The Washington critic., 1885-08-17

Lamar, twenty three days. Postmaster
General Villas, ten days; Attorney Gen
cral Garland five days; Assistant Sec
rotary Fairchild, sixteen days; Assist
ant Secretary Muldrow, fifteen days;
Auditor McConyillc, twenty days,
Commissioner Atkins, twenty five days,
and Soicitor-Gcncrnl Goodc, twenty
five days. Other chiefs Of bureaus
have been absent for longer or shorter
periods. Meanwhile the heads of
several departments have issued orders
restricting the annual leaves of absence
granted to clerks in pursuance of law
and usage.
a#
Speaking Of the order Of President
Cleveland, ordering the taking down Of
fences from the public lands, Senator
Henderson said to the Omaha Bee the
other day that he did not think that the
cattle interests Of Nebraska would be
seriously affected thereby. The new
order, he said, would undoubtedly give
Nebraska stockmcn a chance to buy cat
tie at very low prices from the Cherokee
strip of land. He was of the opinion
that national legislation ought to allow
the lands of each Western State and
Territory to lie under supervision of
commission which should determine
the lands which were fit for settling up
and throw them open for immigration,
Those lands not Immediately available
for arabic purposes could be used for
ranch purposes on such terms that the
lease could be cancelled upon six
months notice. Such state of affairs,
4 4. IL Il 1, al ,,Ns
only to Nebraska, but to other cattle
grazing States and Territories in the
West.
W.
Nearly two hundred French spolia-
ton cases have been doclieted, writes the
Washington correspondent of the Bos
ton JoUIRdl and the judges expect that
quite two thousand will be entered.
Smaller claimants are holding back
awaiting action in cases already filed,
that they may have the advantage of
the decisions as to methods of pro-
ccdurc and the character of evidence.
There of course will be but few cases
in which verbal evidence will be posi-
bic. The testimony must necessarily
be documentary and historical. The
court is not likely to hold claimants to
the strictest rules as to legal evidence.
There are three important sources of
evidence over which the Government
has attempted TO exercise control. The
first are the old records of the custom
houses on the Atlantic seacoast which
contain the register, the clearance and
the various statements relative to the
ships. The second are the lists of
claimants, ships and the various
papers which at different times have
been lodged with the State Depart
ment. The third is the evidence of
condemnation supposed to be on file in
| the archives of the French Govern
ment. The Court of Claims has re-
| qucsted the Treasury Department, for
| the convenience of the court and the
| claimants, to collect from the attics and
| the lumber rooms of the custom
houses these old records many OF which
| have not been seen for half century,
| and bring them to Washington and ar
| range them in room with II custod, q a.,
| 50 that claimants, the court and the
Department of Justice can have access
| to them The Secretary of the Treasury
| has decided to do this, and the records
| are now beginning to arrive. James
o. Broadhead of st. Louis has been
sent to France to ask the French
| Government TO permit the United
States to have copies of the records of
condemnation of the American vessels
which were destroyed The State De
partment is not advised that Mr.. Broad
head has been successful but it is
learned from private sources that Mr.
Broadhead has been wholly unsuccess-
full, and that the probability is that
every one of these records was de.
stroycd by the Commune.