New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1892-12-14
AGAINST TWO OLD CLAIMS.
THE HOUSE PASSES THE WE'LL AND La
ABRA BILLS.
.,csr FRAUDS AGAINST THE UNITED STATES
AND MEXICO TO BE EXAMINED by
yrv TELEGRAPH TO TIE TRIBUNE.I

,>.sh.naton Dec. 13.-The House To-Day "i'0'
...her brisk debate, passed the senate p,ie C",a'
Az. Wei and La Abra claims 10 tho 'oui' u -
- . tndioial sscertainment as 10 wheIhci e ~
.oth are fraudulent, and, II So 10 "'ht oN 49,, =,
".tng that in case fraud shall be discovered .he
- Mtherto paid by the Republic OF MEXICO u''uer
-, otnel awards and not yet disir1bu'eu "iio"e ''o
s,e,m.nts shall be returned to Mexico ,...
TN. approval Of these bills by fTesluei'' ~ -
-. tho second chapter in the history Vi wv
v. ~. most notorious and fraudulent Chains wv
" -. rnon a Government, and VIII enaoe '"o NC
fosOo" wov,co IN submit overwhelming evidence
pu THAR fraudulent and fictitious nature oho
oAp C. for alleged damages to the Alho'ic"h
n.rrs ~ a worthless silver mine III Durango -,
"a +t.e other on account OF IN! ul0a' 'o''o 800
S DESTROYED by imaginary MeAlcallS' ", 80
u.r.a 10 be the property OF an ARMY s"'i0' ~
os a naturalzed citizen OF the Oli'eu o'" -,
W. .,r,s Of the original awards by the MeNlcan 'Nod
'Ho ,.s,on seventeen years ago. the Mexican uoV-
t had not succeeded in obtaining testimony
n,oh ~ II had been before the commission "ou'u
economically have caused the rc)ecuoh VI uo' Va
49, ond its application for rchearing after 'he
.idsnce had been obtained was denied py Inc uP"o'
Sir Edward Thornton, in October l0'o'
rns matter was then brought to the Afternoon OF
e..rasrv Fill. who submitted to Congress. ana an
~. ,os rass.d one section of which directed rerial
:. No cases Secretary Evarts subsequently MADE an
,nvestigaon and after thorough examination vi inc
,sxiv discovered evidence reported 10 the fresuelt
U $40 that while the nature OF the case did not !Suly
=. demand retrial OF the claims by new M'ers'a-
1on,, tribunal, the honor OF the United states re-
CURED that these should be further 'eSu-
Gated BY the United States TO ascertain w4e'er NhS
ea,,orrmsra had been made the means u enforcing
co,nst friendly power claims OF our citizens Das"d
mon or exaggerated by fraud that II lu'he' III
rsst,aauon should remove the doubts the honor OF Tie
I.ned states would have been completely ihalh'aneu'
hut u on the other hand the claimant SHOULD laii IN
removing these doubts. II they should be reNaceo
hv certain condemnation the honor OF the United states
,sld b INDICATED by such measures as might tien
y, d,ot.,ed and that as the Executive had not the
u.sns of instttltiDg and pursuing the invesugatoh
~. S,psct should be referred TO Congress Tor It's
action .
Conress failed to make any provision; and after 1t
sdourosd In the summer of 1850 payment 10 inc wei
.nd IA bra claimants Of the installmcnts which mad
,..n r.c.iyed from Mexico, was begun by executive
order That was a great day for the senatorial
Confessional and other attorneys who had figured IN
tie cases they preceded IN body to the o'a'e De
partmsnt nnd did not depart until they had cMtohFd
te fat tees for which they had waited 50 long. But
they lived to another day and one !css agreeaDe
IN 1881. NJ. Blaine was then Secretary OF state
and h. wh the approval OF President Arthur. bmnily
refused to distribute any more OF the money received
from Mexico on Of these claims. and declared
thar ne "vorld stand impeachment before he would
% so.
In the following year Secretary Frelnghuysen nego-
t,ated a convention with Mexico providing ior a re-
trial OF the We'll and La Abra claims by an inter
national commission and July Is President Arthur
sent 1t to the senate for approval In December ioi'
lowing the assignee Of the claimants began mahdaihus
proceedings 10 compel the Secretary of state to dis
tribute the insalments which Lad been Withheld
This suit went to the Supreme Court of the United
States on appeal and dismissed by that tribunal
in January 1884. In the mean time and a'terward
the senatorial and othei attorney Of the Claimants
were busy and ON April II. 1-oG. thu FrciI siui son
treaty was rejected by the senate. sine u.at umr
they have fought tooth and nail against reopen
ing the claims. either by the Court OF claims or oy
any other tribunal. and II was iOt uDul "'ua' '"a'
they encountered final defeat. 49,,
The La Abrs Mining Company was q New-lork
ton. appears from the testimony that the COM
pany was bankrupt at the time mines We're
abandoned that the abandonment was due to that
fact that the company had been disposscssed by the
Mexican authorities. The testimony discovered only
after the mixed commission nad maze It's swmiu suo NOV"
that the officers ana employees OF the company were
NO, only treated with consideration but protected In
their enterprise by the Mexican authorities ana tnat
Inc BANKRUPTCY Cf the company was due wholly 10 tie
Zoe. that fhe mine WAS improbable investment
IL also appears that the stockhoder, OF IN. Ia Ai.
mid to tIe claimants amounted 40, os3, while the
sum Of s4o3o3o psd IN by Mexico remains III 'ie
TSe We'll claim was even more outrageous ard
fraudulent than the La Abra claim, for IL was Dad
upon cotton mules and wsgCHi wGa gr a nu the
briets Of unsciupulous or cohiidlng attorneys me
latter claim found no advocate on The moor OF ,ne
House Of Representatives to-day but IN behalf Of e
FORMER Mr. Covert. Of Ncw-YOrk. delivered az I'M
passoned speech against the pending III ms eh L
,ner statement Of the facts and the unalNwerabe
src1,menfs OF Mcssrs Hit and Geary, OF the Com
mttce on Foreign Affairs. Both bills passed "i'Ho"