Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1883-01-20
Especial Telegram to the Globe.

ler-Department Notes.
Especial Telegram to the Globe.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 19.-The board of
Indian commissioners have been in session
here, and have just completed their labors,
but what it is all about nobody can quite
understand. These commissioners are a
set ofamiable philantrhopists,w have no
powers and draw no salaries, but are sup
posed to exercise a general supervision
over the Indian department with view to
preventing dishonesty and injustice. There
is need enough for such supervision, but it
is not altogether certain that the commits
sioners would know if an Indian agent or
a contractor were stealing, for
these gentlemen are wiser in their
generation than the children of ight, and
even if the commissioners could not be
hoodwinked, it is certain that gentlemen
who draw no salaries can not afford to give
great deal of time the public service.
The principal business of the board had, so
far as superficial evidence goes, was to get
the secretary to recommend to congress a
large appropriation for their expenses.
Only the small amount of $4,000 is now
appropriated. Mr.. Teller expressed some
doubts as to whether the services of the
board we're worth an increased sum. The
only service rendered to the government
by the commissioners, he told
them, was their allowing the
government to be defrauded in the
purchase of 10000 head of cattle to the ex-
tent of Sc per head. Mr.. Fisk, president
of the board, promptly admitted the in
dictment, but pleaded in mitigation that
no member of the board was present at the
time the contract was let. There were
present on behalf of the government only
the clerk of the board and the commits
sloner of Indian affairs, Mr.. Price, whereat
Mr.. Price became very uneasy, but did not
participate in the debate. Mr.. Teller ad-
mitted that the plea exonerated the COM
missioner personally, but intimated that
it did not prove anything as to the useful
ness of the board. 1t must be very pain
full to Mr.. Price to have remarks of this
kind made about contracts let by him or
under his supervision, but he always has
an easy defense, which consists in publish
ing a card admitting al the facts, but pre-
the criticisms made by INSCRIPTIONS enc
mics of his. The morning that dispatch
appeared in the GLOBE regarding some
beef and -four contracts, Mr.. Price pub
lished defense Of himself regarding the
-four contract in a paper here. In the de-
Tense he admitted he paid for the -four in
question the full amount that was to have
been paid for it, at Los Pinos, transpor-
tation included, plus the expensive trans
portation from Salt Lake City to Ouray,
and manifested much indignation that
wicked people denied him due credit for
not having the -four hauled to Los Pinos
and then across the country to Ouray.
IMPORTANT LAND DECISION.
1.-The secretary of the interior has decided
case of great importance to settlers on
the frontier, and also to all land grant
railroads, particularly to the Northern
Pacific. The decision relates to all lands
within the limits of railroad grants where
settlements have been made after the
withdrawal of the lands from the market
and before the roads have finally located
their lines. Secretary Teller has decided
in the case of Phillips VS.. the Northern
Pacific, that such Withdrawals in the
interests of the road are imperative
against settlers, and that settlers are pro.
tected by the statute of July 2, 1864, up to
the time that the line of road is fixed.
The decision of Secretary Teller is con-
trary to all previous rulings of the interior
department upon this and cognate ques-
tions. 1t has been the custom during the
era of land grants to withdraw the lands
for the benefit of the railroads long before
the roads have finally settled their line
and the rights of settlement under the
various homestead, presumption and other
acts were excluded from the lands
80 withdrawn. The decision of
Secretary Teller to-day reverses
this and holds that the settlements
made by settlers on these withdrawn lands
are good prior to the definite location of
Gn0 rOdus NdSI duOuuG VI IduU was
withdrawn in this manner before settle
ment claims had been made upon it which.
under Secretary Teller's decision, will be
void. This decision will effect the North
ern Pacific, Atlantic Pacific and New Or
leans & Pacific particularly. 1t was said
tonight by an officer of the interior de-
partment that many millions of acres of
land will be affected by the de-
cision and that the railroads will be so
much the poorer for it. This official
thought that the hostile attitude of con-
gress to the land grant roads has helped
Secretary Teller to make this decision.
THE MEXICAN TREATY.
Gen. Grant is to encounter a new COM
plication in the matter of the Mexican
treaty. Several years ago the United
states appointed, in conjunction with
Mexico, claims commission to investi-
gate the losses said to have been sustained
by American citizens from depredations
of Mexicans across the Rio Grande border.
Long before that time there had been ex-
tensive raids upon stock by organized
bands of guerrillas, and cattle had been
driven in herds across the border. The