The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1883-06-01


Secretary Teller has appointed commit
zee consisting Of Henry c. Linn. John j.
Fisher, John Q. A. Peyton, all of Kansas to
appraise certain lands of the Hekapoo In
dams In that state.
Attorney General Brewster has sent his
decision in the bank tax case, submitted to
him some time since, to Comptroller Knox.
taxes are, therefore, due since Jan. l.
A decision OF the second auditor of the
treasury that the acceptance of positions in
the civil service deprives persons on the re-
tired list of the army of the latter honor
and the accompanying emOluments affects
General Daniel L. Sickles equally with Col
Badeau, whose case invoked the ruling
General Sickles has been drawing 1000
year as brigadier general on the retired list
since 1869, Including the time he served as
minister to Spain.
RAUM's SUCCESSOR.
Walter Evans, of Kentucky, has been APP
pointed commissioner of internal revenue.
the politics of his state. He was at one
time law. partner Of Benjamin ii; Bristow
in HOpkinsville, Ky., and was Bristow's
man at the convention In 1876. In 1880 he
was delegate at large to the Chicago con-
yention, and one of the S06 who supported
candidate for governor of his state on the
republican ticket. He has not heretofore
held office, although he has had considera..
bic influence in the distribution of federal
patronage in Kentucky. He and Postmas,
ter General Gresham are warm personal
friends and 1t is understood the latter was in
strumental In securing Evans appointment.
The new appOintee qualified and was sworn
in at Louisville, the occasion for haste be-
ing that the ten days for which an acting
commissioner of internal revenue could be
appointed, expired Monday.
THE EPIDEMIC FUND.
At the last session of Congress Sl00, 900
was appropriated to be used In case of an
epidemic in the United States. at the dis
erection of the President. Efforts were
made at once by the National Board of
Health to have the money turned over to
them for distribution, but objection was
raised, and the question was submitted to
the President for a decision. AS a result,
it was determined that this epidemic fund
should be placed under the control Of the
by the Marine Hospital Service. 1t was
deemed best that written order to this eff
feet should be furnished to the Secretary
and at the Cabinet meeting Tuesday this
action was taken. Surgeon General Ham,
iltOn will instruct his officers at different
points in the country, especially in the
South, to keep him promptly informed of
the outbreak of any epidemic disease so
that proper measures may be taken to sup
press 1t. BY the transfer of this fund to
been put to the clamOr of the National
Board of Health, which will probably soon
wind up its affairs.
ALLEGED FRAUDULENT ENTRIES.
On March Secretary Teller directed the
commissioner of the general land Office to
Investigate certain alleged fraudulent pre-
emption cash entries of the land in the Den
was detailed to perform the service. From
his report it appears that's careful e3amin-
alton of the lands fails to disclose any ev-
idence of improvement or residence; that
the preemptOrS Immediately after entry
conveyed their lands to Gideon Taylor, re-
puted to be a wealthy cattle-owner and
dealer; that the lands embraced in the en-
tries are not suitable as a whole for farm
ing purposes, but chiefly for their water
privlleges-f0r grazing purposes largely.
There are public lands In that locality now
inclosed with posts and barbed-wire fence.
The commissioner of the general land Office
in transmitting the report of the investiga-
ton to the secretary of the interior says:
1T seems evident from the report and other
papers that all said entries are fraudulent
and illegal, and made for speculative pur-
poses" The secretary, concurring in the
view OF the commissioner, has transmitted
copies OF the papers in the case to Atty.
Gen. Brewster, recommending that Grim
inal proceeding be instituted against Elijah
Lattram, Philip l.. Murray, James r. Wei
don. Samuel Snyder, Samuel Hawley, Isaac
N. Gamble, Henry Brown and James Will
son, and three suits instituted to vacate the
patents for the lands issued them, If in his
(the attorney generaPs) judgment such pro-
ceedngS and suits can be maintained.
NEW DODGE TO EvADE TAXES.
Observation-Disclosures are apparently
spending most of their time in inventing
some new dodge to evade taxes ON their
product. They ANONYMOUSLY failed in the
last Congress to secure an extension of the
bonded period, and Immediately threatened
to export their whisky to Canada and other
to place the liquor in bond of indefinite per-
iOd. AT last the majority of the manufac-
turers settled upon the Bermudas as the
most available place to export the whisky,
as the rates of transportation were low and
the bonding period unlimited. Now they
have awakened to the fact that the bonded
warehouses at the Bermudas are not extern
sive enough to accommodate one-tenth Of
the whisky which twas proposed to export.
Accordingly new device was proposed at
the Treasury Department on Friday by sew
eral prominent manufacturers, and that was
to run whisky on freight trains into Cana
ola, and, without unloading, to run them
back again into the United States. If the
department. should hold that this was ex-
porting and bringing the whisky back again
under the law, the owners could Immediate
ly. put the article into bonded warehouses,
where 1t could remain for three years. This
ingenious method of evading the tax due the
government for three years did not find
much favor with either Secretary Folger OF
Assistant Secretary French, and it is prob
able that their position will be fortified by
an opinion from Attorney General Brews-
ter.
ALAND CLAIM
The Southern Pacific Railroad company
has recently made application to the secre
tary of the interior for lands originally
granted the Texas Pacific Railroad company
for the construction of its road. These
lands are claimed by virtue of an assign
ment from the Texas Pacific company,
which has failed to construct road for which
the grant was made, and the basis of claim
is in this respect similar to that on which
the New Orleans and Pacific Railroad CON-
pany was recently awarded portion of the
lands originally granted to the. Batoi.
Rouge and Vicksburg company. The facts
in that case were that the lastnamed com
pany constructed part of its road and then
assigned its grant to the New Orleans and
Pacific company, which completed the line.
The attorney general, In an opinion render.
ed last July, decided that the New Orleans
and Pacific company was entitled to the