The times., 1898-12-07
DEPARTMENT. OF JUSTICE
Annual Report of Attorney
General Griggs.
GOVERNMENT IN ALASKA
Filed in the Supreme Court-Bet-
ter Pay for United States Marshnis
Fee System Of commissioners
Should BE Made Penitcntinry.

The annual report of John w. Griggs
the Attorney General, which was given
out yesterday, is of peculiar interest this
year because of the several legal matters
of Importance that have grown out of the
war with Spain. Among these are the adj
judication of eases under the war internal
revenue law and the prize cases for Span
ish vessels captured and destroyed by the
American navy.
1t is probable that the prize eases will
be considered of most interest TO the aver
age reader The report gives for the first
time any statistics that are known to be
reliable and accurate, as TO the value OF
the ships captured and destroyed. The
Attorney General recites that Il total of
ffty-six vessels were brought into various
ports and libeled as prizes during the
progress of the war. OF this number fifty
were taken to Key West, within the juris-
dictIon of the Southern district OF Flor
ida, four were taken to Charleston, one to
Savannah and one to New York.
All but eight of the cases brought in
the Southern district of Florida have been
heard and decided those still undecided
being cases of capture during .ae later
stages of the war.
The amount realized from the sale Of
captured vessels and cargoes condemned
as prize is s7Jl .c3i.26. In ten of the cases
the claimants have appealed to the Su-
preme Court and the others are now pend
ing.
Mr. Griggs comments ON the novelty o!
this class of cases Ito the judge ana la"-
| yers of this generation. and states thdt
the several district attorneys and mar
shals are especially deserving of COM
mendation for their promptitude, ability
and success with the cases. The work OF
the district judges Is also mentioned by
! him. He states that they have accorueu
the Government and the claimants unu-
sual privileges for expediting the hearings
Mr.. Griggs does not take up the war
revenue cases in detail in his report Le-
| cause OF the fact that they are FUZZY
dealt with in the report of the Com
| missioner of Internal Revenue He re-
| fers TO them however, with the sugses-
I tion that in several matters the Depart
ment of Justice has found defects in the
| law. which may. If Congress sees mt. be
| remedied by new legislation He says
| that the law has been especially PRO-
| ductiye of doubtful questions.
| A short paragraph OF the report is de-
| voted to the recent fire in the rooms Of
| the Supreme Court. Many vaiuabe rec
| ords of the court were endangered. Mr.
| Grisgs SAYS. and he advises that 'an
| adequate appropriation be made to lur-
nish iireproof file cases in the office OF
| the clerk
The Supreme Court in the court year
of lS91 disposed of So cases. There were
doeketed during the year 3le eases. so
! ~ -
| duced by 10 The number of cases re-
naming undisposed of was 3IS There
! has been rapid reduction Of the num-
ber of cases on the Supreme Court dock
ct during the last seven years the
| number undisposed of in 1880 having been
| I,190.
There were Sc cases disposed of before
the court during the term in which the
| United States was party or had sub
| stantial interest The United States was
| appellant in So of the cases and appellee
| in &C. There were certitications of aues-
tfons by the Circuit Court of Appeals.
| of the cases appealed by the Government
| u were decided in its favor, $ against it,
10 were dismissed by it. l was dismi: SD
per stipulation and We're dismissed by
the court OF the IS cases in VIII ch
| the Government was appellee. p were
| determined in its favor. adversely. :
were dismissed by the appellants. were
| reversed by stipulation and the remain
| der were dismissed by the court
There were three capital criminal
cases tried. OF these one was decided
in favor of the United States, one ad-
versely, and in one error was confessed
by the United States
OF the whole number of cases in which
the Government was interested, thirty
eight were decided in its favor and eight
cen against it
The Attorney General briefly reviews the
| important cases taken up by the Supreme
Court. Among them are the cases of the
United States against the North American
! Commercial Company for large amounts
claimed by the Government from the COM
pany for rental and other charges for th5
seal fisheries on the Pribilof Islands; the
case of the United States against the
Joint Traffic Association. and the Potomac
Flats cases, in which the decision of the
court has not yet been rendered.
In the paragraphs relating 10 the Court
of Claims, Mr.. Griggs suggests that Con-
gress enact such legislation as shall make
its intention clear with regard to Indian
depreciation claims. over lG,0e9 OF which
are now awaiting decision on account OF
difficulty of adjustment.
A full review of the Pacific Railroad
matters is made. The settlement of the
Union Pacific affairs by the payment o
the Government claim against the roaC
in full is described, and the payment o
the principal of the Kansas Pacific deb
and the steps that have been taken to Sc
cure the Governments interest. Th'
present condition of the Central Pacif,
matter under the law passed by Congress.
last July is also described. The proceed
ings for the foreclosure of the road hav,
been suspended by the Attorney Genera
under the law and the commission ap
pointed by the law are now awaiting To
action of the company looking to a set
Element of the indebtedness
The Attorney General recommends
more complete and adequate form of gov
ernment for Alaska. He says that the eff
forts to administer justice and maintain
order in the territory with the very Iimite,
machinery of the present laws has becom
very difficult and embarrassing with tn
recent large influx of population to tn
gold fields.
| He recommends Il large increase in tn
number of judges. district attorneys an,
commissioners, and an increase of tn
power of the commissioners to enabl
them to hear minor civil and crimina
cases. 1t is also recommended that tn
fee system for me payment of the com
missfoners be abolished because of its ten
dency to make these officers oppressiv
and eXtortionate. The Attorney Genera
further recommends that the salaries o
the officers OF the territory be increased
owing TO the cost of living in the territory
and the need of the best men for the posi-
/ tions.
The most important part of the repor
relating to Alaska is the final recommen
dation that limited legislative form o
government be established 1t is suggest