherein the same is COM
| United.
| If Section 500 were so broadened as to
make any felony, committed while in the act
OF violating any statute of the United States,
triabie in the United States courts, and pun
ishable according to the laws of the State
wherein the same is committed, it would
greatly help in the administration of justice.
SO long persons who kill officers, wit
nesses or jurors, for the purpose of mped-
ing the administration of justice, can only
be tried and punished in Federal Court
for a minor offense, the administration of the
United States laws and the laws themselves
The Supreme Court has recently decided
that there is peace of the United States"
Is it not the duty of Congress to provide by
law for the preservation of this peace"
everywhere and at all times.
Notwithstanding the difficulties of the sit
uation, the officers of this department have
been dfligent in executing the laws. In
prosecutions for violations of the Election
laws, in several districts, convictions and
pleas of guilty have been obtained in large
har of a. AG CT
difficulties met in such prosecutions, the dis
trict attorney for one district reports that, in
- certain county, a 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 that in another county, a num-
Der of whose citizens were in like manner
convicted had pleaded guilty to indict-
ments for such offenses in the United States
court, 81 300 actually paid out of the
county treasury upon such fines and costs in
one day.
These facts speak for themselves.
The crowded condition of the Supreme
Court docket is brought to public attention.
The docket of the court, at the close of the
last term, as compared with the condition at
the close of the term next preceding shows
an increase of thirty two cases undispoed of,
appellate and original. Five thousand. five
hundred and sixty mine petitions, represent
ing 1899 vessels. and claims of about SAP 000.-
600, have been filed in the Court of Claims
under the French Gpolation act and during
the past year twenty four cases have been
decided fsvorably for the claimants, involv-
ing an allowance of S102, SOB.
During the past fiscal year lies civil suits.
to which the United states party ter
minated. There were terminated during tho
year 16, 126 criminal prosecutions, 1877 under
the Customs laws; 6,720 under the Internal
Revenue laws $50 under Post office laws ags
under Election laws 3 under the Civil RigEtS
under Intercourse under
the Pension laws; IS for embeZZlement,
under the Inter State Commerce laws; 2
under the Naturalization laws, and 6s91 mis-
cel1aneOus prosecutions.
The aggregate of fines, forfeitures and poo
aties imposed during the year in criminal
prosecutions was s5l1 S64, and the amount OF
these fines, forfetures and penalties cob
lected during the year WAS SS7 ,629.-