The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-02-19
THE AGE OF THEFT.
STEALINGS, STEALINGS IN EVERY
DIRECTION

STEALINGs, sTEALINGS IN EVERY
DIRECTION.
The consideration Of the urgent de-
ficiency bill was then resumed. The
The item of $4,000 for salaries Of
judges and officers of the federal
courts in the Indian territory
brought out protest from Mr..
Chandler. Two Of the judges (Sprin.-
er and Kilgore) are ex-members Of
Congress, and had gone to the Indian
territory with all the extravdgant no
tions engendered by life in Washing
ton and me mbership in a billon-dol-
lar Democratic congress. Mr.. Chand-
Ter said he was not yet prepared to
make charges, but he believed from
letters received that all is not as it
should be in the administra tion of In
dian courts. Mr.. Chandler also crit-
ciSed the growing expenditures under
the department Of justice. These had
trel!d IN ten gears with little in
crease in business. The senator
Democratic in both branches and
with a Democratic president, had ap-
p1cprioted s615, 900 tor United States mar
shdls, and nude 1t necessary to prOuide ST.
1910, 900 for deficiencies for United Sta'es
marshals. Mr.. Chandler declared that
the fee system was responsible for the
growing extravaganza Of federal
court officers. He spoke of conspira-
cias in Alabama, South Carolina and
elsewhere to get up fraudulent prose-
cutions to swell fees OF officers.
This brought Mr.. Tillman (Dem., s.
Co. to his feet for a characteristic
speech. He agreed with Mr.. Chandler
that the fee system was wrong. A
supreme court judge had recently
pointed out that court officials were
encouraged to get up fictitious prose-
cutions. There is class Of habitual
witnesses in the South. They do
nothing but earn witness fees. going
around 'bamboozling negroes'' and
getting whole teams of negroes to
prosecute fictitious cases. The thing
to do was to reform the law.
Mr.. Sherman spoke of the enormous
cost Of our government system which
arose in the part from the complica-
ton of appropriation bills. Mr.. Sher-
man urged that the budget system in
use in England was far simpler than
the American and could be profit
ably adopted.
Mr.. Vest spoke Of the robbery and
plumber" practlced by the United
States marshals in order to earn fees.
There were voteries and rings Of these
marshals who made it trade to go
around arresting men and dragging
them hundreds Of miles to Jail, not
for purposes Of justice, but to swell
marShalS' fees.
If an inq uiry into the subject is or
dered we would suggest that the office
of the United States District A ttorney
for Minnesota be looked into. We,
hear that that gentleman has got a
very soft snap Of it. His deputies are
allowed mileage at ten cents a mile.
They travel on railroad passes and so
are at no outlay except for meals. Ii
they paid their fare it would be but
three cents mile instead Of ten; but
the worst Of it is the United States
District Attorney procures pass for
the deputy and then, as we hear from
good authority, pockets the ten cents
q mile himseU This amounts to $500 a
month or $4,000 year. achich is added
to has handsome salary. Now il the in
cumb9nt was a resplendent genius
this might be tolerated, but when APP
pointed Mr.. Stringer was simple at
torney at Hastings, Mimi, and prob
ably happy if he got 81, 900 year; but
by services to "the powers that be"
he obtained this soft snap and he is
now milking the taxpayers by ma
chinery. He will retire with for
tune. (unlesS Congress makes him dis
gorge),and the fool Democrats who did
the voting and hurrahing will be
poorer than ever.