The times. (Owosso, Mich.) 1882-1897, 1886-08-27
WASHINGTON NEWS.
A Decision Indicating "a Complete Change
OF Policy Regarding Land Grants.
SPARKS ovERRULED.


SPARKS OVERRULED.
The decision OF Secretary Lamar In the
farm mortgage case, attracts much atten-
ton n. from the LAWYERS here who have charge
the opinion that the decision goes much
further In its application than the farm
mortgage case and that in it Secretary La
mar has laid down the new rule, by which
his administration Of these cases will be
governed. This does not appear afiirma-
lively In the decision, but 1t Is the almost
legal Inference from the decision. The prln-
clple In the farm mortgage decision of Mr..
Lamar Is the reverse OF the entire policy of
in these cases. Should the decision Of Mr..
Lamar be applied in the many similar
cases as to which the policy of the admins
tration has been SO much in doubt it would
seem TO be this: That i'll cases where land
grant roads have been completed, although
not within the time prescribed by the grant
ing act (but long thereafter 1T may be), the
lands granted shall be construed to belong
that congress shall not have declared for
feiture. This is the construction which
land-office lawyers put upon this passage
or the decision, where after referring to
the noted dnS case OF Schulenburg vs.; Harrl-
statute cOnfers the statute means to be ell
joyed; what the statute directs, it means to
have done; not to do it, or even to delay
unnecessarily the doing of it, Is to violate
the statutes and involves q grave derelicton
of duty" This decision was drawn by Sc
cretary Lamar with his own hand, and is
not mere perfunctory Endorsement of a
decision made to order by law clerk.
ANOTHER BOND CALL.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 2O-The issue of
another call for bonds for $l5,000,000 was a
surprise to everyone connected with the
treasury department except Acting Secre-
tary Fairchld. So confident were all
treasury officials that call would not be
made out of the usual order that they were
in accord in denying that another call was
In anticipation, and said that no more calls
would be issued until the amounts OF the
receipts and the expenditures for the cur
rent month, which were to be large, were
ascertained. But Mr.. Farchild came to
another conclusion and took no one into
his confidence. He says in explanation Of
this call, which is ont of the usual order,
that the treasury had sufficient money;
that the receipts were exceptionally large;
that there seemed to be little tightncss in
well be made. This call seems to Indicate,
to some extent at least that the treasury
department. has adopted new policy with
regard to the calling OF bonds. Hitherto,
under this administration, the department
has been quite adverse to making any con-
siderable calls. The policy of Treasurer
Jordan has been to make no more calls
than are necessary to satisfy the require
|
ming was disposed to go somewhat further
than this, but not much. Mr. Fairchild is
disposed to put the money in circulation to
q considerably greater extent than MIR.
Jordan; and the. president, it is now de-
fnitely known, Is inclined to make still
more frequent calls of bonds. Those who
have the most closely watched the course
of the treasury are OF the opinion that this
new call indicates that the president has
directed that the calls shall be made as
| often condition
warrant 1t means that the treasury will
| probably relax to some extent the policy
| of 'hoarding' which has been followed.
Col. Morrison's surplus resolution is gen.
| orally supposed to account for the new de-
parture.
BY the terms of Secretary Fairchild's call
the bonds will mature Oct. /, on which
date interest is to cease. The bonds called
$5o"original No. 1o4 to No. 1913, both in
elusive.
SOCIOLOGICAL No. ESQ to No. 72O, both in
! elusive.
l,OOO-Origlnal No. 4,oo7 to No. 1899,
| Doth inclusive
$40, oO0-Original No. 1o,24s to No. II, 66S,
| both inclusive.
Total, Sl5,OO0,000.
THE TELEPHONE CASES.
The exact reasons can now be stated why
| there has been so much furry in telephone
circles for the last few days. 1t is said on
| Il
| Gray has been renstated, and it will in due
| course be referred t0the examiner of inter-
| ferences and Bell will be notified. III he
chooses he can appear by attorney and con-
| test the issuance OF u patent. Until this Is
| done the law requires that 1t be Kept IN the
! secret archives of the department. 1t Is
probable that Grat's attorney will file
| bill in equity and transfer the matter TO the
| Supreme court OF the District of Columbia.
| When Gray finally obtains his patent he
can go into the courts and enioln bell, and
! also bring suit for damages against the
Bell company. or course no one knows
exactly what The patent office may do, but
those who are best posted on the subject
assert positively that such patent will be
issued to Gray in the near future. They
cite as proof of this the wording Of the APP
plcations OF Bell and Gray, which were
both filed on Feb. II, 1876. Bells applica-
ton reads: II have invented certain
graphy." He does not once speak Of trans
hitting the human voice, and the advocates
OF other telephones claim that this was an
after thought. On the other hand, Gray's
| caveat says:
Be it known that /, Elisha Gray OF Chica-
| go, have Invented new art of transmitting
| vocal sounds Geographically. It Is the OBJ
| ject OF my invention To transmit the tones
ofthe human voice through Geographic
| circuit, and reproduce them at the deliver
| ing end of the line so that actual CONVERSE
ton can be carried OH by persons at long
distances apart.
Gray's attorneys positively deny that he
has ever sold any interest in his invention
to the Bell company.
Col. Casey Young sayssthere Is no truth
whatever in the story that the Pan-Electric
and Bell companies are likely to make any
kind of combination. A director of the
Pan-Electric company says: ut may be
safely assumed that IL Gray obtains pat
ent It will not only overthrow the Bell
monopoly, but will prevent any future