Show Where They K Uncle j ne 1 e am il It b B l g 1 z f. f W 1 JJ v v Huge sums involved involve in suits brought against the e government in ln r n the e coup court o of f claims a at Washington V HERE HEitE Is a government firing line where firing is almost constantly going on No Noo blo blood d is spilled but interest Is Intense intense In in- in intense tense always for It ia la shooting for fOI money money big big money Long shots pre pre pre- dominate It is in a queer place f for Cr r a firing lino In in a former art gallery gall In other words the the- theold old abode of at the Corcoran 4 gallery Seventeenth street and Pennsylvania Pennsylvania Penn Penn- sylvania avenue Washington D D. D C. C now houses the United States cour court of claims and there nearly every day of the courts court's sessions eminent counsel endeavor to score a eye bulls and thereby win for themselves and their clients coin of the realm in sums all the way from Cram a few tew thousands to many millions of dollars Itis It ItIs Itis Is a 0 mighty absorbing and always alluring game because because be be- cause cause as a rule the stakes are high Competitors are numerous because if It a hit hit Is Is made the pay p y Is sure At the present writing some ninety-nine ninety millions In fresh crinkly notes of Uncle Sam worth per percent percent cent of each cents are involved That is Is cases are now pending In the court of claims calling for A Judgment by the court of claims tims unless reversed by the United States Supreme cou court t Is as good as cash It follows that the prize of prizes in legal circles cir cir- cles Iles today is some sort of a fairly well substantiated claim against the United States government Innumerable Innumerable In In- numerable such claims are discovered and made The cases now pending number more than ten thousand Needless to say if It all or any considerable part of this ninety-nine ninety million d dollars is paid it will wul come out of the United States treasury treasury-i treasury treasury-I. i. i e. e out of the pock pockets ts of the people of the United States Therefore There fore on this fifing firing line t tie im people have their reP representatives re the same slime co consisting of a numerous staff of attorneys retained upon salaries by Uncle Sam Nominally their thief chief h ef is the attorney general gen gen- eral but the attorney general in person is engrossed engrossed en en- grossed with greater matters the hatters the construction and enforcement of the greater laws particularly the he antitrust laws He has very little time to devote to routine The gentleman in actual charge therefore is ie the assistant attorney general in charge of the defense of suits against the United States Under Under Un Un- der the present administration this gentleman Is Mr Huston Thompson of Denver Colo former classmate at Princeton of President Wilson Mr Thompson holds one of the many big submerged Jobs fobs In the government service This Denver man an the e records show shows shawl has injected western hustle bustle Into his Job When he came Into the thes office he found the dockets of the court of claims cluttered up with some twenty-odd twenty thousand thousand thou thou- sand Band cases Now the total Is cases The claims run all the way w y from a few few thousand dollars into the millions They originate for the most part in the numerous contracts made by all departments of the government for the building of battleships battleship cruisers and and- other vessels the erection tion Lion of public buildings dredging and Improvement improvement improve Improve- ment of rivers and harbors the building and maintenance maintenance maintenance main main- of dams locks and seawalls reclamation projects construction of dry docks contracts for tor army supplies contracts with mail mall contractors and railroad companies for carrying mails maUs claims for the alleged use use and infringement of at patented dev devices ces and suits where it is contended that an implied contract exists case Is the In amount the so-called so Divisor largest The railroads ds are attacking the validity of at an executive order issued In 1907 which bases compensation for carrying the mails mans upon a division divi sion sian of at the total weight by seven rather than by six It is a contention that a seven seven day day week rather than a six-day six week was meant in the statute covering railway mail mall pay If It the government government govern govern- ment loses this case it must pay to the railroads over One of the highest dams dam In the world has produced produced pro pro- one of ot the biggest law suits in the world As is shown by the tho accompanying picture this darn danl Is is a bigger proposition as os far as height goes States capitol building with its than the United enormous dome at Washington D. D D D. C Coo It Is the dam which stores water for the Shoshone irrigation irrigation tion project in Wyoming The contestants are endeavoring to collect more than In addition to the allowed the terms of the tho contract as interpreted by bythe under reclamation service The original original United States the inal contractors went into ban bankruptcy ru after the bonding com com- company first years year's work on the Job and the contractors took over the tho