The Birmingham age-herald., 1910-06-26

An investigation of the record of the docket of the supreme court shows that in the first 300 cases on the docket call the United States has 66 cases counting class eases as one. The solicitor general of the department of justice will appear in one case in approximately every four and half. In the first 300 cases on the regular call the government has 72 cases, counting each case separately and ap- pearance will be noted in approximately one in every four and one-sixth. In ad- dition to the above there are 40 assigned cases of which 36 cases are beyond the 300 mark and four within this number. Should the justices of the supreme court hear 300 cases during its next session, which will possibly last from October 1910 until May 31 1911, the government will argue about 11S cases
 Among some of the cases to be argued and possibly decided within the next six months are the peonage cases in- volving the construction of a federal statue and certain convictions in Florida; the hours of service act. a case of ex- treme interest to all labor organizations, as is the case of the Buck Stove and Range company against the American Federation of labor, and the contempt proceedings against President Gompcrs, John Mitchell and Frank Morrison, who face jail sentences of from six months to a year and six months; two case under the corporation tax law, as applied to the holdings of real estate compa nies; the case against Augustus Heirze, the copper king, who Is charged with misapplica- ton of funds of the Metropolitan Nation al bank of New York city; the Tobacco trust cases, the Standard oil cases and that of theAmerican Sugar Refining in volving the principles of the Sherman antitrust law, as corporations doing business in restraint of trade; the At lantic Coast Line railroad cases, testing the constitutionality of the initial carrier clause; the Hipolite Egg compa- ny, the first case brought to the supreme court of the United States involving a construction of the pure food statute; four commodities clause cases against the Lehigh Valley railroad, the Erie rail- road, the Central railroad of New ter sey and the Pennsylvania railroad and the case against the Press Publishing company in which the supreme court will be asked to determine whether or not President Roosevelt. William Nelson Cromwell. attorney for the French Pana- ma canal, Douglas Robinson, President Roosevelt's brother-in-law and Charles P. Taft, President Taft's brother. were libel ed by certain articles which appeared in
 the New York World, in connection with the purchase of the Panama canal land.
 Notwithstanding the fact that heavy fines are imposed upon contractors who import aliens for the purpose of using them in various construction enterprises throughout the country instances are be- ing daily reported to the department of commerce and labor where contract alien abor is being used
 For the purpose of carrying into ef- feet the law on the subject. Secretary Nagel of the department of commerce and labor has declared absolute war up- on large and small contractors who have been employing such labor. Instructions have been sent to all agents of the imm- grafton bureau stationed along the bor- der of the United States as well as in seaport towns, to exert themselves and make it impossible for foreigners coming to this country under contract to gain admission.
 Within the last month judgments ob- tained from these large contractors have was a Judgement of $45O00 rendered against Grant Brothers Construction company of Los Angeles, Cal, who inn ported 45 aliens from Mexico The of- fense committed on October 20, 1909 when an attempt was made to bring in the men from Mexico through the border immigration station of Naco, Ariz. From tnlS point they were IOTWardeQ to work on a branch road of the Southern Pa- cific Railroad company at Courtland, Ariz On examination by the immigration board they were rejected and denied ad- mission.
 The case was then reported to the local United States attorney and a civil suit brought against the Grant Brothers company in an effort to collect the statu- tory penalty. After long trial the gov ernment was successful and obtained a judgement for $45,000, being $100O fine for each alien imported
 Sometimes, however, the contract alien law works an apparent hardship. A imported an instrument of En glish manufacture for the purpose of photographs by wire. pay ing large import duty when 1t reached this country. It was found necessary later to either import skilled mechanics to repair the machine or to send the machine across the ocean for repair in England. Under the contract alien law, the mechanics could not gain admission