Phenix gazette. [volume] (Alexandria [D.C.]) 1825-1833, 1827-03-03
MR. GRAHAM.

q AIDE the following report, which was ia'u ="
the table. and ordered to be printed:
Tn. Committee on the Public Lands, 10 wno""
w,. referred sundry charges against E.o's
Graham. Commissioner Of the Genera La"a
Of;ce. by John Wilson, late Deputy 'e.V.yotr
on The South Eastern District OF me o'a.e VI
louisiana, ask leave 10 report: nat saia Ia
oes have been under the consideration o' wy
Commit:ee, that the accuser and me ae.ua
have been before them, and that all 'ne WIN,
q. nroduced, and other evidence submitted oy
10 ps.nec,;re par,ies, have been carefully, and
CO far az The Committee can Judge, imparuai'y
examined. and the import OF the testimony au'
Iv considered. The Committee deem ~ lnt'r
d,,v 10 submit in as brief a manner as possloie'
a few comments upon the evidence produced III
sunnor, Of each Of the charges exhibited against
the commissioner Of the General Land Ohce,
by Mr. Wilson,
| The frs, charge is one Of general and lndsh-
n;,. import, TO which it was impraclcaoe LOT
the accused to answer: Tor which reason, tue
Committee conceived it improper to go mo lis
;,vrs,;p,,ion. This will be seen by reference TO
| the charge.
The second charge made by said Wilson a.
painst Mr.. Graham, is for "criminal delinquent
cy in neglecting to comply with instructions
/ of the Hon. VIM H. CrawfoI d, directing SAID
! Graham to prosecute, on civil ana erimi"a'
suits, Gabriel Winter, of Nalchez, in the Stale
of Mississippi, who is alledged to have sworn
falsely for the purpose of defrauding the Uni'ed
States. Under this charge, II appears that the
competent authority, viz the Secretary oil 'he
Treasury, who has general superin'enoence Oh
the land Office, is responsible (if any one has
been guilty of derelic,ion Of du'y} for what
ever relates to this transaction. But the Com
| m submitted,
see no cause TO attach blame to any department
of the Government, as will satisfactorily appear
nv The documents herewith submitted.
! The third accusation is for permitting one
or more letters to be opened, and read In his
Office. by a person 10 whom he, the SAID IRA
ham. knew they were not addressed. In sup
port of this charge, no evidence whatever mas
been adduced.
The fourth charge is, that the Commission
er of the General Land Office was criminaliy
DELINQUENT in not directing an inquiry into the
conduct Of the Register of the Land Office IN
New Orleans. The delinquency here charged,
would attach to the Secretary OF the Treasury,
il 10 any officer Of the Government; but 1t APP
pears by the testimony submitted, that no inio'-
nation was Submitted to'either Mr. Graham or
the Secretary Of the Treasury, which would
have warranted either Of them in the belief that
- the Register OIL the Lana OHnCe d. A>e" N''ea''
ought to be proceeded against
The fifth charge is for advertising lands Tor
sale BY public proclamation, published in one
or more of the public papers on the 5lh OF Au'
gust, 1896, on the Bayou Crosse Tete, in the
STATE of Louisiana, in the absence OF the Presl'
sss. ss. Rgtsfac f N!
to by the Committee, as there was not shadow
OF evidence upon which to ground suspicion
hat IF ~ har hieha Mr. f.ra-
ham of procaiming lands for sale on Bayou
Crosse Tete, that he knew were confirmed as
pre-emptien rights, or sold at public sale, is
wholly unsupported by evidence But even
admitting the Facts, that the proclamation Of
sale did embrace some private claims, yet, the
Committee are perfectly satisfied from evidence,
that The utmost caution was used by Mr.. G. TO
guard against its occurrence. Mr. Graham, in
letter 10 Mr.. Harper, Register of the Land
Office in the District where those lands are stu
ated, under date Of the 9th Seplember, 1925,
suggests to Mr.. Harper the possibility, that
private claims might interfere with lands Of
fered for sale, and directs him to inquire into
the fact The lands proclaimed for sale in Au-
gust, 1926, were contained in official lis,
from the same Register, as containing lands
that had not been offered for sale under form
CIR proclamation 1t should be observed, that
the power OF bringing the pnblic lands into
market, is discretionary one. and vested in the
President; that no lands east Of the Mississip
pi and Island Of New Orleans. from a variety of
causes not necessary 10 enumerate, have been
prepared for sale.
| The sixth charge against the Commissioner
Of the General Land Office is, that he is incom-
peteDt TO the performances Of the duties Of his
Office; in that he has made returns to Congress
OF unsold lands, the calculations Of which pro-
duce results SO erroneous, and of such data, as
10 preclude the possibility Of their being acted
upon The Committee do not deem il their
province to decide upon the competency Of Off
GERS OF the Government who are appointed by
and hold their Offices at the pleasure of the Ex-
ecutive Of the United States; Out, they deem it
no more than an act Of justice to the Commits
sioner Of the General Land Offie, to say, tha,
the records Of his office, so far as they have fall
en- under the examination Of the Committee,
exhibit much accuracy, and that all the returns
made to Congress from those records, have been
made with great care and fidelity; that he has,
since his appointment 10 Office, introduced
new method OF ascertainIng the quantities Of
iand contained in the plats returned to his Offices
and that the returns made 10 either branches of
Observation-Disclosures from his Office, bayebeen
as accurate as il was practicable to make them,