Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1897-12-06

uhuisposeo OF. there having been only for
ty-three pending July /. 1897. and seven
argued and awaiting decision.
business of the Federal Courts,
The work Of the federal courts through
out the country is given by the Attorney
General. /; shows that 1884 cases were
terminated during the year
The report of Special Attorney REYNOLDS
SHOWS in detail the business done by the
Court OF Private Land Claims during the
past year.
The Importance of the work of this court
10 the governments interests and tn, sim
greater importance of il In settling titles in
large section of the country reuuir, no
special argument. Large portions OF the
pubic domain have been saved by recent
decisions OF the supreme Court upon some
OF these claims. In the New Mexico dis
ulct, nfty cases have been disposed
oil. wherein there We're claims 10 26la35;'
acres, which have been rejected % The
amount of 2.i34 .i4 acres.
The Library.
Regarding the library he SAYS:
The Importance of a large law library to
this dcpa. .meht need not be seriously ar
sued, nor is the expensiveness of many
legal publications unknown to Congress
Yet Tor years past the Attorney General has
recommended without success an Increase
IN the appropriations of 81 .25o and $3.50 and
soe'lal appropriation OF 5000 for the
recommend n
preparations of s2.t:'u and 5000 The re-
port OF the librarian. appended. calls atten-
t'"l 10 the need of more room for the liz
pIarN. That need is no more real. how
ever, Tor the books than for the officers az
the department. and l may take this on
portunitN to say that the department has
outSfown the building it occupies IL may
nave escaped attention that this building
owing 10 high ceilings. affords less floor
room than it appears To have and thai ,ho
whole force is crowded upon four stories
one Wholly occupied 10y the new accounts
division Besides the rooms of the liI,r,rx,
ana mat division. the total number Of
rooms, large and small, is twenty some Of
them hardly entitled to be called rootnS 4
recommend that some provision be made
Tor a suitable building. as well as tenn
poral'y relief for the library
Pardons.
The report of the attorney in charge Of
pardons exhibit o. contains the following.
covering the fiscal year 1897:
Applications filed ESQ; pardous granted
50: pardcns granted conditionaIIy. ;; SEN
fences committed, 9S; RESERVATIONS to citi-
zenshp, 81; respites, .; fines RENTED >:
applications denied by the President 10
The expenses of the department proper
for the past year, including all items. were
S3l9 FAB.
United States Prisoners.
The status of United States prisoners,
with relation to the places of their connne-
ment, employment and treatment has (
materially changed since the last annual
report To Congress.
On June 30. 1891. there Were confined in
the various prisons and reformatorics f
the country 3o11 United States prisoners.
The number SO confined on June ~. lSgG.
was BOP. showing an increase Of but ~
during the year. In the previous fiscal
year from June 20. 1887 to June 30. IS96.
the increase was 1895. These figures would
seem to indicate that the acme, as to num-
bers. has been reached, and il may be fair
iy questioned whether the total number of
federal convicts for whom provision must
Ice made in the future will greatly exceed
5000 at any time. if not possibly less.
What was said upon this subject in the
last annual report, calling attention to the
Importance and necessity of providini, for
the erection of suitable government prisons,
is now repeated in the hope that proper
action will be taken.
United States conVicts are now confined
in the prisons OF more than thirty states
and territories, to which they are sentenced
and left without any special provision tor
subsequent inquiry or supervision by fed
eral authority. No state thus disposes If
its prisoners. and the reasons which in
duced this policy on the part of the general
government have lost their force.
But so long as the present practice Of
scattering federal convicts throughout the
states and territories continues. specific
provision should at least be made for FREE
quent inspections under direction If the
Attorney General with view to aScer-
aiming their condition and treatment nd
discharging the duty involved in the lea-
ton Of the government toward them. Such
examinations of this nature as nave been
heretofore conducted have been made
opportunity permitted. with but slight at
tempt at regularity, and by officers az en-
ployes temporarily assigned to that work
as incidental to the discharge of other du-
ties at the same time.
The results of these infreduent investi-
Cations. however. have been sufficient TO
shCw the need OF measures for mere ade-
quate governmental supervision. The ne
cesSty for suitable United States prisons
and reforma tories has been heretofore
urged in the reports TO Congress from this
del artment. and it is believed that the
time for adequate provision To that end hss
fully arrived.
An act was passed by the Fifty-frst Con-
gress authorizing the purchase of sites
for the erection of three United States
prisons. but was held &c he imperative be-
cause it carried no appropriation. should
ii be deemed ineNpedient now TO make an
aIpropria ton sufficient 20 carry out the
original purposes of that law. IL Is sug-
gesied that at least one penitentiary should
he established in a southern state for the
confinement of convicts from southern dis
trictS.
1t has been ascertained that there are in
The south quite a large number of reserva-
tions belonging to the government mill
tary and otherwise. among which a suita-
selected. If not, offers made after the
passage of the act just mentioned show
that the land required would doubtless lie
furnished free of cost to the government.
District of Columbia Jail.
The Attorney General says regarding To-
cal institutions:
THE Jail in the District of Columbia is
in excellent condition and its management
satisfactory to this department. The pris-
oners are well cared for, are well fed at "A
very reasonable cost, and the institution
is maintained at moderate expense. Sew
eral necessary repairs have been made,
among them a new roof, at n cost of 5000.
which was imperatively necessary. An APP
preparation has now been made by Com
gress for "A new cell room for female pris-
oners, the necessity for which has Ere
uuenily been urged in former reports; the
work has been inaugurated and Will soon
be completed. BY these improvements am
pie accommodations will be afforded for
all the female prisoners in "A portion of the
building entirely separate and apart
Preparations are also being made to
begin the erection of a wall about the in
closure and for needed repairs, under APP