Show QUESTION OF GAE5ISHEE I Judge Cnlilii ell Writes 1 Letter That Will Be Read With Interest By j RalKvay Employees Generally I I St Louis Feb 15 United States Circuit Judge Henry C Caldwell has recently been asked many questions as I to the attitude of the court In the matter mat-ter of garnishment suits brought against receivers of the Santa Fe and Frisco roads to secure the payment of debts owed by employees Today he placed on file in the clerks office a letter I let-ter which is intended to be an answer to cover all such queries The letter is as follows I You will not be in contempt of any court over which I preside by suing out a writ of garnishment to garnishee the wages of an employee of the receivers of the Atchison Topeka Santa Fe Railway company But if you get judgment judg-ment against the receivers receiyer as garnishee you cannot levy upon the property in their possession as receivers or otherwise other-wise compel them to pay it by any process issued from the court rendering the garnishee judgment The receivers receiv-ers are forbidden by an order of the court to pay any judgment except upon the order of the court appointing them and the rule is not to pay any attention to the garnishment of the monthly wages of the employees of the receivers beyond 0 respectful notice to the plaintiff and the court in which the garnishee proceedings are pending that the wages of the employees will be paid to them in person in pursuance of the order o this court The receivers re-ceivers and the men employed by them are employees of every department of the government jurors and witnesses criers and bailiffs and every employee of n court including its receivers and their employees are entitled by law to have their salaries fees and wages paid to them personally or to such agent as they may appoint Neither the government nor any of its departments depart-ments including the judicial can be garnisheed for the salaries wages or fees of its officers agents or employees employ-ees By an order of the court this rule is applied to the employees of the court in the service of its receivers and I must decline to vary it to meet your case The employees of the court have the same right to theIr monthly wages that the judge of the court has to his monthly salary and for the same p reason sara I The court will not pay the wages of the employee to any one but the employee em-ployee himself nor will I sentenceJilm i to dismissal from the service as you suggest and recommend because he does not pay his debts I is said that some of the employees fail to pay their debts who are able to do so and that they at least should be dismissed The answer to this suggestion let First that the court has no authority to punish I I pun-ish men for not paying their debts i and second that to determine whether the employee was able to pay his debts would involve an inquiry into his private pri-vate affairs and the trial of an Issue which the court has neither the power nor the inclination to undertake 1lton Iri L J 1 j l |