The Rock Island Argus. (Rock Island, Ill.) 1877-1885, 1883-05-23
ARTHUR'S WAY.
The President Takes All the Time
Allowed by Law and then
Something Drops
which Ast0nEshes the Politicians
Esaum's Successor---G ether
Capital Matters

WAsHINGToE, May 22.-The president
has appointed Gen Walter Evans, of Ken
tucky commissioner of internal revenue, vice
Green b. Raum resigned The appointment
occasions great surprise among politicians.
Mr.. Evans has teiegraphed his acceptance, and
that he has taken and forwarded the oath of
Office to the secretary of the eeasury.
Walter Evans is lawyer of ability, and
well-known in the politics of his state. He
was at one time law-partner of Benjamin H
Bristow, in Hopkinsyille, Ky, and was a Bris
tow man at the convention in 1876 In 1850 he
was delegate -at-large to the Chicago conven-
lion, and one of the @30fo who supported Glen
Grants candidacy. He has not heretofore
held Office, although he has had considerable
influence i'll the distribution of Federal patron
age IN Kentucky He and Postmaster General
Gresham are warm personal friends and it is
understood the latter was instrumental in
securing Evans appointment
80 far as the political significance of the APP
pointment ia concerned it may be taken as
meaning that the president recognizes the
whisky interest a factor III politics. and it
may be further surmsed that he is not OPP
posed TO the emphatic demand of the Kentucky
uIstiiler5 for All extension OF the bonded rerlOd
By selecting man from southern Democra-
tic state the president has avoided the unpleas-
ant task of making a choice between the con
tending claims of Illinois, New York, and other
northern states of Republican prociivities, and
has thus freed himself from certain compliea-
tons which might have followed had he made
decision between these.
THE SOUTHERN PACTFIC's ATTEMPTED
GRAB.
WASHINGTON, MAY 22-The South
ern Pacific Railroad company has recently
mado application to the secretary of the in
terror for the lands originally granted to the
Texas Pacific Railroad company for the con
struction of its road The lands are claimed
by virtue of the assignment from the Texas
Pacific company, which has failed to construct
the road for which the grant was made, ana
the basis of the claim is in this respect similar
to that on which the New Orleans Il Pacific
Railroad company was recently awarded por-
zion of the lands granted originally to the Baton
Rouge & Vicksburg company The facts
in that case were that the last named
company constructed part of its road
and then assigned It's grant to the
New Orleans & Pacific company, which com
pleted the line. The attorney general, i'll Ii>
opinion rendered last July, decided that the
New Orleans 4 Paelti: company entitled tC
the lands lying along the portion of the road It
had constructed The principal difference be
tween the decided by the attorney general
and the case of the Southern Pacific company is
that the road for the construction of winch the
grant is claimed by the Southern Pacific was
built prior t. the date OF assignment OF the
grant The Southern Pacific company was or
gained as Il rival of the Texas Pacific com
punv, and undertook 10 build Il competing
llne, and it objected to granting lines To the
latter company, and to the Endorsement of its
bonds. by the government Since the failure,
however, of the Texas Pacific company to
build It's road, it has assigned its grant to the
Southern Pacific company A decision will
NOS be reached III the case for several DAYS
but there Is reason to believe, when it is ren-
dered. it will be adverse to the claim OF the
company last named The grant OF land in
dispute aggregates between I1,uO0,0O0 and IS
U0j,uUO acres.