Courier Democrat. (Langdon, N.D.) 1891-1920, 1893-05-25

Secretary Smith has begun to call
for the designations of the republi-
can chiefs of divisions in the Inte-
rior Department and he proposes to
keep it up until they are all out.
Secretary Morton has not been be-
hind in proportion to the size of his
department.. Postmaster General
Bissell has had to devote so much
time to the selection of postmasters
that he hasn't made very many
changes in his department, but he
will, as will Attorney General o.
ney and Secretaries Lamont and
Norbert.
Judge Lochren believes he will
kill one of the principal roots of the
pension evil by making the Medical
Boards which examine applicants
for pensions entirely democratic,
instead of allowing one republican
on each board of three as has been
done. Speaking of this change he
is quoted as saying: "One of the
things the democrats have commit
ted themselves to do is to sift as far
as possible the rubbish which has
been drifting into this pension cess
pool. The party has committed
itself to reform in this matter, and
there is no better way to make a
start than by having only democrats
on these boards" l do not state it
as fact that President Cleveland
has approved this action of Judge
Lochren, but it is hardly probable
that such radical change would
have been announced by him unless
it had been previously approved by
the President.
!. Much more or less silly talk has
been indulged in this week about
the probability of a war with China
because of the Supreme Court hav-
ing declared the Geary law consti-
tutional. Needless to say neither
the President nor Secretary Gresham
have the remotest idea that there
will be any serious trouble with
China. The Chinese minister told
Secretary Gresham that his govern
ment would not take any retaliatory
steps, and that it would, as far as
possible, protect Americans in China
from any attack which the ignorant
natives might be disposed to make
upon them. The Geary law will be
enforced by the administration to
as great an extent as possible with
the means at it's command, but the
lack of sufficient appropriation to
pay for their transportation makes
it probable that no Chinese will be
returned to China until Congress
shall have decided whether it will
the large amount that
will be needed-s6,oO0 is the
estimate to send the more than
who failed to register in ac-
cordance with the Geary act back
to China, or modify the law so as to
allow those who are now in the
United States to remain. Many
Congressman who voted for the
Geary act have announced their
willingness to vote for an amend
ment to allow the Chinese now here
to stay, in preference to appropriat-
ing the money necessary to send
them to China.
The official contract by which the
Cherokee Indians surrender their
interests in the ssCherokee Strip" to
the U. S. Government was signed
this week by Secretary Smith and
the representatives of the Cherokee
nation. The contract provides for
the retention by the Government of
81 100000 to satisfy the claims of
the Delewares, Shawnees, and the
Freedmen. There are yet to be re-
ceived and approved the instruc-
tions for making the seventy al
lotments to Cherokees residing in
the strip, which, under the recent
opinion of the Attorney General,
will have to be made by the Chero-
kaeS from tho 1dO ann1icanfS The