The Wichita daily eagle. [volume] (Wichita, Kan.) 1890-1906, 1896-03-03
A JUDICIOUS ABUSE.

For years bitter complaints have
gone up to Washington from Arkansas
Texas, West Virginia and other states
| against the wrongs that are perpetra
ted in the courts of the United States
by fragrant abuses of the fee system
Session after session Senator Vest has
Numbered against these iniquities; but
] the interest of INSCRIPTIONS Federal
marshals and their deputies has proved
more than a match for the Missouri
senator's eloquence. In vain has the
senator, in his fierce indignation
against judicial wrongdoing, shown
how multitudes of persons charged
with petty offenses against Federal
laws have been dragged hundreds of
miles from home and detained for days
and weeks around Federal courthouses
in order to swell the fees of greedy
wretches clothed with the authority
of the government. The srangest
thing is that little or no protest against
these iniquities has been made by the
Federal judges, without whose knowl-
edge they could hardly be committed
At last, Mr.. VI. B. Amber, of the
West Virginia Bar association, has
produced some cumulative evidence on
this subject which ought 20 arrest the
attention Of congress and the country.
In paper read before the association
Mr.. Amber charges that the courts
are used by INSCRIPTIONS officials as
mills for grinding fees out of the IN
fortunate victims of legal oppression.
AS proof of this he states that out OF
925 cases from West Virginia in the
United States courts last year there
We're only 391 convictions The rest
Of the cases resulted in acquitrals or
the entering of noIle prosequis. Mr.
Amber goes on to say that so terrible
are the delays and expenses of lidgants
that the well-to-do can hardly stand
1t, and the poor are rarely heard there
as parties except when the government
is accusing them OF crime" How
false are most of these accusations
against the poor the judicial records
bear witness. Mr.. Amber asks If
there be not ground for the thought
that ''the government has farmed out
her processes for fleeing the friend
less" What answer ought q great
and equitable government OF the people
TO make 10 so dreadful a reproach upon
its administration of justice? Either
that the charge Is utterly baseless and
imaginary, or that the abuses which
ii covers shall be swept away without
delay.
In defense Of the fee system Il is
pleaded that United States marshaIs
and their deputits and United States
district attorneys would not be vigilant
in tracking down and prosecuting Of
tenders il they should be paid moder-
ate salaries. There is no doubt that
officials whose zeal in the public ser
vice is stimulated by the prospect Of
large fees in every case they can rake |
up would prove exceedingly lukewarm |
on the trial if their reward should be !
made dependent upon the salaries |
which would he paid whether thep per |
formed their duties or not But il is /
not impossible for this government 20 /
secure faithful. Jealous and honest Of /
hcials for its courts by paying them /
sair salaries, and taking away the in !
centive of fees for depressing the poor
and the weak. IL would be a thousand /
times better that an occasional North 1
Carolina moonShiner should escape
for the dreadful crime OF
disuliins s. few gallons of appIejack
for his neighbors than that hundreds
of innocent persons should be dragged
on 10 jail and incarcerated for months
oa mere suspicion OF having violated I
Tie laws in order that md-shals and
and district attorBers
and clerks may accumulate their fees.
Il IS the judgment OF humane and en-