Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1856-10-14
investigation Of State Affairs,
REPORT
IN ASSEMBLY SEPTEMBER 18th. 1a6e
CoNCLUDED.l


IL Is true that this does not relieve Mr..
Jansen of his legal responsibility, or ex.
cuse INN tor not asserting the preroga-
tives OF his office, the proper and leglti-
mate exercise of which, might have proved
barrier to these enormous frauds. or for
the want OF that care, prudence and dis
cretion which the responsibility of his of
nee imposes upon him. The fact alone,
that he permitted Mr.. Seaver to take
charge of the business of the Treasury
department, without giving any bond for
tie faithful discharge of the duties of his
office, is proof of gross and inexcusable
negligence. This, however, affords no
excuse to the other Commissioners for ta-
king advantage of Mr.. Janssen's mis-
placed confidence in Mr.. Seaver. Mr..
Jansen says that he was absent when the
Attorney General and Secretary of State
made the arrangement to have Mr.. Bes-
ley draw money from the treasury for
the payment of the clerks, and that the
arrangement was made with Mr.. Seaver.
The Commissioners had no more rirht TO
make such an arrangement than any 9TH
er individual would have had. No appro-
PfiteeAoiiS iioo pCSfi ny tlc 1<cOlStd-
ture for the payment of the clerks, and if
the Commissioners could draw without au-
thorlty, SS,O 900 from the treasury for ore
purpose, they could in the same way draw
500, 900 for another. For this amount
Mr.. Jansen is liable, and it will be for
the Legislature to say what course shall
be pursued in relation to it. This amount
is SS,62S 20.
Mr.. Frary in his examination, admit
ted that while a clerk in the office, he en-
tered a large quantity of school land with
the permission of the Commissioners, and
says Messrs. Besley and Byrne did the
same. He says, moreover, that the Com
missioners knew that he was doing so from
the fact that by mutual understanding
between themselves and the clerks they
received no fees on the lands entered by
the clerks, and that they sometimes COM
planned that they We're losing too much
fee. This only confirms the testimony of
Mr.. Byrne, IN relation to the complication
of the Commissioners In these transac.
, tons. Mr.. Frary also states that some
of the Howell certificates were left with
him TO be sold on commission, and some
We're sent 10 New York, but he was un-
willing To state the name of parties for
whose beneftthey were to be sold 1t
appears from the record of sales of for
| felted lands that some of the clerks In
the office were in the habit OF entering
the lands immediately upon the occurrence
of the forfeiture. Byrne admits tha, he
was IN the practice of doing this. The
| advantage thus given to the clerks could
only work to the serious injury of every
person who might desire these lands for
other purposes than those of specula-
ton.
In many of these cases no fees were
charged for advertising. nor was the whole
Of the back interest included as the law
requires, leaving the amount IA charge up
on the school fund. In some instances of
re sale of forfeited lands they were ev-
en- bought by the original purchases, at
even less than the amount for which they
were first sold, thus making it an object
for purchasers to forfeit their land. As
an instance TO illustrate this we will cite
the case Of George Reed in Manitowoc
county In 1854 he forfeited fifty-two
lots and re-purchased them al fifty dollars
per lot. The law provides that when land
shall be forfeited, 1t shall not be re-sold
for less than the amount of the original
purchase money, the interest due and the
fees and expense of the resale. This
law has been repeatedly violated Sec.
9, Chap. "a r. S. provides that no person
shall purchase more than one hundred and
sixty acres of school and university lands
at any public sale of such land No re-
gard has been paid to this law 1t has
been constantly evaded by the use Of 9TH
er names by the party making The pur-
chase by system of forfeiting bids made
in the name of fictitious persons, and SUBJ
sequently entering the lands by applca-
ton, and also by Its open violation. On
the sales sheets used at the sale of lands
in Outagalnie county, the name of A
McNaughton appears opposite the de-
scription of one hundred and ninety-two
lots, making over seven thousand six hun
dred acres.
The act of March 9th, 1855, provided
that no lands should be entered by any
person, unless the applicant should file an
affidavit, stating, among other things that
the said applicant does not own or hold in
his own name or in the name of any 9TH
er person for him, any quantity of school
or university lands, which, together with
those ne applies to purchase will not ex-
ceed tnre. hundred anu twenty acres
Immediately previous to the passage OF
this law, and while it was pending, large
entries were made in the name of How
ell by the clerks In the office, and also by
others; evidently done TO evade the law,
and prevent the object the Legislature had
in view from being carried out. This OBJ
ject unquestionably was to keep these
lands from going into the hands of spec
ulators, and to afford the actual settlers
every facility TO obtain them. More land
was probably entered between the lst and
9th days of March, 1855, than at any
time before within the same period of
time. And the Committee regret to see
among the names of the persons who
made these entries those of some MEM
bers of the Legislature IN which the bill
I ,,,,S tho, tbnS diSpo.