The Washington times., 1907-04-20
MILLIONS HELD
BY GOVERNMENT
WAITING OWNERS
Solid Money for Some
Claimants, Nothing But
Visions for Others.

Uncle Sam IS VIGOROUSLY the poorest
paymaster in the world, though il may
be doubted whether he is 50 bad as is
often represented. 1t is a widely &C
cepted story that the Government holds
funds representing the means of pay
ing private claims amounting to about
s., 600 000, 900. but If this is true no officer
or department of the Government will
admit IT,
Recently there has come to light an
illustration of the delays in settling
trusts of which the Government is ex-
ecutor. When the Powers agreed on
the indemnities they were to receive
for rescuing Pekin from the Boxers, in
1900 the United States became the
trustee for various claims and has since
been getting money from China by
iEstallments. on the presumption that
il is to be turned over to the American
individuals and interests that were in
jured during the uprising Il is said
That there is now in the control of the
Government, received from China for
this purpose. about s27.OOO000. with no
body proving claims against it. and
small prospects that anybody viii.
Government Not Worrying.
The question of what to do with the
money is beginning TO give some con-
Germ, though it is extremely unlikely
that the concern will ever become vio-
lent enough TO induce action.
The Durkee or Blaisdell claim. in
volving the charge that, in connection
with the construction of some of the
Pacific railroads, an immense block of
bonds guaranteed by the Government
as a bonus was turned over to the
wrong people, who realized on them
while the people who were entitled to
the value were defrauded. This claim
is said to be the means of support of
various people in Washington TO the
present day. It's amount is stated all
the way from $50 100000 to Sf00. 900 600
and the stories that are told-and be-
lieyed BY some peOple-abOut il are mar
velous
Recently a woman, who had been keep
ing herself poor for years in order to
invest her income to get this claim al
lowed, gave up the fight and told her
friends of the unfortunate investment
she had been secretly making. She was
disguised and highly exasperated but
she did not doubt the sincerity of the
people 10 whom she had been contrib
uting. 1t had been alleged that the
matter had. been adjudiCated, the fund
set aside 10 pay the claims, aggregating
dbDuJ eotpuosulDs anu LudL as soon as the
proof could be perfected there would
be grand melon cutting.
Interest in the case of this woman
led 70 an inquiry.
Fabric of a Dream.
Investigation was made at the offices
of the Court OF Claims and the first clue
was secured. It was said that the Dur
kee claim was twenty years ago in its
prime. 1t involved transactions in con-
nectiOn with the construction and sub
sidizing of the Southern Pacific. The
people who claim to have been defrauded
in some fashion when the Huntington
interests got charge Of the property.
had put their claims together and Sc
cured their presentation in the Court
of Claims. There the matter was tried
out and found TO be about as substantial
as a dream.
Apparently there is nothing more at
tractive to the credulOus than a vast
claim against the Government. French
spolllatlOn claims. representing damages
which this Government undertook to
pay on account of the French war more
than a century ago and even revolu-
tionary claims. bob up occasionally.
The present rate of progress toward
settling the Spanish war claims which
the United States assumed under the
Treaty of Paris indicates that these
may be well on the way 10 adjustment
in a century or two.