Ben Harrison: “This agreement involves a departure from the terms of the general allotment act in at least one important particular.”

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

As these vacancies could not be filled immediately, the business of the courts would seriously suffer.

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.