conJ con con- b behind Ind the J ran nany pany spring flood In the She She- unprecedented t An n tract accompanied n by a n run of saw logs river I ver shone r mile mUo or so BO a above b ove the e s site Ita a mill III operated from li 1 a r 0 works washed out the tho temporary f of the Him dam am the construction con con- to which h he had been been stalled concrete preparatory dam t r c of the present made reIt requirements re- re Tor It is asso al so alleged that the government sis ali i not r specified In the terms of the onig qUI ESS me S which necessitated the removal of ct contract S 'S ra inal of at the SS dam 12 feet upstream It Is tI on the foundation found the government responsibility Cast en on to s Bought that fen logs and It is contended the run 0 of saw f for or engineers t s Of the government the unnecessarilY strict unusual ual and unus wore were United States on th the 0 of the cant contentions en The contractor appreciated that ne nethe neither ss ar are hand difficulties of at the work undertaken under under- elated dated t the that e a rl peculiar the lire p Plant nt and ond material brought on the taken of at the tho work was confor con con- d for the tho p performance ground groan that the engineers em em- Inadequate q tractors Incompetent and were played loye by th the not c contractors qualified by training and inefficient and an of such a work and in ine e ce Dr the u undertaking encountered grow grew difficulties that at a all of t the short shor All and improper tendency inefficiencY out of ot t the e n neg g ence ce methods d s 0 of t the contractors metho natters matters are Ing out of of- naval n The claims growing row Is a device used innumerous In Innumerous There large and numerous which Is known as aa a manu torpedoes r contrivance whereby fuel Cuel It fe a superheat ter r air driving the motor is 8 bUr bused te o n the compressed a f Y y w r 7 r Y r a a rr d iy f. f Wr iY N N yr r r i lr l rF tab rr l y Li X f- f frn rn t. t Jr f H n. n ri i dr i f i. i rc a r r. r x e r. r r F j f r r pw i t rk ri r r o f 4 i x i y r rAS x r s. s AS r. r r i r z r. r r L r i fi dr st 5 G x Way h 4 4 f i 4 wj r S 2 t o. o o z ft rr s p Y by which the torpedo is propelled so that the compressed compressed compressed com com- pressed air all is heated to a high pressure before its energy is utilized Its use increases the speed and range of torpedoes The question now Is whether the United States must pay the E. E W. W Bliss company per tor tor- jedo redo purchased by the United States during the thelast thelast thelast last five years containing this device The total amount at issue Is It is an intricate patent patent pat pat- ent eat case the tho decision of which depends upon whether patents held by the Bliss company cover the type of ot used In the American torpedo Litigation over sixteen years old involves the question whether the United States government must u t disgorge more than In addition to the th the million already paid aid for the thee government dry drydock drydock drydock dock dock at the League Island Navy yard Philadel Philadel- phia The contractor claims he was compelled to tomake tomake tomake make a much greater excavation than was specified in the terms of the contract covering the work The answer of the government Is that the contractor contractor con can tractor did not follow the method recommended by the board of naval engineers which had studied d the matter and hence was himself himsel responsible and liable for the extra cost The court of claims has sustained the contractor tor and the department of Justice Is now asking the Supreme court to overrule the court of at claims Whatever the government may have to pay for generally is valued at astonishingly high figures A submarine case involves It hinges upon a string of patents on regulating apparatus for submarine boats T-h T The Electric Boat company Is back of the case It claims that tho the Invention described and claimed in said several sev seve several eral letters patent and each of them are and have been recognized to bo be of great utility and value in the construction and operation of submarine boats The original inventor Lawrence Y Spear assigned his rights to the Submarine Boat company com com- pany It Is carefully pointed out that Spear was the original first and sole sale inventor of the Improvements improvements Im im- im and it Is then declared that tho the United United Unit Unit- ed States has has used the inventions without license and has neglected and refused to pay royalty About the right thing for Uncle Sam to do do it Is alleged is to pay the Electric Boat company per submarine boat containing the Spear ap ape ap- ap At tho the date of the filing of the brief December De cember comber 10 1915 four tour such puch boats were in use The case however involves a demand for Cor another not for each boat built subsequently by bythe the tho United States in which the inventions are used Land-grant Land railroads under the tho terms of their charters are required to carry troops of the United States free The question has now come up as asto asto asto to whether t the National Guard when transported to the annual maneuvers in n various parts of Qt the United States are troops of at the United States tates As Al the tho test case