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-2- ment but they have all received careful consideration and have been disposed of as the law seemed to require. In some cases the decisions were favorable to his clients, while in others the applications for repayment were denied. The records of this office show that there has been no unnecessary or unreason- able delay in the adjudication of any of Mr. Lake's cases. The exception referred to, that of Ex parte Paris Gibson, is now held in this office upon request of attorney awaiting the filing of further argument. Mr. Lake's complaint seems to be directed more particularly to the fact that decisions have oftentimes been rendered in his cases without specifically discussing all the questions presented in the briefs filed by him. While this is doubtless true it was nevertheless for the reason that such questions were not deemed to be controlling issues in the case or did not require an expression of opinion by the Department It is a very common inference, especially on the part of those who are unsuccessful, to suppose that because cases often happen to be disposed of without discussing all the questions raised by attorneys, their arguments did not receive proper considera- tion. But in the nature of things it is neither necessary nor practicable to set out in a decision all the matters that may be raised in a case. If a precedent exists, and there appears no good reason for disturbing it, it is the practice to briefly follow such precedent with proper references. This has been the fact with a good many of Mr. Lake's cases, and in this respect