Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1930-03-08
D. c. HELD LEADING
|. IN new DRY CASES
Representative Bachma an
Cites Statistics in Plea
for Relief for Courts.

The National Capital has set record
for the entire country in the increase
Of pending liquor law cases, which
have doubled over q four-year period,
according to statistics compiled by the
Department Of Justice, Representative
Carl G. Bachman, Republican, OF West
Virginia, and a member of the House
judiciary committee which is conduct
ing the prohibition hearings, disclosed
in a speech In the House late yester-
day, In which ne demanded that prompt
attention be given to the situation. He
argued that Congress, and not the
President. will be to blame II prohibi-
ton Is not enforced and held out little
hope Of clearing away this court con-
geStion without an increase In the
number Of judges.
While the District Of Columbia
headed the list, Is States showed in
creases in the number of cases pending,
with more than half the entire number
In the 6 States OF New York, Kentucky,
West Virginia, Texas and Pennsylvania.
Thirty-two states showed decrease,
Representative Bachman stated.
THE District Of Columbia shows the
largest increase in the number OF
pending cases. he said. "At the be-.
ginning Of the four-year period in
1925 there were 649 cases pending: at
the end of the period in 1929 there
we're 1900 pending"
ID. c. Court Records.
He gave the record in the District
courts for disposition Of cases during
the four-year period as follows: Cases
commenced, 1892: convicted, 5.531:
pleas of guilty, 4,095; jury trials, 1883;
cases pending, 1900.
Representative Bachman called atten-
ton to the fact that the District stood
third in the number of cases that went
to jury trial. saying:
"'The largest number OF cases tried
by juries during this period were tried
in the State of Kentucky. where 2,837
trials were held. The state OF North
Carolina was second. with 2,l28 trials,
while the District of Columbia was
third with 1885,"
Discussing the question of relief from
the situation Representative Bachman
warned his colleagues that they viii be
held responsible. He said:
THE President, the Attorney Generel
and the Commission on Law Observance
have recommended reorganization of the
Federal court structure III Oroer 10 re-
lieve the congestion by, first, increasing
the number of Federal judges; and.
second, by enlarging the powers Of the
United States commissioners"
Urges Term Definition.
He recommended as the first step
that Congress should take, enactment
Of legislation as suggested by the Com
mission on Law Observance, defining
the term casual or slight violations as
used In the Jones law, so that the dis
trict attorneys may prosecute these
petty violations upon complaint or by
information, and in such cases, when
so prosecuted, the penalty for each Of
Tense should be a fine not to exceed
$500, or confinement in jail, without
hard labor, not to exceed six months,
or BOTH
He concluded his appeal for relief
legislation as follows:
IF it is possible for the Federal
Government to properly enforce the
Federal prohibition laws there is one
thing sure, and that Is they cannot be
enforced without the aid Of the Federal
courts, and If there are more cases
than the Federal courts can dispose of
under the present judicial structure, 1t
is high time that the Congress enact
legislation to relieve the situation"