Daily evening star. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1852-1854, 1853-09-10
WASHINGTON News.

by Spain in 1897. 1t covered moro than
900 acres Under the treaty of the United
| States, the General Government conceived
these lands to be public lands, and sold and
donated few small lots within its limits The
holders of the grant, the limits of which have
never been fully defined, brought an action of
ejectment-a ''petitory'' action-against the
parties thus claiming from the United States.
The Courts of Louisiana sustained the Span
ish grantees; whereupon, the United States, at
the request of the agents of the grantees
themselves, (who hoped thus to establish
valid title,) appealed to the Supreme Court.
There, the decision of the State Court was re-
versed. Subsequently, the grantees, fancy
ing that the laws of Congress of 1874 and 1914,
authorizing claimants in their condition to
file petition and try title, would avail them,
! again commenced suit in Louisiana. This
case went before the Supreme Court, where
the decision was a second time against the
grantees. Pending the appeal in the second
case, Congress passed ''an act to grant the
| right of pre- emption to certain purchasers and
| settlers on the Maison Rouge grant, in the
event of the final adjudication of the title in
favor of the United States Under this act,
the title having been so adjudicated, the Com
missioner of the Land Office prepared to grant
the proper prescriptions, and to make the
usual surveys there. A third suit, however,
resting on portion of the original Maison
Rouge title, is, and has been, long pending
The grantees ask the Land Office Bureau to
suspend their operations under the law of
1851, until this, also, shall have been adjudi-
Gated. But the Commissioner believing that
law to oblige him to regard the late ruling of
the Supreme Court as obligatory on his bu-
reau, declined to suspend operations in that
quarter. Whereupon. the grantees have ap
pealed to the Secretary of the Interior to d.
rect him to comply with their request.
OF THE INTERIoR.-The Secretary of the In
terror has very recently decided two or three
points on appeals from rulings of the Acting |
Commissioner of Indian Affairs, which involved
principles of Importance. viz: one, upon the
application of - Fletcher, Mr. Folks In
dian Agent among the Winncbagoes, for COM
pensation for services rende ed in that capa-
city for a month or two after his successor
(apponted by the succeeding Administration
had3entered upon the discharge of his duties |
Fletcher remained for some time at the agen- |
cy, aiding his successor at his request. The |
latter was long since paid for his services
during that time. The Secretary rules that |
there is no law authorizing the payment for |
the services of two such agents Mt the same
time, and of course refused to allow the claim
The second case is another claim of the
same late agent, Fletcher, for compensation
Us Commissioner for the removal of the Win
nebagoes from Iowa into Minnesota. Having
performed such services, he claims pay for
them thus, in addition to his regular pay as
Indian Agent at that time The Secretary is
two capacities at the same time That he
was bound under his commission as an Indian
Agent to give the government all his time
while holding it. 1t strikes us, that as the
law has been administered in these two cases
by the head of the Department, the public
This branch of the Government has hereto
fore been mine, Us it were, into which mil
lions of money have disappeared forever upon
all sorts of fimsy pretexts, growing for the
most part out of the difiuulty of managing
Indian affairs, and dealing with Indians as
other matters are disposed of and other per-
sons are dealt with. If the Department will
only perevere in saying NO in answer to all
questionable demands on Indian funds. those
employed among the tribes or dealing with
them, will soon learn that hereafter thew
must govern their operations by rules govern
ing the transaction of business with the COM
munity at large.
The RECENT RUMoRED ATTEMPT TO Ron
THE MAIL IN FAIRFAX COUNTY. Va. turns
out to have been mere cross-road fight be-
tween the mail rider and one or two of his
cronies, white and black The former got the
worst of the fsticufing, and then essayed to
the sacredness of his person by
himself under the shield of the post
Office laws of the United States Such is the
report of special agent of the Department.
who, yesterday, went over and Investigated
all the particulars of this--drunken spree.
The POSTMASTER GENERAL was too much
indisposed to be at his post to-day. The 1st
Assistant Postmaster General has also been
for some weeks prevented from attending at
bis Office by indisposition.
The SLOoP OF WAR DECATUR, Commander
Whipple, now in the fishing ground squadron
will sail to join the African squadron as soon
as she can possibly get ready, after her return
to Boston from her present cruise We fancy
that no change will be made in her present
of officers.