Daily Kennebec journal. [microfilm reel] (Augusta, Me.) 1870-1975, 1910-10-07
SESSION
OF SUPREME COURT.
Death and Retirement Change Person
neF-:Chief Justieeship Vacant TIL
Congress conVenes- Great
Corporation Gases Wait.

| is the dispute, between the state OF
West Virginia and the commonwealth
of Virginia as to the amount of money
the former owes the latter by reason
of the formation of separate govern.
ments. Charles E. Littlefield. special
tmaster of the court, last spring re-
lported that the amount varied from
abeut $30O0.0OO to about 100000 &C.
cording to the basis that might be ac.
lcepted for settlement. Some of the
most prominent lawyers in the coun-
try will appear before the court te
argue on exceptions to the report
which will be preparatory to fina'
judgment in the case.
Immediately following the Virginia
case, the court will hear the famous
peonage cases from Florida. Only the
favorable action of the Supreme Cour,
from going to the federal penitentiary
for alleged violations of the laws
against compulsory service W. S
Harlan. general manager of the jack
son Lumber Company, with big mills
near Lockhart, Ala, has been SEN
fenced to serve eighteen months at
hard labor in the federal penitentiary
at Atlanta, Ga, and to pay fine of
$4,000; Robert Gallagher, logging SUI
pcrintendent, to fifteen months and a
fine of $1,000; c. c. Hilton and S. F..
Higgins. employees, to Ii months and
a fine of $1,000. all for having con-
spired to commit the offense known as
peonaSe. The accused are seeking to
be released on writs of habeas corpus.
the claim being that the sentence to
hard labor was illegal, that the trial
court had no jurisdiction and that the
grand jury was not constituted ac-
cCrding to law.
Scarcely of less interest in the labor
world will be the cases involving the
constitutionality of the Employers
Liability law of 1908. This law was
passed by Congress to take the place
of the act nullified by the Supreme
Court because it applied to intra- state
commerce as we'll as to interstate
The Present law has been attacked
along the same lines. -t
Case Of Labor Leaders.
OF even greater interest is the case
involving the contempt proceedings
against the officials of the American
Federation of Labor Samuel Com
pers. president of the federation is I'M
DER sentence to serve II months in
jail; John Mitchell. formerly president
oi the United Mine Workers, nine
months; and Frank Morrison. secre-
tary of the federation, six months, all
Tor alleged contempt Of the Supreme
Court Of the District of Columbia in
that they disre garded the Injunction
to cease interfering with the business
of the Bucks Stove & Range Com
pany, of st. Louis, which had brought
suit against them to prevent them
from boycOtting it. All the points in
the controversy are to be laid before
the court for final decision.
The Missouri two-cent passenger
rate law and the maximum freight
rate law of that state have been set
for argument after the contempt cas-.
es. The constitutionality of these
laws is attacked. Owing to the veto
by Governor Hughes of the New York
two-cent fare bill, his attitude as a
member of the court toward the Mis-
souri, cases will be watched with in
terest
Inc court was to have given a sec
ond nearing at the beginning of the
term to the Baltimore &. Ohio So,,th-
western Railroad cases, involving the
question as to what should be the unit
Tor the assessment of penalties for vi
olatlohS OF the 2S hour law, governing
the Shipment of livestock Last wear
the court stood four in favor of hold
ing the train-load to be the unit and
TOUR in favor of making the.unit the
separate shipments. In view of tho
tie vote, it is now believed the casp
VIII await the filling of the vacancies
- case involving the constitution
atty of the California law of 1aOe
providing for the, quieting of title to
real estate In case of the loss or de-
structioh of public records, as nv
earthquake, will be heard according
10 present arrangements early in the
term. ~
Long List of Prosecutions.
long list of prosecutions under
federal laws were also put forward at
the head of the calendar for the COM
Ing term. Among these are the an
peal of the government from the ac-
tlon OF the New York federal courts
In setting aside the Indictment
against +. Augustus Heinze on charg-
es OF intent to defraud the Mercantile
National Bank of New York City of
which he was President: the appeal
OF the government from similar treat
ment of the Indictment against
George Kissel, a New York Broker.
and Thomas B. Larned. of Philadel-
phia, on charges of having conspired
with the American Sugar Company to
restrain interstate commerce in yio-
iation of the Sherman antitrust act by
preventing the Pennsylvania Sugar
Refining Company from doing BUSH
ness; and several cases involving
prosecutions under the pure food and
drug act.
The last of the advanced cases is the
sO-called Work Libel suit The gov
eminent has appealed to the Supreme
Court from the action of the New
York Federal court in auashing the
Indictment against the Press Publish
ing Co., publisher of the New York
World. on a charge of libel 1t was
alleged that articles We're printed de-
flaming William H. Taft William Nell
son Cromwell, Douglas Robinson,
Theodore Roosevelt. Charles P. Taft,
and Others in connection with the pur-
chase of the Panama Canal.