Mineral Point tribune. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1854-1858, 1856-10-07
those engaged in the several offices OF the
S1nans Etuer4oxe11es.aS rs Cfert2 were intar.

Oh SlU1 81 OIL stubs which had aiready
been entered on the Treasures books
and charged. Ih;s vas for interest and
principal required by law to be prepaid,
on lands purchased long before the time
they we're paid for. as appears by the date
OF some of the stubs, others of then
we're not dased, and lnay nave been for
certlficsses issued the year previous. Mr..
Iaxsen thinks: as the amount of these
stubs had been charged to him on the
Treasurer's books before the payment of
Byrne, that other amounts have been
charged m the same way aud have never
been paid p
1t may be SO and probably is, bat there
is no way of saseertaining the amount
So long as the clerks were permitted to
engage extensively in buying and selling
school lands by those to whose care the
people had entrusted them, these frauds
were to have been expected, and are the
direct result OF the allowance of such prac
tees. After Mr.. Bgrne had been once
examined by the Committee in relation to
the entry of lands by himself and others,
Mr. Geo. b. Smith, the former Attorney
Il, requested the Committee TO per-
init tEr. Byrne again to appear before
them. and explain his former testimony.
As. FIR. Byrne also expressed desire to
be again heard, the Committee re-exam-
med him, as will appear by his affidavit
herewith submitted marked q 2
In the first he stated that tae Attorney
General gave the affiant permission to en-
Ter lands. In the second one he says that
while he was clerk in the Office he had
PERMISSION from all the commissioners to
inter- school land. That subsequently, the
Attorney General found he had entered
Il large quantity and objected to it, and
told him he ought not to have bought too
much, and said that when he, Byrne,
asked permission to buy, he supposed he
only wanted TO buy 100 or $50 acres.
Mr.. Byrne then told Smith that he had
perfect right TO buy school lands, and if
the Commissioners considered it wrong
or inconsistent with his duty as a clerk,
he was willing to be discharged. Mr..
Byrae says that after this he was permit
ted TO retain his position in the Office more
than year. Mr.. Frary also stated that
tine clerks entered lands by permission of
the Commissioners. The fact that the
Attorney Gensral objected to the entry of
these lands by Byrne, is evidence of the
view which he took, of the Improperly
OF his SO doing under the law prohibiting
the Commissioners of School and Univer-
sity Lands from purchasing any of said
lands. This view undoubtedly was, that
the agents or clerks had no right to do
what the Commissioners could not do
And as the Attorney General knew that
Mr.. Byrne had been guilty of entering
large quantities of land, it is certainly re-
rnarkable that he was retained In the Of
iicc, especially as Mr.. Byrne intimated to
HIM that he should continue to violate the
law, which he did do by subsequently, en-
:ering large quantities of land. This not
only brings home to the Commissioners a
knowledge Of these transactions, but shows
Il willingness on their part that they should
be continued.
1t will be seen by the testimony of Mr..
Powers, Gen. VIM. Smith and Mr.. kuehn,
that illusions are made to a certain letter
written by some one In the city of New
York, to Mr.. Besley, in relation to School
Land certificates. This letter was found
IN desk In the School Land Office, and
was placed In the possession OF Mr.. Pow
ers, for the use of Committee, by Gen.
Smith, as will be seen by his testimony.
But Mr.. Powers unfortunately permitted
Mr.. Besley to take the letter, after it was
deposited with him. Mr.. Kuehn thought
that Mr.. Jansen took copy of it, but
Mr.. Jansen says that it was another let
ter which he copied.
The Committee could not therefore
avail themselves of the information which
this letter would have afforded them in
relation to the illegal issue of certificates
except as they could gather its contents
from those who have read it. 1t seems
from the testimony of Gen. VIM. r. Smith
that the letter was addressed to Mr.. Bees
ley from some one in New York upon
the subject of School Land Certificates;
that the general purport of the letter was
that there was some organized club or
company for the purpose of entering
school lands or purchasing certificates in
order to sell them again In New York or
elsewhere, and that the writer was an op-
orator for the company or club, and some
person under a disguised name, was Ell
ther In Madison or was expected to come
from Madison to New York. An indca-
ton was also given that certificates sho'd
be sent on, as 1t was good time to oper-
ate. If the testimony of Mr.. Jansen.
that the money due on a great deal of
land sold was never paid-which is also
found to be the fact by the investigation
OF the books of the Treasurer, and that
the other Commissioners and clerks in the /
School Land office were interested in the I
purchasing of these lands; and the testi- /
lnony of Mr.. Frary, that Chas j. Kane |
& Co., of New York, were agents for .
the sale of School and University land I
certificates and that certificates were sent
10 them for safe, and also the testimony
nj Mr.. Seayer, that many certificates, at /
Ter berg signed by the Commissioner /
and filled out by the clerks, were put into /
market and "sold like any other proper T
", and some of them sent to New York,
te considered, in connection with this let
ter, and with this fact that every facility
was offered by the Commissioners TO the
1 Jerks and others tn aptar land fif 80,