Mr. WILLIAMS. The object of this bill is to prevent otheers of the Territories from ab senting themselves from the performance of their official duties. I do not know how it may be with the Territories on this side of the Rocky mountains, but on the Pacific coast I know that this has grown into a very great abuse, and in most of the Territories there a very large portion of the territorial officers are absent from their duties. Sometimes the Governoris away, with the secretary, and several of the judges; and in 2 or 3 of those Territories they have not been able to have any courts for a year at n time on account of the absence of the judges; and it becomes necessary that the law should require them to remain there where they can atten to the duties of their respective offices. The 1st section provides that an Officer may be absent from the Territory for 30 days, and it shall not be necessary for him to obtain any leave in order to be absent during that time. It further provides that no leave of absence shall be granted to any officer; and the object of that provision is to prevent these territorial officers from obtaining a leave upon some excuse which may be made to the Dept. Now the practice is to send a telegram to some one of the Depts here or to the President asking for leave of absence for 6 months, generally with the object of visiting Washingtou or the eastern States, and so far as I know, that leave ofabsence is generally granted. Some, however, leave and come here and obtain this leave ofabsence after they arrive here; they come without any leave, and then after they arrive here they apply for a leave of absence, and as a general thing it is granted. I do not see why if a person accepts an office in a Territory and the applicants are numer ous and clamorous for these places he should. not remain there and discharge his duty; but the practice has become almost universal now that as soon as an officer obtains the appointmentand enters upon the discharge of the duties of his office and the salary begins to accrue to him, then finding it unpleasant, perhaps, to remain there, he takes occasion to leave to visit Washington, to visit the States and be absent 6 months or ayear from the Territory and so the people are without any organized government in man cases. This is a particular hardship when the judges of the courts are absent. I do not wish tomention particular Territories or the names of persons, but it is within my knowledge that in several Territo ries there has been practically no territorial government on account of the absence of territorial officers, and the object of this bill is to require them to remain there.