Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1899-12-05

! brought before those judicial officers upon
| the charge that such alien person is in the
| United States contrary to Law, and provjl-
! ing that in any case where an alien is eN-
cluded from adm .ssion into the United
| States under the law the decision of the
/ appropriate immigration customs officer,
| If adverse to the admission of such alien,
! shall be final unless reversed appeal to
| the Secretary of the Treasury. and that
| this conclusion shall be controlling upon
| any justice. judge commissioner before
| whom such alien may afterward be brought
I upon the charge of being unlawfully in this
| country.
New Department Building.
Mr.. Griggs tells what has been done to-
ward securing q new building for the De-
partment of Justice, and concludes: The act
| authorizing the erection of the new build
| ing appropriated the sum of sl,oo,09o as
! the limit of cost for the construction and
| furnishing. The designs called for by the
| program of competition directed to
De for a building which would cost, en-
| elusive of furniture and incidental expenses,
not more than 100000 and the design
| of the successful architect. Mr.. Post,
| based on that limitation. l advised
by him. and well assured of the truth of
| his assertion. that on account of the ex-
Iaordinary increase in the cost of building
| materials and labor 1t will not Be possible
| 10 complete a building of the design Sc
lected within the appropriation but at least
| nifty per cent more money will be required
| than would have been necessary If the
building could have been contracted for
| when the act was passed l therefore
recommend that the additional sum of
$9otoo be appropriated to enable me to
construct building of the capacity and
| style contemplated at the time the act was
passed and the design ca led for
In taking down the old building of the
| department its dilapidated and dangerous
| cohdlt1on was more fully revealed than was
possible upon any inspection that could
| be made while the building was intact.
| 1t was found that the cracks in the walls
| and partitions which were visible before
| the work of demolition was begun had ex-
| tended farther and were much more serious
| even than was supposed. more than justi-
| Tying the prompt action of Congress in
| providing for the removal of the officers
! and employees of the department in ac-
| cordance with the Recommendation r,ada
| in my last report
J The design for the new building provides
| tEat three-fourths of the floor space upon
| the ground floor shall he assiona5 for tI,o
| use of the Court of Claims and the otber
| one-fourth part used for the library of th.
| department. The suggestion has been made
| IN many quarters. and l submit it to Con-
| gTess, that the United States should have
| in some appropriate building quarters slIit-
! ably fitted UP for the use of international
and other tribunals and commissions that
| may from time TO time be called to meet in
! the city of Washington. If the provision
| OF the act requiring the Court of Claims
| to have quarters provided for them in the
| new building We're repealed, and the court
|
| located, it would be possible to fit I'D a
portion of the first floor of the new bt,ildine
to he used for the reception and meeting
place of such public bodies Of an internal
| ticnal uaSi-judicial character as might
hereafter assemble at Washington under
the direct or indirect auspices of the gov
| ernlnent My own judgment is that such a
provision would be a wise and a Drnden+
| one. The building OF the Department of
Justice is an appropriate place for such
purposes and The want of proper accom-
modations for bodies of the nature referred
| to has heretofore been most keenly felt.
Affairs in Alaska.
! The administration Of affairs in Alaska,
| and especially the administration of Justice
| through the courts and court officers as
| signed to that territory, is not satisfactory
There has been during the past year a
| very great increase in the amount of Ieeal
| business in Alaska. The report of the
district attorney shows that the criminal
business has doubled within a year and
| the civil business has multiplied five times
| over.
Complaints of the inadequacy of the pro-
| visions established for maintaining law and
order and enforcing the criminal statutes
are almost universal At present there is
| only one United States Judge, one marshal
! and one district attorney for this whole vast
extent of territory. Special duties have,
by act of Congress. been imposed upon the
district judge which required him, during
the past summer in company with the gov
ernor and marshal of the territory, to take
a tour of nearly 5000 miles down the Yukon
river and along the western coast of the
district in order to discharge special du-
ties imposed upon him, such the APP
pointment of commissioners at various set
Elements, the collection OF licenses from
those licensed to engage in the sale of in
toXicatng liquors and business upon which
a tax is imposed by the recent statute.
The district Judge advises me that be-
cause Of lack Of time not one-tenth of
the business presented can be disposed Of
Officers of the army, exercising command
in the territory, report that the INSULT
cheney of appropriations for the Depart
ment of Justice and the lack of a sufficient
force of court officials render the admins
tration Of justice along the Yukon abortive,
and that the average citizen dwelling in
that region has but little respect for 1t.
very strenuously urge upon Congress the
necessity of providing for the appointment
of addi ional district Judge and an addi-
tional United States district attorney and
marshal for this territory. The territory
can be divided into two judicial districts.
and judge, district attorney and marshal
assigned to each district. or these addt-
tional officers can be appointed for the ter
ritory at large, and the two judges au-
thorized to assign to themselves, respec-
lively. the portion of the territory In which
they will severally act.
The compensation of $500 year pro-
vided by law for the district attorney is
utterly Inadequate. 1t is impossible to pro-
cure for this office lawyers of such high
character ana aDll1ty as are requisite IN the
discharge Of the very onerous duties of
that position under the embarrassing cir
cumstances that prevail for less than
$1,000 year. The cost of living in the ter
ritory is high and an attorney who de-
votes himself to the full and faithful dis
charge Of his duties, and who has the
requisite high character to represent In an
adequate manner the dignity and integrity
of the office will not consent to subject
himself to the rigors of the climate, the in
convenience of living. and the other deter
rent circumstances that exist in that coun-
try. therefore recommend that the salary
OF the district attorney, or of the district
attorneys, If another be provided, be fixed
at $1,000 year. In a region where the op-
portunities for lawlessness are very great
and the temptations strong, more than
usual care should be taken by the govern
ment that the agencies of Justice should be
well equipped and sufficiently numerous to
inspire respect and secure proper and
vigorous enforcement of the law.
United States Prisoners.
The table of statistics shows slight de-
crease in the number Of prisoners received
and in confinement during the last fiscal
year as compared with the year ending