The spectator., 1921-11-29

murder in Braintree, Mass, has aroused the ire of the Reds here and
 in Europe.
 Even great governments of the
 world do not understand thoroughly where the authority of the United States ends and the authority of the individual states begin. In 1882, or whereabouts, some public officials in the city of New Orleans were Killed by assassins, several of whom later
 were shot and killed by an aroused
 populace. The Halian government in- stantly made representations to tho United States in the matter oi repara- lions. because some of the mcn killed in retaliation for their allee.d acts
 were Italian subjects
 How Italy Was APpeas,d. It seemed to be an impossibillty for the United States goveri ment to
 make the Italian government undcr-
 stand that the affair was state and
 not federal matter. The Itaiian gov
 ernment said: This thing Happened
 In the United States and therefore the United States government IS re- sponsible." Virtually the only answer
 that could be made was, "The affair happened in Louisiana and Louisiana | in such matters is ' sovereign state. Of course Italy could not proceed against Louisiana and so Uncle Sam took the matter over and, without l smashing the Constitution, CT Invading | states rights, or making hnat admis-
 sion that nothing could be done, took some money out of Il contingent fund which happened to be in existence and paid 1t over to the widows and cllil- dren of the Italian subjects who had been killed in the Crescent City fra cas. This satisfied the Italian gov ernment, but 1t did nothing 10 change the situation in the United States as | between the government and the states, conditions which remain just where they were. There has been gradual develop 1 ment of the practice of throwing bombs and of sending internal ma chimes through the mall, or by express, | to men marked for death. Prior to tho year 1870 little or nothing was known 1 of such deeds in the United States. 1 In Europe bombs had been thrown on
 occasion and sometimes they hit their
 mark.
 Claims Court Needs Relief. The great war has brought an
 added amount of business to many
 of the United States courts. but the tribunal which fairly must stagger under the weight of accommodating
 work is the United States court of
 claims which sits iu the city of Wash- ] ington.
 Comparatively little ever is written about the court of claims. and yet under its Jurisdiction come many of the most Interesting suits at law
 which the courts of the country know. | It Is understood that even today the
 court of claims has cases before 1t
 which have grown out of the Revolu.
 tionary war and of the early Indian
 wars in which the United States was
 engaged.
 l It was only recently that under a
 blanket act of congress the last French 1 Spollation claims were settled. These grew out of losses 10 American mer- chants engaged in sea trade during | the time of the troubles with Franco
 in the closing days of the Eighteenth
 century.
 | The great war Is responsible for
 the accumulation of many cases be
 fore the United States court of ] claims. Any citizen of the United i States who thinks that he suffered n ] loss for which the government was responsible is at liberty to enter a ] suit in this court, even If the amount of. loss was trivial. The court, in 1 fact, can take up cases in which tha 1 loss runs anywhere from one cent to
 n billion dollars. although 1t Is not
 presumable that what might be called
 nickel or 50-cent cCses ever will trou- ble the turlsts
 ! Today there Is one case before the
 court in which evidence Is being taken
 which involves claim for damages amounting to Sl25,0o0.00O. This case
 has 10 do with certain losses supposed
 10 have been sustained hy reason of
 some trouble In which submarines and
 torpedoes played part.
 Plan to Expedite It's Cases.
 Today before congress there Is a bill in the form of an amendment to
 the law governing the operation of
 the court of claims, which Is intend- ] ed 10 expedite the business of tha | tribunal. The jurists desire that they
 shall be given authority to appoint
 examiners who may go into the merits
 of good many of the cases In nd-
 vance of the court proceedings. To-
 day this Is the right of all the federal
 courts except this particular one, and
 yet, thls court, it Is said, needs the
 authority more than any other. Tho
 bni has passed the senate, but it Is | nnW lunn un in the committee on ill.,