The Raymer enterprise., 1916-06-22

R6R&A in former art gallery. In oths
T7 words the old abode OF the corcora
gallery. Seventeenth street and Peni
sylyana avenue. Washington d. c. now houses tn
United States court Of claims and there nearly
day of the courts sessions eminent counsel endeayo
to score bull seye and thereby win for themselye
and their clients coin OF the realm In all the wa
from few thousands to many millions Of dollars
Is mighty absorbing and always alluring game. bs
cause. as rule. the stakes are high. Competitor
are numerous because, il hit is made. the pay
sure,
At the present writing some ninety-uine million
lin fresh crinkly notes OF Uncle Sam worth 100 De
cent Of each loo centsl are involved That is case
are now pending In the court of claims calling fo
sos, ,T301la.70
Judgment by the court OF claims unless reverse,
BY the United States Supreme court Is as good a
cash II follows that the prize Of prizes In legal cir
cles today is some sort Of fairly we'll suhstaniaet
claim against the United States government In
Vulnerable such claims are discovered and made Tn,
cases now pending number more than ten thousand
Needless TO say II all any considerable part o
this nnetynine million dollars Is paid il will conn
out Of the United States treasury. e. out OF th
pockets Of the people Of the United States There
Tore on this firing line the people have their repre-
sentatises. the same consisting of a numerous
sum VI aAtbihfsh upuH Df Uncle
Sam. Nominay their chief is the attorney gen
eral. but the attorney general In person is en-
crossed with greater matters-the construction
and enforcement of the greater laws particularly
the antitrust laws. He has very little time to
ieyote To routine"
The gentleman In actual charge. therefore, is
The assistant attorney general in charge OF the
iefense OF suits against the United States" Tn.
Ter the present administration this gentleman Is
Mr, Huston Thompson OF Denver. Colo. former
elassmate at Princeton OF President Wilson, Mr..
Thompson holds one Of the many big submerged
Jobs In the government service
This Denver man. the records show has injected
western hustle into his job When ho came into
he office he found the dockets OF the court OF
claims elnttered up with some twentyodd thou
sand cases Now the total is 10 70s cases
The claims run all the way from few thousand
dollars into the millions. They originate for the
most part in the numerous contracts made by all
departments OF the government for the building OF
battleshps. cruisers. and other vessels the erec.
tion OF public buildings; dredging and improve
nenl of rivers and harbors; the building and main.
tenanca OF dams, locks. and seawalls reclamation
projects: construction Of dry docks. contracts for
army supplies. contracts with mail contractors
and railroad companies for carrying mails; claims
for the alleged use and infringement Of patented
devices; and suits where II is eontended that an
implied contract exists
In amount the so-called "Diyisor case Is the
largest The railroads are attacking the validity
Of an executive order issued in a07 which bases
compensation for carrying the mails upon dyi-
sion OF the total weight by seven rather than by
six. Ii is contention that seyenday week
rather than a six,day week was meant in the
statute covering railway mail pay. II the govern
al 10 Nuttr .AJ
over s40,00000G
tine OF the highest dams In the world has pro-
duced one of the biggest law suits in the world,
AZ is shown by the accompanying picture this
dam IL bigger proposition as far as height goes
than the United States capitol building with Its
enormous dome at Washington, D. c.. 1t is the
dam which stores water for the Shoshone irriga
tion project in Wyoming.
The contestants are endeayorng to collect more
than $4,000 in addition to the sl.33S.000 allowed
under the terms OF the contract as interpreted by
the United States reclamation service. The orig
ina contractors went into bankruptcy after the
FIRST years work on the Job and the bonding com
pany behind the contractors took over the con-
tract An unprecedented spring food In the Sho
shone river, accompanied by run OF saw logs
from mill operated a mile or so above the site
Of the dam. washed out the temporary works
which had been stalled preparatory to the con
struction OF the present concrete dam.
II Is also alleged that the government made re-
uurements not specified In the terms OF the orig
ina contract which neeessitated the removal OF
the foundation OF the dam IL feet upstream. II Is
sought to fasten on the government responsibility
fol- the run OF saw logs and II is contended that
the requirements OF the government engineers
were unusual and unnecessarily strict
The contentious OF the United States. on the
other hand are that neither contractor appre.
ciated the peculiar difficulties Of the work under
TAKEN that the plant and material brought on the
ground for the performance Of the work was con.
spcuously inadequate. that the engineers en-
ployed by the contractors were incompetent and
inefficient and not qualified by training and expert
ence for the undertaking OF such work; and In
short that all of the difficulties encountered grew
out OF the negligence. inefiiciency and improper
methods OF the contractors.
The claims growing out OF naval matters are
numerous and large. There is device used In
manufacturing torpedoes which 10 known as a
fsuperheater" i Is a contriyanco whereby fuel
ia burned In tie compressed air driving the motor