The New York herald., 1871-12-18

WASHINGTON, Deo. u. lsI1.
While the Treasury and whlskey rings At Wash
ington and the Tammany Ring in New York have
been pretty thoroughly exposed. there has been
well organized ring OF land jObbers In and around
the General Land ONCE who have been quietly plum
ering the people Of millions upon millions OF dollars
Occasionally u solitary job has been exposed, Dut
the Ring itself and It's general operations have not
until now seen the light OF day.
SAMPLE JOE.
In the nineteenth section OF the act OF July 1854.
Congress granted TO the Burlington anu Missouri
River Railroad Company for the extension Of its
road from the Missouri River to Fort Kcarney-
o distance OF go mles-ten alternate sections per
mile on each side OF the road and along the line
thereof. not sold reserved or disposed or and to
which neither homestead nor presumption claims
had attached at the time the line Of tho road
was fixed. This grant Is expressed In words
similar to those used In many other
railroad grants but omlts all provision authorizing
the company to indemnify themselves for the loss OF
such odd numbered sections, within the granted
limits. may be found TO have been otherwise dis
posed OF; and the desgnation OF lateral limits, or
ihe limits which they restricted In the selec
tion Of their lands, is, though PLAIN enough to any
honest mind. not quite as strongly expressed as in
most other grants. In the following year, after the
company nou ucu the map Vi Iuclr IUutc, tllcy
claimed that under this law they were not limited
TO any particular distance from the line OF the road
IN selecting the ten odd-numbcred sections per mile
each side thereof but that they might select them
~ any distance from the road that 1t necessary
ORO In order not to conflict with the claims OF
Settlers and 10 the other exceptions OF the
law. TINS claim OF the company was allowed by
Secretary Harlan IN 1866, and he gave them
permission to select their lands accordingly.
At the time Mr. Browning succeeded Mr..
Harlan as Secretary OF the Interior the
Railroad Company had, under this construction and
authority, listed about three million acres OF land
IN Eastern Kansas and Nebraska and when, shortly
afterwards. the Commissioner Of the General Land
once asked Secretary browning for instructions as
10 how far out the even numbered sections must be
Increased 10 the double minimum, or 50 80 per
acre. the answer OF Mr.. Browning was that his pre-
decessor had misconstrued the grant; that 1t only
extended the rlght to twenty miles from each side
OF the line Or tho road, aud thar in the absence Of
IN mdcmnifyin2 clause IN the grant the company
was cntied only 70 such Odd numbered sections
not otherwise disposed OF and not exceeding ten
per mile on either side, as might be found within
that distance; and that the double minimum rate to
the even sections would not accordingly extend
beyond such limits. This latter and Just construc.
lion gave Inc company only about half the quantity
OF land that they would have obtained under the
Rcres, but yet more rhan suflcient to accomplish
Me purpose OF the act. as wlll hereafter appear.
THE COMPANY SUBMITS.
Hisapoint OF much significance that tha company
were Sc well satisfied VI the correctness OF Mf.
arguments they cou.d muster to convince him that
his decision was erroneous, they quietly submitted
case m M uea rp"na 1 aa urbr s a
pfeciatng ihe iaci that II the question were ab.
bSaea 70 The ; ony honest mes cor, COURSE aud
their claim 10 be founded IN justice and there de-
cidcd against them, they would be forever barred
cause under their grant
Some men, indeed we may say most men, who enter
npon u dishonest course when they discover that
the serious dnicuucs OF justice and law are held
out prominently IN their path, are disposed to
yieid-such opposition arouing even the small rem.
nant oI LATENT honor remaining TO the hardened
CRIMINAL. But not so with these schemlng ana nm
scrupuols robbers Of the public domain. Fooled IN
one implGclt attempt 10 hOodwink che department
6y specious YET false pleading, and oy Heaven
ment 10 be hoodwinked, and so warp and twist the
forms OF law oa OF Their Just proportion rs 10 favor
worn-eaTg at the already well perforated null, and
nave recently and openly revived their old claim,
assured IN advance OF the Issue, after waiting and
working thus long and patiently FOR q more FAVOR
able aspect OF he government
SrAHJiLN9 TO RELATE
In view OF opposed la. anu reason, they have sue
cccdcd Ia procuring decision nom the present
secre.aIy reversing tlsi OF MI. Irowning and sus
" select their iaadS Oh eaca side Of the roau, With
oui regard 10 distance, extending nCrthward II
necessary 10 the canada boundary aud SOuthwa 10
tne Stale O texas.
We Care not tell our suspicious, though we do not
wish u have il understood tnat they are directed
against the secretary or the Commissioner OF the
General Land once; out VIC remember hearing IL
whispered how IN the operations or anoIher ring Its
agents and emlssaries were, throu. h Its influence
solely, appointed 10 ociai positions In the depart
tDent against which these operations were directed
ior no other purpose than To spy out and forward
the Interests OF lneir vlllanous employers In the
iing, aud Tue chief officers OF which department.
A. 4at pl nm alxa2 2nufu IA Ci
u law against the encroachments OF The Ring, sud-
denly ana by some apparently subtle influence were
woh over - IT. neafous pui poses.
TIE LAW OF THE CASE.
The language Of the grant TO this company Is,
mineral lands, as provided IN this acr dcsignatci
by Odd numbers u the amount o. ten alternate sec
lions per nile Gu each SIDE OF said road, on the line
thereof not soid reserved otherwise disposed OF
by tne United states, and 10 which pre-empton or
homestead claim may not have attached at The time
tile line Of said road Is definitely fxed.n For obvious
reasons grant oI this SORT Is always to he strictly
granted but wnat Is definitely expressed In the law.
JhIs clause o! the grant alone SHOWS that the error
oi the recent decision is oy no means obscure, ana
" becomes more and more apparent on examining
other similar granis; Tor instance, the act OF the
same cate granting lands TO aid in the construction
superior 10 Pugets Sound; the act OF July
l., isoc, granting lands TO aid In the con.
POISON TO the town OF Placervllle In the state OF
Calonia the act Of July ~ 1863 granting lands to
aud Southern Pacific railroads aud the act OF March
= 1861, granting lands for railroad from stockton
10 GopieropOiis IN the stale o! California; as well
othar acts unnecessary 10 designate.
IL each " the acts referred 10 the granting clause
u expressed IN language almost exactly similar TO
that used IN lie grant 10 the Burlington and Mis-
soGn iaver Railroad Company, ana yet IL Is very
apparent rom other sections OF these acts that Con-
gfess had no intention Of making grants without
Ttaardt0 lateral limits.
And IArther, tiis very company, on the eth OF
May, lcIe procured the passage OF sn act by Con.
Rress Authorizing ~ 10 cnange ts line west on the
tty ~ Lincoln, IL the stale Of Nebraska, which
nct l5 expressly provided that the new
he 10 70 be oca,ed within the limits
" Tue grant made 10 the company by the United
States, ssu nst tne ocaion 81 sucn grant not 10
ne chanseh Wy said new line. Now II the grant
mahe TO ihe company had 'sImits" and COCA
uvA, ~ caeafly appears from thls iast kamed act,
oeNnie location, must certainly Le very VICE OF the
marx. - ~ " Wv
rBE G3sr or THIS MATER rs