Evening star., 1915-02-22
No Intent to Slur the Court.

! .Jf the government is to contscate
anv portion OF the fees paid by liti-
ganti to the auditor, the District
which shares with the United States
rnurt expenses, should, OF course,
share the spoils. But there should be
no such robbery, and no such swas
to be divided
| These words were used by The Star
in a recent editorial concerning the
court auditors compensation and
were specifically a protest against the
surplus OF auditors fees over his
liked compensation going through the
court registry automatically after tve
wears into the Treasury OF the United
States, which transit The Star thought
was the inevitable effect OF existing
law.
The words "confiscate,' robbery.
..spoils" and "swag" had relation IN
The Stars intent solely to the nation
al government and to its acquisition
through its absolute control OF Dis
trict finances of money to which It
was not entitled, belonging at least
one-half to the District. ii it did not
belong in equity to the ltlgant or
auditor.
The Star did not intend to reflect
in any way upon the Supreme Court
OF the District, or to impute to the
court participation, direct or indirect,
in any form OF robbery, even as
constructive accomplice in construc-
tive robbery; and The Star greatly
regrets to have used words which are
capable OF this construction.
The imputations of robbery were
made, OF course. in Pickwickian
sense and are obviously technically
inaccurate even in their application to
an impersonal Uncle Sam; but SO far
as The Stars intent is concerned they
had no application in any sense what
yer to the court, for whose members,
individually and collectively, The Star
has the highest regard as men above
suspicion.
The Star is editorially on record as
believing that the court and not Con-
gress should reduce the auditors
compensation il he gets too much;
that this reduction can be most easily
and equitably effected by cutting
down the work referred to the auditor
or by reducing the fees required by
the court to be paid to the auditor in
specific cases; that there ought not
to be any surplus of auditors fees
paid by litigants over the auditors
actual compensation; and that if there
is such surplus it ought not to go to
the Treasury OF the United States, but
either1be divided with the District, or,
as the contributions solely OF individ-
ual local litigants, go wholly to the
District.
The Star is now authoritatively as
sured that the courts intention from
the first was SO to regulate the work
referred to the auditor and the fees
paid on his account by litigants in
specific cases as to produce approxl-
mately only the amount fixed as the
auditors compensation; that any tenn
porary surplus put in the registry of
court is there only tentatively; that
the court has never intended that the
exising law should be permitted to
carry this surplus automatically into
the United States Treasury, but that
legislation will be sought, if neces-
sary, to dispose equitably of any sur
plus which may chance to exist and
to provide for the payment of the
auditors full compensation in case of
a deficit.
When this system is perfected and
put in operation in accordance with
the courts intent every ground Of
critical suggestion would seem to be
removed.