Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-06
JUSTICE AND JAILS
First Report Of Attorney General
McRenna.
A new GOVERNMENT PRISON NEEDED
Recommendations Regarding Local
Institutions.
7 RRITORY OF ALASKA

The first annual report of Attorney Cen
| eral Mckenna went to Congress today 1t
| includes the operations of his office since
ne took charge in March, and for the three
| months prior to that
| The Attorney General devotes consider
| able space TO the relations OF the Pacific
| railroads to the government, and gives
| report of the sale of the Union Pacific and
| preparations for the sale, next week, of
| the Kansas Pacific
| In the part relating to Pacific railroads
| is the fourth annual report of Ex-Governor
| George Hoadley, special assistant to the
| attorney General in the matter of the
| Union Pacific. He details the events lead
ing up to a guarantee TO bid by the reor-
| Sanizauon committee of the Union Pacific.
In the Supreme Court.
| The Attorney General reviews the i'm
| portant decisions of the Supreme Court, in
| which the government was a party, among
| others being the Chapman and Dunlop
| CO ses.
| The number of cases remaining undis-
posed of on the appellate docket of the
! supreme Cour. az the October term was
81. the smallest number in seven years.
| IN 1886 the number a the same time was
| l,lO There has been steady decrease
| until low.
| M
The report of Assistant Attorney General
Pradt is referred to as giving very full and
| precise Information concerning the business
| of the Court of Claims during the past
| year.
| The assistant attorney general recon-
mends. as did hi predecessor, the abolition
| of the claims jurisdiction of circuit and
| district courts. SO that but enc court will
determine the law concerning claims
| against the government. He points out
| mat ihe me st contradictory decisions are
| rendered in like cases in different districts
| ana that uniformity can only be obtained
| at present by appeals to the Supreme Court
| More serious embarrassmentS arise from
| me fact that many OF the claims were pre-
| ferred by officials of the government con-
nected with the courts themselves, and
| while the partial charge to the salary sys-
| TEN mas to great extent remedied this
| the Attorney General concurs in the recon-
| mendation of the assistant attorney gem
| eral
| Favorable attention is called 70 the
| recommendation, which was Intellectually
| repeated year after year, that the salaries
| OF the assistant attorneys in this depart
heht should be equalized and made $1,000
per annum. The ordinarily temporary char
| icter of such employment does not well
| justify an attorney who has an increasing
| practice paying him half that amount 10
| dbanuol 1t Tor temporary employment dis
| tant from his home, at $4,000 1t would
| seem 10 be the reverse of economical and
| wise to employ lawyers to defend suits
| involving many millions of dollars at COM
pensatfon less than private corporations
| would under the circumstances expect to
| pay.
The La Abra claim, growing out of claims
and awards against Mexico, has been de-
| clared fraudulent by the Court of Claims
| and an appeal taken to the Supreme Court
The similar case of the United States VS.
Ala Well is still pending in the former
court.
Indian Depreciation Claims.
The report of Assistant Attorney General
Thompson, in charge of the defense of In
| dian depreciation claims, is referred to for
a detailed account of that business. The
amount originally claimed in those cases.
| $4",1lo, SGI.GG, suffices to show the important
interest of the government in their proper
| defense.
An important question as to the liability
| OIL an Indian tribe to have its annuities
| taken TO pay claimants where individuals
| OF the tribe stole property and the tribe
| was never appealed to for satisfaction as
| required by treaties and statutes has been
| advanced for early hearing in the Supreme
| Court. The decision will determine many
| cases. and. if favorable to the government
and Indian tribes, will considerably reduce
| the total amount to be paid on account of
| this class of claims.
| Solicitor of the Treasury,
The business of the office of the solicitor
of the treasury during the last fiscal year
| is shown by his report.
Among the numerous interesting facts
| stated by him, 1t appears that 1856 suits
| were commenced; that lbs were decided
| in favor of the United States 50 adversely
| 400 settled and dismissed, leaving 1 I:Sg sill
| pending; that the number of suits decided
| or otherwise disposed of during the wear
| was 4,511; that the whole amount for which
| Judgment was obtained. exclusive of de-
| crees in rem, was $I4S,}SS.70. and the en-
| tire amount collected from all sources was
| So, 90. "a. The number of opinions rem
dered was III.
| Attention is called to the recommended
| ton of the solicitor that an appropriation
| be made to enable him to complete the
| set of state reports for his library he hav-
ing no reports of Idaho, South Dakota,
| North Dakota. South Carolina Utah
| Washington, Wyoming or any of the ter
| ritories; and to his recommendation that
| the two fourth-class clerks who keep the
| principal dockets in his office, and the
| fourtn-class clerk performing the duties
OF law clerk. have their salaries raised to
! $1,000 per annum. The necessity for
| complete library for the solicitors Office
would seem to need argument, in view
| OF the multiplicity and Importance of the
| legal business there transacted.
Circuit Courts of Appeals.
The Attorney General says: The state of
| business in these courts is shown. The
| cases docketed during the past fiscal year
were us, being decrease OF 40 rom TIE
preceding year; To rGses were disposed OF
| being a decrease of %, leaving SAP cases
| pending at the close of the fiscal year, be-
ing an increase of 49, One hundred and
forty three cases have been argued and
await decision. as against 2O4, and 33 have
been taken to the Supreme Court of the
United States. as against So In the preceding
year. l think 1t Is generally conceded that
these courts have justified their creation
by accomplishing what was expected of
them.
THE necessity for additional circuit
| judges was brought to the attention of
Congress by my predecessor in the report
for 1884, and the Congress has provided an
additional judge each for the seventh
eighth. and ninth circuits. beg to repeat
the recommendation In the last report
| that the same may be done at the coming
session for the fifth and sixth circuits
The sixth was one of the circuits mention
ed by my predecessor. 1 invite special at
tention to the table showing the amount
of business brought and disposed of In the
various circuits. The district judges are
as a rule, more busily occupied in the sixth
and fifth circuits than in many of the 9TH
ers which affords additional reason for
civ hoe