Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1858-06-28
WASHINGTON NEWS AND GOSSIP.

Interior, has rendered to the Commissioner OF
the General Land Office, under date OF June
e5th. an important decision on question in
volving conflicting presumption claims OF the
alleged proprietors of Superior City, claiming
the right to enter fractional section IL and a
portion of fractional section q, township 40,
north of range IA west, in the Fond du Lac,
Wisconsin, Land District, under the act of Odd
May, 1874, which is contested by Chas. Bris-
sett Antoine Warren, Basil Dennis, and Vim
cent Roy.
The contestants, it seems, were half-breed
Chippewa Indians, and their names were on
the payroll Of their tribes, with whom they
had received annuities as was prescribed by
article of the treaty with the Chippewas,
dated I'd August, iS47. They claim the land
described above under the 81 clause of the eth
article of the treaty, which entities leach head
OF family, or single person over 81 years Of
age, ut the present time" so acres of land
which they may select and which is to be Sc
cured to them by the usual process and forms.
Their names, also, appear on the list of the
Chippewas entitled to the benefits derived from
this clause Of the treaty.
Inasmuch, however, as the contestants failed
to show that they had settled upon and i'm
proved the lands in good faith for their own
benefit. and as the evidence establishes that
they were the employees of others under whose
direction and for whose benefit they acted,
therefore the Secretary decides their claim in
valid and orders it to he Cancelled
The respondents in this case had also based
their opposition to the claims Of the appel
lants, whose names arc given above, on the
ground that the land was portion of a town
site, and therefore exempted from presumption
or entry (as cOntended for by the hali-breeds)
under the act of the 23d of May, 1914, entitled
An act for the relief of citizens of towns on
the lands of the United States" &c, and also
under the act Of lS4l, for similar object.
The Secretary, however, decides that the act
of 1Si1 referred only to town sites then occu-
pied as such, and not therefore applicable in
this case.
The testimony does not show either that the
parties were occupants of the town at the time
and they, are not, therefore, entitled to tho
benefits arising from the act of May. 1871
Thus their application is rejected, and this de-
cisiOn establishes the precedent that neither of
the last mentioned acts refer to town sites not
passage, and that the parties must be actual
occupants Of the town in order to enjoy the
advantages they confer.
TIE NEXT PREsIDENCY.-The Richmond
Wig hOists the flag of Senator Crittenden.
We mentioned 4 day or two since that extern
sive preparations were secretly made in this
city near the close Of the late session to bring
Mr.. Crittenden's claims to the support of the
opposition formally and fOrmidably before the
country. The movement of the Wig men
toned above is Of the first results. II is
already evident to US that his supporters will
make violent struggle to secure his nomina-
ton, and in so doing viii wage fierce war on
Mr.. Seward personally. His nomination can
De defeated in no other way, if in that way
The upshot can hardly fail to be a wide breach
i'll the opposition ranks, ending in running two
opposition candidates-Mr. Crittenden, in the
hope of carrying Kentucky, Pennsylvania, and
New Jersey-a very forlorn hope, truly, as in
each of these States there are thousands Of OPP
position voters not yet avowed members Of the
abolition party, who will support no citizen of
siavehOldIng State for the Presidency 1t
cannot be otherwise.
CROCODILE TEARs.-Nough amuses US more
than the way in which the New York TriJune
Il shedding crocodile tears over the current
tribulations Of its dear friends-the Mormons
Hear it:
" w here these unhappy people are to 90, RI
what is 10 become Of them, does not appear
They ae moving South; but, so far Is know.
there are in that direction irhabitable tracts Of
any considerable extent within seven huud
miles Of their late settlements 20 extraordinary
migration is hardly parall-led in history The
driving Of the MOrmOns from their homes b.
military terror will Lasdlv contribute much to
the honor of the country, or to the pcsthumous
reputation Of Mr., Buchanan Presidency.'
This is exceedingly refreshing, in view of the
fact that one of the two forlorn llanks-so-
called principles--of the platform Of the Re-
publican party in 1856, was hostility to poIyya-
my the other being hostility to slavery. Yet
il is even moro lCdicrOus, in view of the sweep
ing and glazing falsity of the charges against
the administration of President buchanan, on
which the Irib"me bases its jeremiades. We
were about exposing their utter want of foun-
dation with our own pen, but finding it as cay
italy as concisely done by tie Albany Argus,
we prefer to quote that journal, as follows
" y enc drop of Mormon BIO ID has been shed
Our troops have not even entered the Salt LAX.
Valley. Bot the Tribune complains of sthc
diving CT the MoTrIOns froIn their homes bv
military terror Al! that has been demanded OF
thrIn l., that they abandon their attitude OF re-
beilion, and submit to the Jurisdiction of the
Federal Govern InPnt. What less could the PRES
ident have demanded, What less would the
FTlbdne have demaad~d, The MoFIiuns have
been distinctly Informed, from tue outset that
nothing more was reqTired. Even at the fist
lntlmition OF submission, the progress Of tie
troops has been arrested. and the civil Governor
has gone forward without even a military ,s,uit
The President, instead Of deserving ceiIsuie for
treating the Mormons with severity, has exer-
cis'd towards them every possible for bra rancp
consistent with his high duty Of UNFOLDING tie
Federal authority "
CALIFORNIA SURvEYs.-The General Land
Othce is in receipt of the following described
surveys of confirmed private land claims, in
California:
Plat 81 the rancho =. Einconada del Arroyo
de San Francisquite," finally confirmed to the
heirs of Maria Antonio Mesa; situated in iowa