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the Bureau while a law existed prohibiting such payment or recognition of a power of attorney given to a Bureau officer. Genl Gregory cannot plead that he was acting for the interests of the colored people as an easy adjustment could have been turned over to some party acceptable to the State Authorities, and by them collected, or he could at least have given up the contest when it was clearly hopeless, and returned the Discharges to the owners with proper advice; this would have been satisfactory to the claimants who were daily presenting the Bureau Receipts and were daily put off with the most positive assurances that their claims should be collected by the Bureau without any expense to them. It was the habit of the General to reiterate in the most positive terms that the Government had undertaken the collection of these claims free of charge to them, and that in any event, their