stands the Southern railroad r asks for tor for the payment of railway way fares for tor forthe tho the transportation of ot officers and men of the Alabama Alabama Ala Ala- bama National Guard and the the- Mississippi National Guard from points points' In Alabama and Mississippi l to the United States military post and camp at Chickamauga mauga Park Georgia In h I 1 1908 OS 08 and 1910 When finally disposed of however a much larger amount will be be- Inv involved If It will set a a n pr precedent under which If the Southern railroad Is successful other of the land-grant land railroads will come into court and ask pay for forr transporting the militia The rhe established practice of the tho war and treasury departments is that tha the organized militia mUltia when participating with tho the regular army at a military camp at Joint maneuvers and field instructions aro are entitled to the pay subsistence and transportation allowances of the officers and r men men n of the regular army that said organized troops whoa whan so transported are traveling under orders of at the war war war- department nt and payment for tor their transportation transportation transportation tation can only be made on tho same basis applicable applicable appU cable to the regular army This would woul mean that transportation for militia over land-grant land railroads would be subject to the tho land grant deductions ma made o for the transportation of regulars It Is held hold that the expression troops of at the United as used In land-grant land acts Is sufficiently broad to Include organized militia when traveling under tho the orders of the war department J r t v v o aS C I l I AGI I IY ID P ZIlA ZIl- ZIl q A The court of at claims has already held that the members of the National Guard do not become troops of th the United States until they are arec c called li d out and mustered into the federal service by bytha hi tha president Hence this court has declared that the Southern railroad ought to bo be paid aid the tho extra To this judgment the department of Justice demurred and ands and's is now asking the tho Supreme court for a review of the case That little vest-pocket vest stamp book with a dozen stamps in it price 25 cents Is the subject of a lawsuit lawsuit lawsuit law law- suit In which Uncle Sam is asked to pay more than damages It Is declared to be royalties royalties roy ray due the patentee of the stamp-book stamp Idea The case goes back to 1898 In that year through Senator Penrose two models of at a stamp book patented by Frank G G. G Farnham Farnha together with witha a printed pamphlet explanatory of the device were referred to the then third assistant postmaster general John A A. A Merritt was third assistant at atthe atthe atthe the time and replied that the department deems it inexpedient to sell postage stamps In the he he way Yay ay proposed However after July i 1 the the the then ten third assistant postmaster general Edwin C. C Madden Madden Mad Mad- den den designed without knowledge of the existence of the Farnham patent the stamp book now used by the department The bureau of off f engrav engravIng engraving ing and printing evolved m methods for its manufacture manu manufacture manu manu- facture and tho the post poat office department began the public sale of ot vO t two cent stamps In book form Farnham wants the alleged profits of the government government gov gov- on the sale of the stamp books during the year ten period from 1900 to 1910 The governments governments govern govern- ments sells sens 12 two cent stamps for a q quarter arter charging one cent for the book The contention is that the profits on the sale tv t v the books during theten tho the thoten thoten ten years have exceeded a million dollars Farnhams Farnham's attorneys have appealed to the Supreme Supreme Su SUo Su- Su preme court where a final decision is now expected ted Another interesting suit is that brought by the contractor who constructed lock und and dam No 37 Ohio river which cost approximately The Tho contractor wants an additional This lock Jock and dam is located about ten miles mUes b below Cincinnati and at the time of its completion completion completion comple comple- tion about five years ago was the largest movable as distinguished from Crom the stationary dam In the world being feet fet across sS' sS the navigable pass alone with the lock lack On n tho the Ohio side and three b bear ar traps each 80 f filet et wide wida on the Kentucky side Of f. f the tho river A bear trap consists consists' of two p piers or walls wall's with wOO wooden l' l shutters rs at ate e each cl tid to td the bott m of or tIle dam structured r Tho The shutters ro rom mays may m be Ile raised dr br low rc for the purpose of or allowing Surplus surplus- water wafer to escape thus obviating the continual raising and lowering of the dam proper In the navigable pass Tho The dam damis is movable in that its construction Is of ot weirs which consist of wooden wickets about 18 feet high and 3 fe fee feet t wide and are upon hinge substantially fastened to a sill embedded in concrete foundation extending to bedrock Whet up during low wat water r the wickets ts In the navigable pass resemble a high board fence and vessels then pass through the lock Jock and when the river rises |