they deal with questions of constitutional law. In France, the
Court of Cassation in 1901 heard 816 appeals.[Footnote: Of these,
219 were sustained and 597 rejected.] Nothing approaching this
number could be properly disposed of on the merits in any
American Court of last resort. Many appeals, however, are here,
as everywhere, abandoned or dismissed for some failure to comply
with the rules of practice or because manifestly frivolous, and
in these no opinions are ordinarily given. During the court year
closing with the Summer of 1903, the Court of Appeals of New York
filed only 221 opinions, although it disposed, in one way or
another, of 640 cases; and the Supreme Court of the United States
filed 212 opinions and disposed of 420 cases.[Footnote: See
Chap. XXIV.]

In the calendar year 1904, the Court of Appeals of New York filed
327 opinions, and the Supreme Court of Illinois over 500.

* * * * *



CHAPTER XX


THE ENFORCEMENT OF JUDGMENTS AND PUNISHMENT OF
CONTEMPTS OF COURT


No court can with propriety pass a decree which it cannot
enforce.[Footnote: Clarke's Appeal from Probate, 70