Show A dispatch from Washington to the I St Louis Globe Democrat Rays that the judges of the United States supreme court are now indulging the hope that by the end of the January term of the court the Socket will be entirely cleared If this is accomplished it will be the first time in the courts history that such a condition existed From thC foundation of the court down to a few years ago the court had been running run-ning steadily behind in its work In ISIS there were as many as lSOO cases on the docket and there was doubt if I the court would ever catch up The enlarging of the court was seriously considered but nothing came of it Something had to be done however I and so the court refused to consider I many cases which had formerly been recognized as entitled to a hearing I I This reform was not sufficient to stem the tide of litigation which threatened to swamp the court With the growth of tho country the number of cases which could not be refused a hearing was constantly increasing The relief came in the change of the V I courts personnel The court as at present pres-ent constituted is the best working I tribunal which the country has ever had With the exception of Justice I Field who has just been retired of his own motion all the justices are vigorous vigor-ous men capable of performing a great I amount of labor From lSOO cases InlEtS in-lEtS the docket has now been reduced Ito I-to ISO The court is expending much I energy towards clearing the docket by the end of the January term and all delays in hearings which are not absolutely essential to a proper consideration con-sideration of the case are being discountenanced dis-countenanced The retirement of Justice Jus-tice Field has interfered with the plan of the court somewhat for the reason that all those cases involving constitutional constitu-tional Questions which would have come up at this term have been POBt poned until the January term when there will be a full bench When the doclcet Is once cleared up an effort will be made to keep it from becoming clogged again This will not only lighter the work of the justices but will also Insure to litigants a prompt consideration of their cases |