Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1906-12-09
CERTAIN LAWS WANTED
ATTORNEY GENERAL SUBMITS
i HIS ANNUAL REPORT.
improvements in District Jail Rec
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS for
Reform Schools Asked.

The annual report of Attorney General
Moody Is one of the briefest ever made
by him. He renews number of recon-
mendations made in prior reports. He
asks Congress for a law that will provide
in substance that where an Indictment Is
duly returned in a court of the United
States, the judge of the court may, after
certifying that he has examined the in
! dictment and is of the opinion that 1t sets
forth a crime against the United States,
issue bench warrant for the arrest of
the defendants, wherever they may be
found within the territorial jurisdiction of
the United States.
He renews the recommendation for the
enactment of a law giving to the United
States the right of appeal upon questions
of law in criminal cases, with the proviso
that a verdict of acquittal upon the merits
shall not be set aside He says that Con-
gress has passed such a law for the Dis
trict of Columbia and it is the law of many
states. There is great necessity for the
enactment of such law, he declares.
The Attorney General reviews the pro-
ceedings instituted by his department I'M
der the Sherman antitrust act and the act
to regulate commerce, together with the
Efkns act. He notes the various pro-
ceedings now pending against different
combina tons, including the Standard Oil,
meat combination in the Hawaiian
Islands, a lumber combination in the same
territory, the st. Louis bridge case, the
drug trust, the tobacco trust the fertilizer
trust. the ice dealers of the District of
Columbia, ice dealers in Oklahoma, ice
dealers in Arizona, lumber and meat deal
ers in Arizona and lumber dealers in Ok
lahoma.
Supreme Court Gases.
The Supreme Court docket shows that
800 cases remained undisposed Of on the
appellate docket at the close of the Oc-
tober term in 1905, against $50 in the pre-
vious year. A list of the most important
cases disposed of by the court during the
year are given.
The Attorney General says that the codi-
Tying commission, which has been at work
for a number Of years, Is about to COM
plete it's labors and will shortly make a
report to Congress.
The present bankruptcy law has been in
existence eight years, and for long time
from $4,000 to q 900 voluntary cases were
filed each year. There has ben gradual
decrease in the last few years, and in the
last fiscal year the total was only 1926.
There were 2, 446 involuntary proceedings
instituted during the twelve months.
The Attorney General recommends i'm
provements in the District Jail, which he
declares to be Inadequate. The largest
number Of prisoners in the Jail in any one
day in the last fiscal year was 565 and the
smallest number 1913. The average daily
number was 491. The Jail contains but 300
cells. Inc attorney General says the mat
ter should be given immediate attention.
Reform School for Girls.
As to the two reform schools Of the Dis
trist, the Attorney General says:
THE report of the board of trustees of
the reform school shows that 449 boys were
there during the year, and that by dis
charge or otherwise PA left the school,
leaving go on June 80 1906.
The main building of the school was
almost totally destroyed by fire December
10, 1sO5, obliging temporary provision to
be made for housing and combining the in
mates, officials and other employees Since
the end of the fiscal year work has been
begun upon the foundation for new build
ings provided for by Congress at it's last
session, and by the conclusion of the pres
ent fiscal year it is expected that these will
be completed.
"The report of the board of trustees of
the reform school for girls shows that
every available space in the two buildings
now used for housing the inmates of the
school has been occupied during the year
ending June 80, 1906, and that an addi-
tional building or a substantial addition
to the present buildings is urgently needed
They ask an appropriation OF $4,000 for
this purpose. In my annual reports of 1904
and 1905 L recommended that this appro-
priation be made, and / now again make
this recommendation"