El Paso herald. (El Paso, Tex.) 1901-1931, 1910-02-22


| ginia gave her western territory 10 the
union was that these warrants should
| be satisfied; making the matter one Of
\ trust, against which no statuatOry lin
| itations can apply. The heirs hold that
| the obligation is a debt of the govern
/ ment and that the 14th amendment to
| the constitution explicitly sets forth
that the public debt, authorized by law.
| shall never be questioned-that is. shall
never be extinguished by Limitation or
| reputation, but shall run until paid
| Heirs Ask Settlement.
| In 1871 there was still 10000 acres OF
| land in the reserved district, held sub
( ject TO the warrants of revolutionary
| Officers and soldiers, and this land was
/ transferred to the state Of Ohio. When
| Washington died, as is shown by his
| will, he believed himself worth s530,0O0-
] But when his estate was settled there
was only $4,000 realized. aside from
| the lands not sold Much Of this
| shrinkage is represented by the loss Of
| the Ohio lands.
The heirs are not asking that they be
put in possession Of the lands which
| once belonged to the estate Neither
are they asking the government to pay
them what the lands are now worth in
their highly improved condition If
| they did, their claim would amount 10
paid what the land would be worth to-
day as an unbroken forest-s100 per
| acre, or 1905, 100 in all There is little
prospect Of the claim being granted at
| this session of congress. as that body
Ia now trying to economics.
Liberal Gratuifies.
| The government took good care OF
most OF the other revolutionary heroes
| Gen. Lawson got 10000 acres of land,
I Pa+ar M11T lon hY4re, roCafyod I O00 acres
/ Daniel Morgan was assigned $4,000
acres. Gen Steuben was granted $4,000
I acres and an annuity OF $500 for life
Gen. Lafayette was given 1880 acres
| OF land at one time. and later q whole
| township. He was also given 100000
in gold at one time. and $4,000 at an
other. Arnold Henry Dohrman. whose
name is not familiar to the average
American, was given $4,000 acres In
| all these cases it was a pure gratuity-
| In the case OF the Washington estate
the heirs are simply asking that what
| was Washington's in law and equity be
restored to them Washington never
( accepted a foot of land or dollar Of
money for his services. and yet even
the land he acquired by purchase was
not protected in his possession
Other just Claims.
Heroes of war usually have Jared
well az the hands OF their countrymen.
financially as we'll as otherwise. And
| they have never. except in the case OF
Washington, refused the financial re-
| turn that has gone with the reward Of
| honor and affection.
England has always been liberal to
its heroes. After Waterloo the Duke
of Wellington was given the estate at
Strathfieldsaye, valued al more than
s.. 800. 900. Lord WoIseley received $685.
900 for the completion OF the Ashanti
campaign. Sir Hugh Gordon and Sir
Colin Campbell each received a life
annuity OF $4,000 for services rendered
by them Lord Roberts received $780,
900 for his South African services, and
lord Kitchener $4,000 The expresi-
dents OF the French republic receive an
annuity OF 100000.
1t must not be presumed. however,
that the Washington case is the only
just claim that is pending against the
government The aggregate face value
Of the unsatisfied claims amounts to
shade less than $4,000. 000,0 Perhaps
half of these might be considered i'm
proper or questionable claims. OF the
others, perhaps half might be scaled
down at least so percent. But the
others, What tragedies are locked up
in the records Of those claims Estates
lost, people beggared, hope deferred and
hearts made sick
However just the claim there is al
ways years of heart-breaking delay, and
In many cases the grim spectres that
haunt the halls of congress tell bitter
tales OF defeat. despair and starvation
Red Apple Lobbyist.
Who has not heard of the famous
red apple lobbyist? For years and years
he camped in the corridors of the CAPT.
tol with red apples for statesmen. The
federal troops had transformed his
orchards and gardens into military en-
bankments for the fortification of
Washington Congress gave him a few
hundred dollars. but only enough TO
emphasize the injustice Then one
house voted him new relief. but con-
gress expired before the other branch
voted on the measure. Six times one
branch or the other approved his claim
but only once did both approve during
the same session. This time ii went to
the president. but congress expired be-
fore he signed the bill.
Despairing of relief at the hands of
congress he sought a laborer's job in
one of the departments. He got a tenn
pOrary appointment that soon ended
And now the red apple lobbyist is out
in the cold OF a Washington winter He
is old, sick and sorrowful- He is keep
Ing body and soul together by selling
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