As To That Scrip Decision

Washington, March 15. - The McKee scrip decisión written by Commisí sioner Lamoreux has raised the loudest "buzz" in the interior department that has been heard there for years, and it may become louder. Meanwhile Secretary Bliss has ordered the case to be reopened, and people who thought they owned about $50.000,000 worth of property in Chicago, whieh was swept out of their ownership by the decisión of Ijamoreux, breathe with more freedom. The secretary's order is made because Lamoreux in opposition to all the rules procedure delivered a copy of hi.s decisión to one of the parties interested. The man who got the copy was, it is said, P. J. Bomers, of Milwaukee, of the counsel for the scrip locators. The fact that the .original decisión was found i locksd up in the commissioner's safe makes it so the department lawyers say, the same as if it had been locked up in his bosom - it is no decisión until it is promulgated, and its promulgation was forbidden by Secretary Francis. The statement is made also that the whole of the original decisión except the signature is in the handwriting of one of the counsel for the scrip locators. Another fact is mentioned that makes the case peculiar, and this is a fact: On Aug. 3 last Lamoreux was asked for a hearing on an exactly similar case - scrip location on the same land - and refused even to hear the locators, saying that the case was not different from several other land scrip cases that had been decided adversely to the locators. The flrst knowledge of the higher officials of the department that the opinión had been formally drawn up and signed is stated to have been when exSecretary Carlisle, retained as associate counsel for the scrip side, came down to the department on the afternoon of the day that Secretary Bliss took the oath of office and asked that the opinión be promulgated. The department absolves Carlisle from wrong connection with the case.