Iowa capitol reporter. [volume] (Iowa City, Iowa) 1841-1855, 1848-03-22
For the Reporter.
superintendent.

Tie rumor Of Mr.. Harlan's lack Of quail.
ifica,ions for the duties Of Superintendent
Of Public Instruction, prompted enquiry
into its truth, the result of which enquiry,
! deem it not amiss to submit to your rea-
Gers, promising that acts which are claim
ed to be official and public. are legitimate
matters Of scrutiny and Investigation
And, that they are SO, when the cspabili-
~ Of an aspirant to high place is to be tes-
ted, will not be denied by airy. An cleo
ton is about to be held which will deeply
affect the interests of educatiol, for good
or for evil, and it behooves every good
citizento see to it that an able and faithful
man is paced at The head Of, what is 10 be,
our great common school system.
Mr.. Harlan assumed TO lie Superinten-
dent Of public Instruction, and his acts as
such will enable all who prize the great
interests at stake enough to examine them,
to determine upon his qualifications. lie,
the truth of what follows be tested, il
doubted, by calling at the Land Offices, as
have done, and examining the papers, and
making enquiry, and it will be found tina,
| what was done by him, had better not have
been done, and that that which he did had to
be done over again, and ras done ouer again.
by another person, In short, it appears
that Mr.. Harlan S acts in his assumed Of,
fee constitute and make up budget of
plumbers, composed, in part, Of the follow
ing:
Blunder No. l. The selection Of school
lands was Trematurely commenced, withou,
awaiting the necessary instructions from
the proper department at Washington, in
consequence Of which, persons who had
purchased their lands thus prematurely as
school lands, had 70 purchase them the
second time at the Land Offices for safety.
And in one instance now recollected, the
settler of valuable place on tie Des
MONIES, under the assurance that all was
right in his purchase of the Fund Commits
sioner, under Mr.. Harlan's directions and
proclamaions, did not attend the land sales
al Fairfield, and the land became the prop
ertv IF another.
Blunaer No. 2. Hi. reports were not
only premature, but bungling. horribly
out Of form, and had to be Withdrawn and
re-reported by his deputy. Any one who
questions This, viii pIease ask Judge Cole
man, who at this stage took charge of the
business, and made all the reports, as far
as lcould learn, afterwards. | am told,
indeed, that if there was any Superinten-
dent, the Judge was the man This, l
found was well known aud understood at
your place.
Blundtr No. 3. Mr.. Harlan conclu des
letter 10 The Register ofthe Land Office
IN fis own hand writing, las l am inform
cay as follows: accompanying this
Judge Coleman's report you will also
receive new list Of the lands previously
reported to your Office from this office, &C
cording 10 the formula received from the
Commissioner of the Gen. Land Office, |
with dates corresponding to the dates Of
the original reports received by you, as
instructed by the Commissioner in the last
communication received from him at this
office"
II Mr.. Harlan has made a true statement
his instructions, it convicts the Commits
sioner of the Gen. Land Office of two
things. First, Of striking blow at pre-
emption rights, in authorizing the reports
OF school lands to be dated back, BY which
any selection of school land could be made
old enough to Dust pre.emption right
And secondly, If Mr.. Har!an's statement
is correct, he has instructions which are
not only entirely the reverse Of the land
office instructions, but in conflict with the
form furnished him by the Commissioner
ofthe Gen. Land Office. One Of the col.
umns in the form prescribed by the Comr.
is headed, "Date Of the FLEEING Of the list
in the Registers Office, being the date the
selection takes effect" And The instruc-
tons are plain and explicit for making re-
selections, such as vere doted back Of the
lime Of filing. They are as follows -
"Should such Restrictions be made, they
are required to be embraced in an entire
new list, bearing The number Of the series
At the time Of such re-selection. Here
with you will receive the form ola list to
4 r. II Il