The National tribune. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1877-1917, 1898-12-08

illustrated by member of President Cleve
lands Cabinet. The next day after he lal'
down his own portfolio he sent in his card t.
the new Secretary of the Interior. The latter
supposng that the distinguished ex-Secretar,
had come to pay call of friendly congratu
lation and good wishes, had him admitted a
once and welcomed him warmly. But hi
manner changed to the cold "official " whel
he learned that the caller was there in tn
interest of one of the parties to the famou
Chicago waterfront case 1t was said tha
the ex-Secretary received fee of $40, 600 70
his effort to get the Secretary of the 1nterio
to reverse the ruling of his immediate pre-
decessor He did not succeed.
OF course, $40, 600 fee is big temptation
to any man. But it is small one com
pared to many which have been received TO
the successful prosecution of claims. Their
are records of fees running up into hundred
of thousands of dollars for successful man
agement of land claims, and last year TIVE
men who had been more or less instrumental
in getting through Congress the claim of the
Southern Methodist Book Concern for dam
ages to its property by reason of the military
occupation of Nashville became entitled to re-
ceive fee of 1926, 900. They may not re-
ceive it, though, for the Southern Methodists
are deeply exercised over the immortality OF
lobbying the claim through Congress. There
has been much censure of the Book Agents
| who made the arrangement, and action has
been taken in several of the Conferences
| looking to a refusal to accept the money from
| the Government.
FAMOUS CLAIMS.
To merely enumerate the famous claims
that have been made in the 1913 years of our
National history would fill TOO large portion
of THR NATIONAL TRIBUNE. The new
Government began in 1887 with an almost
crushing burden of claims. Under the
charters granted by the English Kings the
New England Company and the Virginia
Company had been granted strips of territory
extending across the continent to the Pacific,
given under the general belief at that time that
the continent was about as wide as Mexico.
The ghosts of these hovered around to plague
the Fathers of the Republic The squatters
in Vermont claimed their lands there against
the proprietors" of New York. Virginia
had enhanced her claims to the country west
of the Alleganies by the conquest of her
General-George Rodgers Clarke-of nearly
all of what is now Ohio, Indiana and Illinois
North Carolina had claims upon large pOr-
ton of what is now Tennessee Georgia had
claims against the Cherokee Indians to the
northwest and the Spaniards to the south;
Lafayette, Baron Steuben, Lord Stirling and
other foreign officers who had assisted Us had
extensive claims; the needy and broken-down
officers and soldiers of the Revolutan wanted
ray. pensions and land warrants; the men
WHO had furnished money and supplies to the
struggling Continentals wanted pay; the
Northern States, which had made extensive
expenditures for the purpose of carrying on
the war for National independence, wanted
reimbursement; and altogether Uncle Sam
had very 'hard Shedding" upon entering his
business career. But he managed to pull
through, as he always does Connecticut was
given large slice of land in Ohio, in salts
faction of her claims and Virginia received
the fertile valley of the Scioto River. La
fayette was given Township of land and
5000 900; Steuben got pension OF 81, 500
and 10000 acres of land near Utica, n. Y;
Lord Stirling received Township of land
and a pension, and the lesser officers and
soldiers received pensions and grants; the
Southern States were bribed TO accept the
debts of the Northern by the location Of the
National Capital at Washington, and so on.
The troublous times of the Napo!eonic
wars, eliminating in our own war with
France, and second war with Great Britain
brought fresh patches of claims.
There was visible reminder of one of the
most notable of these to be seen on the
streets OF Washington until very recent
year. He was Col. Sam G. Reid whose
father, Captain of the privateer Gen. Arm
strong, made such heroic defense in the
port Of Fayal in November. 1914, against
the British feet sailing to attack New
Orleans. as to disable the fleet, and give time
which Gen. Jackson made the most of III
preparing the defense Of that city. Most of
his long life. except the four years he spent
fighting for the Southern Confederacy, Col
Reid passed in Washington. trying to get
Congress to pass bill granting him q large
sum in compensation for his fathers services
and losses, and his personality and story be-
came very familiar to the residents of Wash
ington.
TEXAs'S FAMOUS CLAIM
A great claim, which was lobbyed through
most successfully and enriched great many
men, including one Washington banker,
whose reputation became National through
his many acts Of philanthropy and public
spirit in later life, was that of Texas for ter
ritOry acquired by conquest from Mexico 1t
was the strong belief Of many public men
that Texas, when she gained her independ-
eDce, only secured boundaries as far as the
River Nueces But the United States. in
entering upon the war with Mexico, insisted
upon the boundary being extended to the Rio
Grande. When the war was successfully |
concluded, the United States was placed in |
an embarrassing position. TO acknowledge |
the fnli claims Of Texas would be to give her |
all of the present Territory of Arizona and a
large part of Kansas and Colorado. To deny
them was TO confess that the purpose of the |
war was fraudulent. Texas politicians and !
lobbyists made the most Of the position, and |
threatened TO sccede if the full claim was
not recognized. The result was that the |
United States paid SO, 900, 900 to have Texas
surrender all but her present area. This was
perhaps the finest " shaking Of the plum
tree F" in the history of American claims.
1t would take up too much space to even
outline the famous Myra Clark Gaines claim
for a fat slice out of the heart of New Orleans;
Gen. J. c. Fremont's noted Marposa
claim" Billy McGarrahan's claim for the |
rich quicksilver mines of New Idria, Fresno
Co, Cal; the Max We'll aud La Abra claims.
which for years filled so much space in the |
newspapers of the country. We may take |
these up later, for their history is full of