The Indianapolis journal. [volume] (Indianapolis [Ind.]) 1867-1904, 1899-01-04
SUPREME COURT DECISIONS.
Natural Gas classified as Crude Btu
men, and Not DutiabIe.


men, and Not DutiabIe.
WASHINGTON, Jan. 3-Justice Peckham
to-day handed down the opinion of the
United States Supreme Court in the case of
the United States VS.. the Buffalo Natural
Gas and Fuel Company, appealed by the
United States from the decision of the Cir
cult Court of Appeals for the Second circuit.
The case involved the right of the gas COM
pany to import gas from Canada by means
of pipes under the Niagara free of duty.
The opinion classfes natural gas as crude
bitumen, and has the effect of admitting it
free of duty, under the tariff of 1890 and un-
der the present law.
Justice Shiras handed down the opinion Of
the court in the case of the Missouri, Kan
sas & Texas Trust Company vs.. Theodore
Krumseig, involving the Minnesota State
law prohibiting usury. The trust company
had loaned Krumseig $1,000 and taken from
him ten notes of $500 each, or an aggregate
of So, coo. 1t was a part of the agreement
that Krumseig's heirs were to be relieved Of
the responsibility Of future payments in case
Of his death before the entire amount had
been settled, and it was, therefore. urged
that the contract involved a life insurance
feature. The court however, overruled this
view and Cancelled the contract as one mere
ly for the payment of money on the ground
that it was usurious, thus sustaining and
affirming the decision of the Circuit Court of
Appeals for the Eighth circuit and also the
Circuit Court for the district of Minnesota.
An important suit, involving the validity
of county bonds in Arizona, was also de-
cided to-day The case validates $2S9,964
worth of bonds issued by Pima county in aid
of the Arizona Narrow-gauge Railroad. 1t
was based upon a petition for mandamus
upon the Governor and other territorial OIL
GERS to compel them to issue in lieu of those
originally issued in 1888. The Supreme Court
for that Territory denied this petition, but
the opinion of the federal Supreme Court,
which was handed down to-day by Justice
Brown, reverses this decision and remands
the case for further proceedings in compli-
ance with the original opinion The opinion
of the court is based on the authority Of the
act of Congress Of June 6, 1895
The court dismissed the case involving the
right of the corporation of Kansas City,
Kan, to sell lands of the Union Pacific Rail-
road Company on the ground that the court
had no jurisdiction. The case was decided
by the Supreme Court Of Kansas against
the contention of the railroad company that
its lands could not be sold for taxes.
In the case of the United States VS.. w. F.
Ingraham the court decided that an entry
man. under the desert land law, was not
entitled to recover money paid upon such
entry, which he had subsequently relin-
quished, and which. if he had held on his
course, would have resulted in giving him
the land.
Justice Harlan rendered an opinion in the
Alabama case, involving the validity of the
State law Of 1895, prescribing rates Of toll on
the Florence bridge across the Tennessee
river He beld that the Federal Courts were
without jurisdiction and remanded the case
to the state courts.