El Paso daily herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1881-1901, 1900-03-20
ONE MILLION
FOR MEXICO
Held In Trust BY The United
States
A LOAD OF MONEY
MONEY
Around Which Story OF Great In
tereSt Is Told.


been held in trust by our government
since August, 1876 There is story
connected with this money which has
never been printed. An act of the
United States supreme court, made on
Monday, February 20, opens the his
tory. The act, so termed because 1t
was perfunctory in It's nature, was so
quietly done that it created no inq uiry.
This act was q simple refusal of the
court to grant rehearing OF the case
which the court had affirmed when it
came before it some time before the
court of claims OF the district.
The attorney of the Mexican govern
ment, General James E. Slaughter,
an confederate, a lieutenant in the
United States army at the beginning
of the civil war, now in his seventy
first year, and also connected with the
engineering department OF the gov
eminent, Is a most interesting person
atty. From him were obtained the
following facts in the case:
In accordance with the treaty OF
1868, the United States and Mexico
appointed what was known as a
mixed commission TO regulate accounts
between the two republics.
WE'LL AND LA ABRA CLAIMS
Among the claims against Mexico
were those of LIS A bra Mining company
that Mexicans had taken from them
1914 bales of cotton, worth then 40
cents pound. The Mexican gov
erpment solicited General Slaughter,
who at the time was a confederate
commander on the Rio Grande, TO look
after these claims. Each OF the claim
pts had received awards from the
$500, 900 and $500, 900 respectively.
General Slaughter in his appeal from
these awards established by documen-
tary ard osher evidence the fact tina It
the claims were false. The money,
growing out Of the mixed commissiOn's
duties, was already held in trust by
our government. After General
Slaughter's representation to congress
it refused &c permit payment of the
money to the claimants. The case
again came before later congress-in |
fact, before number OF congresses, |
year after year, and finally the last
congress before which it came passed
an act submitting the case to the court
Of claims. This was in l89l-'92.
After years of litigation in this court
it fually decided that the claims were
fraudulent AID that the money should
bs paid back into the Mexican treasury. |
An appeal to the supreme court of
the United States resulted in an affir- |
nation of the finding of the court OF |
claims.
SETTLED IN SUPREME COURT.
The next step was a motion for a re- |
hearing of the case before the supreme
court, and an order denying the mo-
ton was made last Monday by the su-
pceme court, and within the next ten
days the money, which has been boxed
in the treasury vaults all these years,
is to be shipped back to the Mexican
ha6 |
q conference with the Mexican minister
on Wednesday, February %, to make
arrangement for its return.
The decision of the court of claims
in this case was far-reaching and i'm
portaut, inesmuch as it asserted the
rights Of courts to review decision by
an international tribunal. By 1t all
treaties for the adjudication of claims
prOand con for citizens of the u. ).
by foreign countries are safeguard ,
dsL. TIE Importance OF the decision
will dou btless be seen before long in
the claims arising in Cuba, Porto Rico
and the Philippines, growing out OF
the late war with Spain.
By this decision another important
fact is established, not generally
that the president Of
the United States may sign bills dur
In the vacation of congress.
Since the appointment OF the mixed
commission by the two governments
claims to the amount of S47O 900, 900
b ave been fled against the Mexican I
government. The latter government
has paid In instaliments $500, 900 year
On account of awards. But in the cases
IF La A bra and We'll the money has
oeeu retained in the United States
.reasury as special deposit, all in
merlcsn gold, and when 1T is returned
t will be without interest.
CASES BITTERLY CONTESTED.
In these two cases there are on file
20. 900 pages of printed testimony, and !
although every committee that has
passed upon them has reported ad
vsrsely on the claims, the claimants ,
nave had sufficient strength to have ac-
ion postponed from their first appear
nee until they finally reached the sen
ate, when it was quickly discovered 1
hat there were but i've votes in favor
IF them, while la the house they were
10 overwhelmingly squelched shat the
yeas ard nays were not demanded.
The history of these claims Is doubly
by reason OF the history
which attached to G en-. Slaughter. He is
! nephew of Mrs. Dolly Madison. He
came to Washington to visit his aunt
when Polk was president. Slaughter ;
was 10 years old. Through his 4,
,unt's Influence he WAS appointed by
Polk lieutenant in the regular army.
His was oae of the four appointments
20 the regular army from civil life, a
hing which. at that time, was so uu-
Usual that it excited comment and crit !
ci5m.
When the civil war broke out Slsugh-
er had charge OF government proper
p st Eagle Pass. The state authorities
+ 1'exas demanded that Slaughter
urreuder to the confederacy all the
property at Eagle Pass, i'm !
{, Il cr cr,1na and arnml1ni tinn- Slanph-