OCR Text |
Show Id Colon Fire Claims Come Up Amorican Interests Want United States to Deduct the Amount Dao Thorn FTom. Canal Fund. XnTYABHINGTON, April CO.-Secretary wiy Hay heard argument today by at-y at-y y tornoys representing the American Interests Involved In the Colon firo claim. Thcso attorneys havo formally requested re-quested tho secretary to deduct tho amount of their claims from the fund of $10,000,000 which Is to bo paid by tho United States to Panamn on tho ground that tho Inhabitants of tho Republic of Panama, while In Insurrection against tho Colombian Government, wero responsible for the destruction of Colon by fire twenty years ago, with the resulting loss to American property-owners. These claims havo been presented several times In ro-cent ro-cent years to tho Colombian Govern-went, Govern-went, which has repudiated them as growing grow-ing out of the acts of tho Insurgents, so that tho present mothod of bringing them forward la new. Socrclary Hay promised careful consideration to the claims, but has decided that thoy must bo consldorcd entirely apart from the canal negotiations negotia-tions and as Congress has made a specific speci-fic appropriation of $10,000,000 for Panama, no deduotlon can bo mado from that appropriation ap-propriation by tho oxccutlvo on account of any other claims. |