The Kenosha telegraph. [volume] (Kenosha, Wis.) 1860-1888, 1872-01-11
PUBLIC LANDS.
PINE LAND RINGS AND MoNoroLIEs
From the La Crosse Leader.

CARE, w 49,, was closed on tuesday, 20
Inst, aud it's books and records were
laced in possession Of suecial agent
from Washington, Waldo Brown ESQ by
order Of the Secretary Of the Interior, Hon
F! G. Delano,and the Commission r General
/ If he Land Department., Hon. Willis
'Drammond ; and all business at the, offace
| will be suspended until the completion
lof Ire Investigation into its past manage
Meut and present condition.
This sudden and unlocked for interrup
! lion If the operation of a powerful pine
! land ring, that has for several years past
! Exercised a fearful and terrible monopoly
IT the most valuable pine lands on the
Chippewa and lts tribu aries has caus d
considerable CONSERVATION and surprise !;
and it may be. proper that the public
''een elected by this summary proceeding
Ion the part of the Government. !. ql.t "a
AT the outset of this statement, is is
well enough to assure that class of Re
pubicans who are loud in their de
| runciations against the corruption add
wickedness OF Tammany and Erie De
mocIacy, and deem it advisable and prn-
| dent tt be us mute as oysters about the
Objectionable or improper: of Reppb
| lican officials or against the PERPETRATORS
OF wrong and injustice under the auspices
aud projection ofthe Government officers,
that we have President, Cabinet, a
Land Commissioner. and a delegation in
| Congress, who are uncompromisingly OPP
posed to all abuse of power or neglect Of
duty by any apd all persons who bold re
! sponsible positions and trusts under the
Government /; and that there is to be a
! thorough overhauling of every official and
public officer who is not doing right in
respect to the public welfare and the
honor of the Government, aastf
The Chippewa Pine Land Ring has
beena formidable and dangerous monopoly
1t has controlled the appointments in
! that Office, in such manner as to keep
| IT'S clutches upon the great prize !; and
ALREADY over million If acres of the best
pine lands Of the Chippewa county have
been secured by half score Of monopo-
lists, upon terms that dcbarrcd the PEG
pie from fail and equal participation in
the benefits Of system that was designed
to promote the general welfare. n
One firm, of Michigan and New York,
have entered and now own about two hun.
dred and fifty thousand acres of heChip
pewa pine lands, and their agent has
| been on such favored terms of intimacy
with the Land Office that few outsiders
could enter and valuable tracts of land
without being compelled 30 undergo
the ordeal and inspection, of the select
ring. -.s.- eth .taH' >
| Applications have been made, from
-. a.. 4 7 ". -
| Washington, for information as to whether
certain valuable tracts of pine lands in
the Chippewa District had been entered
or not and these applications have be;
come go urgent and frequent as to elicit
the fact that some of the best pine lands
in this district had been withheld from
market and not entered, although these
applicants desired to enter and pay for
| the said lands, but were not allowed so tn
do. The righteousness of one and
another ofthe large monopolsts led to
some exposures of the means by which
the stronger endeavored to Cypress or
wrong the weaker members of the ring
and thus by the two-fold process of get
\ ting at the facts in Washington and Eau
i Claire it was deemed necessary;to put a
sudden termination to the unholy
alliances that had been formed to defeat
the liberal purposes of the Government
in reference to the sale or entry of the
! public lands yt4s.s..sat,-, .eg,
In numerous Instances and for large
i Quantities Of lands, persons who sent cash,
or checks. or drafts, to make cash entries
of land at ST., 20 per acre, have received
duplicates" or patents" that showed
the said lands had beer entered by
| United States Land Warrants. which
have ranged, during the past eightiyears,
from so cents to ST. 80 per acre cash en-
tries being preferablesto warrant entries
in acquiring perfect title to land =; rs4,.
! Phe township described as 40 in range
6 west, which is a very desirable tract Of
heavy pine, has never been brought into
market and could not be legally sold to
or entered by any one, except on 'pre
emption and improvements" by actual
settlers. There is onlyone person living
IN that township, and he is an. Indian
Trader; but all the land has been entered
4 upon bogus and fraudulent presumption
I papers. "a #s1A9s H}fW at489 t
In township 38, range west. which IS
also valuable pine tract, that has never
been brought into market, and in which
7 there is not an inhabitant in human form,
the lands have all been entered on bogus
preemptiOn papers. These certificates Of
entry are bought, sold and traded away
by land spectators in the Chippewa
Valley, on the basis of, 'heads /. win
| tails you lose" aW0E
1 The county officers of Chippewa GER
tify that in neither of these towns are
there any settlements or improvements.
J These are some of the scenes. and trans
actions that have occurred in the. Eau
Claire land district. TIE private adjust
ments for Grespass on public lands are d.