Ben Harrison: “Offenses not herein provided for remain punishable as authorized by the Articles of War and the custom of the service”

The law should at least have contained a provision for the continued discharge of their duties by the incumbents until the new officers were appointed and qualified.

An examination of the records of the Attorney-General's office as to the amount of business in the courts in these districts leads me to believe that two districts would provide amply for the disposition of all public and private cases.

The law creates two new officers, whose aggregate compensation may be $12,000 per annum, without, it seems to me, a justifying necessity.

But the most serious objection to the legislation is that it creates at once upon the taking effect of the law the offices of district attorney and marshal for each of the three districts, and the effect, it seems to me, must be to abolish…