Santa Fe daily New Mexican. [volume] (Santa Fe, N.M.) 1885-1897, 1891-03-07
INDIAN DEPRECIATION CLAIMS.

The measure for examination and dis
posal of Indian depreciation claims which
has just become law by the grace of
President Harrison and the justice of
congress, is, next to the land court bill,
the most important piece OF legislation
New Mexicans have ever felt an interest
in. Citizens OF this territory have some
100000 tied up in these depreciation
claims, and it is no credit to our govern
ment that they should have been kept
out Of this vast sum, 80 justly due, for
more than than thirty years. No people has
rendered greater service to the govern
ment than those in New Mexico in COM
batting with the hostile reds; they cheer
fully gave their best manhood to the
cause of the government and that, too, at
a time when that government in justice
should have been dealing with them far
more literally than it ever has. 1t would
not have been at all out of the way if
congress had provided in this act that
the claims of New Mexico residents
should have priority in the matter Of
settlement.
Up to the LIST Of July, 1890, and exclud-
ing all damages resulting from the recent
Sioux disturbances, there were 6,O53 such
claims, involving O,92e, $3.50. OF these
$751;, amounting to $40, 753, 555, relate to
depredations committed since the year
1851. Only 274 at the last accounts had
been actually paid, but during the last
four years the interior department has in
vestigated about l,100 more Of them, and
upon these it has recommended to con-
gress allowances aggregating about ST..
200, 900, out of more than three times that
amount claimed. The total allowances
thus far are 81, $50.
Should this ratio of allowance hold good
in the remaining claims now pending,
amounting to between $l6,0O0,00O and
ST., 100000, the sum involved would be
from S., OOO, 900 to 100000. But while
the government may haggle over it great
deal and postpone from time to time its
final settlements, still it is bound to pay
these claims, and the chances are that
under the liberal provisions of the new
law turning the whole subject over to
the court of claims the claimants will be
dealt with in tairer manner than any
officer of the government has yet had
the courage to do. Under the new law
the above ratio will not hold good; the
percentage Of claims paid will be much
larger, no doubt.
Six years ago, under the act of March,
8, 1885, it empowered the interior departs
ment to take certain action on these In
dian cases, and to report the results. At
hat time there were on file 1914 claims
not disposed of, involving about 14,OOO,.
900. But the list grew so that, after de-
Quoting those which were examined by
the interior department, with q recon-
mendation of allowances, there was
large net increase of those not examined,
as the figures already given show. One
claim now pending dates back to 1872,
and more than seventy belong to
1885 and the two subseqent
years. Perhaps there would have
been many more had not the act Of 1884
declared that claims against Indians
should be barred unless presented within
three years from the date Of the injuries
complained Of. Twenty-six years later it
was provided that no such claim should
be paid thereafter, except under a special
appropriation by congress. The interior
department has already performed part
of the work Of examination through it's
special agents; but these agents are now
done away with and attorneys, whose fees,
by the way, the new act limits, will have
to be employed to take the cases before
the court of claims. ..
Full line Of spring samples now in. Call
ID