Arizona weekly citizen., 1888-12-22
INDIAN DEPRECIATION CLAIMS.

The queer way say Washington dis patch to the Albuquerque Citizen, in which the goverpm ant does business is exemplified in the matter of Indian dep relation claims. Early after the foun- dstion Of the government lis citizens were guaranteed against such losses, snd up to the year 1859 all such claims after examination and allowance. were psld through the agency of the war. and interior departments. In that year. how ever, congress shut down on this method of settle ment, but while the obligation to pa :O- irpred stions out of snnuIties due to tne ri les committing the crimes was contir uad. it was provided that pay ment on account of said claims" shout DO; be made 4lees special hppropris- ton therefore by congress" hes beer made And this has been ihe rule gov erninR the matter ever since.
 The interior pertinent. under several sets Of congress, has gone on eIsminins , aim of this cha scier and making is reports to congress, and there ID the great majority of cssss, the matter has ended, until It is now estimated tn the claims piled up are in numbr way mp in the thousands and the amount required to pay them is estimated at Sl5.000.000. IL is hardly necessary to add that pretty far per ceutsge of claims are of Colorado and New Mexico origin, and of course, all of them belonging to the country west of the Mississippi siyer.
 It must be added that there is DO par ticulsr opposition in congress to the sei- clement Of the claims that have proved to be honest, at less: none has ever been developed, but the trouble lies in the fact that they are, in common with hundreds of other matters, excluded from legisla- ton by the pressure of more important business.
 AS result of this condition of affairs, wherein the equitable obligations of the government are neglected and avoided, sn effort will be made at this session to pass measure authorizing the presi- dent to appoint ommission which will give all claims growing out of Indian depredstions 6 judicial examination and report to congress those that are honest and whioh should be paid. In this way the business would be done after the manner of the defunct southern claims commission and congress would only be called upon at each session to pass sin gle measure, for which time could be easily spsrel, appropristing a sun ne- cessery to meet the judgements of the commIs Iop, thus acting under legisla- tive authority. This Is the plan that re- ceives the most countenspcs, but Sena- tor Teller proposes to reach the same re- sult by short eu'.
 The plan of the senator is that law be passed directing the secretory of the treasury to pay all such claims as have been allowed by the interior depart mens. There are, howevsr, many fu con gress who are opposed to this summary
 ethod, as they term 1t, of diving into the treasury to the depth of sl5 100000 and who are not altogether satisfied with the extra judicial process under whioi the allowance has been made by min isterial officer. But it IS generally ec-I knowIedged that the good faith of he govern nent demands that some process be found for liquidatlns the honest claims growIng out O, dep citations com mI.ted by Indians.