Omaha daily bee., 1894-03-17
UNITED STATES COURT FEES.
Legislation to lie Enuctcd Looking to the
Rcctifying of Ucrtaln rbuses.

Legislation to lie Enuctcd Looking to the
Rcctifying of certain lrbuses.
WASHINGTON. March 1G.-For a number
Of years it has been the desire of the house
judiciary committee To- secure legislation re-
ducing expenses and reforming the methods
of the administration Of justice in the United
States courts. with that object in view in
vestigations have been coud lctel, with the re-
suit that serious abuses have been found to
exist in several of them. Effort. to remedy
these abuses have not to any extent proved
very effective. During the present congress
the house has passed n bill to change in
some respects the methods now in vogue in
some of the courts, but 1t has not yet been
acted on in the senate. Ii has been deter
mined, therefore,, by those Interested in Sc
curing the needed legislation to have the
propositions added as amendments to the
sundry civil bill now pending in the house.
These amendments have been prepared by
Representative Wolverton of PENNSYLVANIA.
at the instance of the judiciary committee,
and by agreement they will be offered to the
sundry civil bill today.
All the amendments have the approval Of
the Department Of Justice. They provide
substantially as follows; United States mar
shals are prohibited from charging more
than the actual travelling expenses for pris-
oners and guards, instead of 10 cents per
mile, as now aliowed by law. No fees are
to be paid to marshals for executing any
warrant from a United States commissioner
unless the same shall have been executed
within fifty days after issue. No person
who holds an office or employment under
the government shall receive CONDENSATION
for discharging the duties Of any other
office or employment. The fees of clerks of
courts are limited to SO, 900, and one person
may be clerk Of the circuit and district
courts at the same time at not exceeding
$4,000 per year. Commissioners fees
are limited to 81, 800. Naturalization
fees are fixed as follows: Filing declara-
ton of Intentions, 81, and final papers, 80,
and clerks of courts are required to retain
as part of their emoluments all fees for
naturalization. The fees of commissioner
are limited by making some changes in
existing laws. For all services whore
there is no arrest 81 is to be charged; for
a hearing and binding over on a criminal
charge and all services in the case So. and
no more. A fee of So is also fixed for hear.
ing and deciding in the case of persons
charged with an Ofense under a treaty, in
stead of So per day as now.
Another amendment prohibits the filing
of "informations' by private informers for
violations of internal revenue laws and re-
quires such information to be made by the
district attorney, collector or revenue agent.
Only such witnesses are to be subpoenaed
before the court as shall be directed by the
district attorney, instead of allowing the
deputy marshal to subpoena and take to
court any persons who desire to make the
trip. Jurors are to be paid for their
actual days attendance and the necessary
time consumed in going to and from the
court. No bill for witness fees is to be
paid until the district attorney certifes
that the witnesses were regularly sub
poenaed, we're in attendance and were neces-
sary. In hearings before commissioners
only two witnesses shall be subpoenaed I'M
less directed by the district attorney, and
the fees are not to be paid until the dis
trict attorney %certifes that the witnesses
were properly summoned. Bailiffs and
criers of courts are to be paid only for the
days which they actually served, and which
does not include any days when there was
actually no session of the court.