The Scranton tribune. [volume] (Scranton, Pa.) 1891-1910, 1897-06-26

BY an act of congress approved May
2S, 1896, all United States commission
ers are legislated out of office on June
~ OF this year. 1t affects Commission
ers A. j. Colborn and Milo j. Wilson,
of this city, and Gustav Hahn, Of
Wilkes-Barre. The latter is the oldest
commissioner in point of service, save
one in the western district of Pennsyl-
Vania. He was appointed July Z, 1865.
Heretofore commissioners have been
appointed by the judges of the United
states Circuit court, and served dur
ing life unless they resigned or were
removed for cause. The act of May
1896, reads as follows
DISTRICT COURT APPOINTS.
That the terms of Office of all commits
sioners of the circuit courts heretofore
appointed expire on June 30 1884, and
such office shall on that day cease to ex-
list and said commissioners shall. then de-
post all the records and other official
papers appertaining to their offices in the
office of the clerk OF the circuit court by
which they were appointed. All proceed
lngs pending or unfinished at said date
before any such commissioner shall be
continued and disposed of according to
law by such commissioner appointed as
herein provided by the district court for
that purpose
1t shall be, the duty of the district court
of each judicial district to appoint such
number of persons to be known as United
States commissioners at such places in
the district as may be designated by the
district court, which United States COM
missioners shall have the same powers
and perform the same duties as are noS
imposed upon commissioners of the cir
cult court.
The appointment of such United States
commissioners shall be entered of record
in the district courts and notice thereof
at once given by the clerk to the attor
ney general, that such United States
commissioner shall hold their office re-
spectively for the term of four years,
but they shall be at any time subject to
removal by the district court, and no per-
son shall at any time be clerk or deputy
clerk of a United States court and a
United States commissioner without the
approval of the attorney general.
Mr.. Colborn, who is a deputy clerk
of the United States courts, could not
hold the offices of clerk and commits
sioner without special permission from
the attorney general. He preferred the
position of clerk to commissioner as
it gives him roomy, well-lighted offices
in the Federal building and he made
no effort to continue to hold the office
of commissioner.
MIR. BRECK SELECTED.
Judge Burlington has appointed
Charles Du Pont Breck, of this city, as
commissioner for this part of the
state and it is not likely that Mr.
Hahn will have a successor. There are
now thirty-three commissioners in the
Western district of Pennsylvania and
this number will be cut down to some
thing less than 20. AS the fees of COM
missioners We're cut down by the act
of 1896 it is not likely that the office
will be any more lucrative under the
new arrangement than it was when
there was thirty-three commissioners.
Mr.. Breck was always a staunch
Democrat until last fall. He refused to
endorse the silver heresy and declared
for sound money and the Republican
standard bearers.