New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1879-12-27
A sIIADOwY SOUTHERN CLAIM.
COOL DEMAND MADE BY MIR. ROBgRTsoN On BEHALF
or LOUISIANA PARISHES.
tDY TELEGRAPH TO THE rrInuxE-l

or LOUISIANA PARISHES.
tDY TELEGRAPH TO TIE TEIBUSE.l
WASHINGTON, Dec &C. Perhaps as good speci-
men in small way Of the cool ciIrontcry of the de-
mands of the Solid South upon the National Gov
eminent as can be found anywhere Is contained in
a bill no. 2,2S0l offered by +. w. Robertson. of
Louisiana, in the House of Representatives on the
18th of June last The bill is entitled "A Bill re-
linquishng and granting to the Florida Parishes of
the State of Louisiana public lands compensation
TO the people thereof for services acquiring said
territory from Spain In 1910" The bill Is prefaced
by long preamble which deserves to be printed en-
tire Ii Is as follows:
Whereas The parishes Of East Baton Rouge, of East
anu 9nr NM " pc sa of
LOUISIANA constituted part OF the disputed territory
Known as West Florida. tie United States ella ming sa
territory under the terms OF the treaty of Paris OF
1908, and Spain dsputng said claim and asserting her
own title tuereto aud holding undisputed possession
WhereaS. The United States never attempted TO take
possession of said territory clrmed by her, until the
people of said parishes lad IN 1870 mt their own eI-
and VITA their own troops. thrown of the Spanish
yoke, established their independence ana Organized
their own Government; and
Whereas, Tue United States subsequently. and with
authority sand parishes, and took possession Of
their public lands, and thereby reaped the behehts
which the people OF said parishes had acquired by con-
quest FROM Span and
Whereas, The United States has never compensated
SAID parishes Tor the public lands so acquired.
The readingof this preamble excitcs ones curiosity
andleads him to ask who were this wonderful people
of the Florida Parishes that at their own expense
and with their own troops" threw off the Spanish
yoke, and no doubt, made the Spanish power
tremble. Well, on investigation, finds that
these parishes, which Established their independ
ence and organized their Government" con-
tanned in 1910 white population of less than
1,OOO-to be exact, FOG, counting men, women and
children 1t is hardly matter of wonder, then, that
the United States able without much trouble
to "extend its authority over said parishes" and
take possession OF the public lands which it had
bought and paid for.
There remain unsold in the parishes named
49, O47 acres of public land there have been dis
posed of since the territory was purchased
1912 931 acres. Mr.. Robertsons bill provides that
the lands ndisposcd of shall be given to the sew
eral parishes "as compensation to the people
thereof for services" and that scrip applicable
to other public lands of the United States shall also
be given them in lieu of the 1.042.931 acres dis
posed of since 1910. III more shad0wy claim than
this has ever been set up In Congress, except 10y n
Southern Representative IL remains TO be discovered.
Mr. RobertsoD's bill appears TO be incomplete I'm one
particular, however-its author has neglected To
ask the Government to pay interest on the money
received for the land sold. Still, it is not too late
IN amend the bill.