The times. [volume] (Richmond, Va.) 1890-1903, 1891-02-11
THE SHIPPING BILL.
4 RICHNOND DELEGiTTON Ar WASH
INGTON IN ITS TdyOR.

Prospects of Its Coming Up Next Week
with Favorable Ecport-Selninc In the
! Potomac Washington News and General
Capital Gleanings.
WAsHrxGroy. Feb. Especial. Mr.. John
! A. Curtis and Mr. 4. Is. Clarke, representing
the Richmond Chamber of Commerce, VISITED
the Capitol today i'm behalf of the Shippin,
| bI They first called upon Senator Barbour
who escortee them to the House. where
conferences were held with several q
| the Virginia members Of Congress
| The gentlontn Of tie delegation did moi
see Chairman Farquhar. Of the Commttec
/ on Merchant Marine lut in an interview
/ with TIE TINFs correspondent Mr. farquhal
/ said ne had been informed OF the presence oi
! the Richmond delegation. and would see
! them Tomorrow. Speaking Of the pros
/ poets of the Shipping bill. Chairman fai
| quhar said II will get the bill ~
/ again. and am absolutely confident II
/ will piss We decided some DAYS ago not 20
attempt TO call it mp until all the approprln-
| ton bills are out of the way. II would not De
! policy 90 antagOnizc appropriation bills. Mr..
/ Chairman informed me to-day that the appro-
| pIiation bills viii All be passed by the end Of
! tits week. | have assurance from the Com
! nittee ON Rules that we shall have an cppOr-
! mnitv 10 further consider the shipping bli,
| and think you will be entirely safe IN saying
| IL viii come up next week"
ILLEGAL PRACTICE IL FFDHnAL COURTS.
4 subcommittee q the House Committee Of
/ the Judiciary. which spent some time last Se7-
| sion i'm investigating charges # Illegal prlc-
/ ticc iu Federal courts iu various parts of the
| country submitted Its report on the inquiry
! a. the full committee to-day. but no action
! was taken ON it Copious extracts from the
! testimony taken Is embodied IN the report to
show the character and extcAt of practices IN
/ dulged in These practices. tie report
| SHOW. embraccd the general suspension
! of sentences pronounced ON persons convicted
/ Of violating the internal revenue and timber
/ cutting laws principally IN the districts OF
| West Virginia and Northern Georgia and IN
! Northern Middle, and southern districts OF
! Alabama thus encouraging methods OF fee
making practiccd bv United States district
/ attorneys. marshals and their deputies,
/ United States commissioner. clerks of Federal
/ courts and other officers connected with the
! judicial department Oi the Government Inc
! Sub-cOmnit'cc says that TINS practice oI
/ su-pcndiug sentence has been carried TO an
extent that +. rcprehcnsible, and recommends
! the legislation. providing that IN criminal
! eases. upon conviction. the Judge shall imme-
diately prouunce sentence unless there Is
some good cause for delay
INMhNhAAlLD IlAl1rAL.
The evidence shows. says the report. that
In some parts Of the country men are induced
| hv deputy mar,hals mud United States COM
mi.sioners 90 make complaints against each
/ other for violations Of the internal Tcyenue and
/ timber laws and ere arrested by the deputy
! mar-hale and brought before the commission
| crs. where after hearing. they are bound
over to court often Giving bail for each other
and appearing before the court as
/ defendants. witnesses and bail. They
come mp n batchcs. the report says. and at
| one time. in the State of Alabama. eighty-nlnc
men from Marion county plead guilty al
Huntsville. and at another time forty-onc men
from Lowar county pleaded guilyat Birming-
| ham 0f violations of the internal revenue laws,
and in both instances sentence was suspended
and defendants discharged without punish
ment.
1t is shown by the report that large NUM-
! bcfs of witnesses are summoned in nearly
every case the Federal officers charging for
every petty service performed in securing
| them. increasing their mileage allowances by
| making unnecessary trips, and that they
pocket allowances intended for witnesses and
others who pay their charges United states
| commissioners by these means secure annual
| incomes ranging from $1,000 10 1oOOO
COMMISSIONER HALLET CRITICISED.
Commissioner Henry /. Hallett. at Boston.
! Mass. is criticised for obtaining fees bv prac-
| tees such a. these. and the subcommittee
states that while he admitted that his average
| income during the last six years was -2.6l5.
the residence satisfied the commisslonerit was
| much larger. Considering the cases be
fore Mr. Hallett's court, the report
SAYS 1T is manifest that most Of
these prosecutions are frivolous cases
Of uninteutiOnal technical violations OF
| law. which if prosecuted in court would be
! froWned uUOn and only the lowest penalties
/ imposed, and as stated by Commissioner Hal
l-t the costs Of commissioner would not be
/ included in the penalty. But "a compromise
/ of the commissioner and other officers secure
| their costs. which is shown 10 be- usually the
/ amount due the Government for tax. making
/ the enforcement, Of law oppressive against the
poor and ignorant The subcommittee re-
fers To Mr Hallet as "pcrsistant fee-maker
! and apparently subject 90 nOrcstraint m the
| methods he pursues. except such as the ac-
/ counting officers OF the Treasury impose by
/ disall0wing the illegal fees lac claims"
The report reviews in detail the illegal prac
! tices existing elsewhere than IN Boston, and
| recommends the substitution Of salaries Tor
! fees as the only method of putting an end 10
| the colUptons IF the free system. The
| practice prevailing ia the United States
/ Courts in Boston of allowing court clerks and
/ deputies % natunilize foreigners, charging
fees ranging from II 10 "a FOR performing
| each step Of the process. IS condemned III
strong terms we think" say the sub-c0m-
mittee, there can be no stronger illustration
| of the insufhcicncy of our naturalization laws
| and of the insufficieucy with which they are
/ administered than this testimony affords.
RECOMMENDS TIE ELL.
IN conclusion. the subcommittee recon-
mends the passage of the bill introduced IN
the House 10y Representative Oates, OF Louis
/ lana 20 regulate immigration. and 10 amend
] the naturalization laws Of the United States
Accompanying the report Is bill prepared
/ bv the subcommittee intended 20 prevent "a
repetition of these illegal practices by pre-
scri5ing the fees and salaries that shall be re-
ceiyed and more efficient system Of accounts
A bill is also submitted % regulate the prac-
tice Of pronouncng sentence III criminal
| cases.
The subcommittee recommends the dis
| missal If J. 4. Green. United States Circuit
commissioner for the Northern district Of
Alabama. and in reference 10 Judge Bruce
| of the Northern and Middle districts Of Ala
bama. il says that II feels obliged TO say that
Judge Bruce is too much inclined 10 surren-
der the discretion that belongs TO him alone
and 10 register as the judgment OF the court
the agreement of the counsel
CAPITAL MOTIFS.
Bv direction Of the President. the War De
paltment order dated January 81 1891. de
failing First Lieutenant John ). PaTke, Jr.