The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1875-10-26
THE GROWING NORTHWEST
THE REP UBLICAN'S MISRULEIN THE
STATE or NEBRASKA.
A Brief History of the Present Dynasty How
the Public Lands are Said TO be surveyed
InIcreaIina 20 N on who Inland TO seltle.

Interesting TO nien who Intend to settle.
LINCOLN, Neb., oct. 16.-Nebraska has
been a Republican stronghold ever since 1t was
admitted as State In 1887. The history OF It's
successive administrations is the history Of big
Rings and little Rings, with various individual
rascalities thrown In by way of episode.
DavidP. Butler, tho FIRST Governor, set stand
ard OF executive infamy which his successors In
ONCE could hardly expect to surpass. or the
many crimes brought to the door OF this man
the most fragrant was the pervcrsion OF the
school fund. Protesting deep concern for the
educational interests OF the State, he engineered
through the Legislature a bill making himself
the distributor OF certain school moneys. His
appropriation for his own education was not
less than $l6,S3l, which sum he transferred TO
his personal account. Through the efforts OF
Furnas, the School Regent whom the Governor
had attempted to exclude from participation In
the plumber OF the fund, a Legislature which for
four years had resolutely closed its eyes to all
manner Of corruption impcached Butler in June,
1872. and removed him from office.
Col. W. H. James Butlcrs Secretary OF State,
then became Acting Governor His adminisira-
tion was ono wholesale usurpation OF powers
not conferred on him by the Constitution. James
was at ono time under arrest for stealing. The
Legislature made an unsuccessful attcmpt to
Dust i'm, and he remained ut tho head Of tho
state Government until the election Of Robert
W. Futnas, In the fall OF iS12.
There had been ugly stories about Furn as.
The Omaha HerIld CHARGED that he had sold his
vote as n member Of the Legislature to parties
interested I'm the removal ui the State capital
Furnas brought n libel suit against the Herald
The case came to trial, but the jury disagreed,
| and tho suit has been Prosecuted no further.
| Again, IL said that Furnas, whom agent
| for the Omaha Indians, had cut down
| the walnut trees, which constituted almost the
entire fortune OF the poverty y-strcken tribe, had
sawed tho logs into timber NJ the agency mill,
Il had elN.F Ftsa IlVkn ltR flr gNaF
| sonal trunt. Aud II was charged that Furnas
| had swindlod an Old squaw named Nokomis out
| OF two. thirds Of an annuity OF 800 left her 10y
one Sarpay, on Indian trader with whom she
bad lived. never heard that either Of these
charges had been answered.
CUNNINGuAM's sYsrRM or SURVEYING.
| In the brief but corrupt history cf Nebraska
politics there Is no moro instructive chapter
than that which relates to the Government sur
vey OF the state. Cunningham. man who had
been Of service to the Republican party in pro.
| curing the election Of Hitchcock as United
Scales senator, was IeWatueu uy Stant WITH the
! office ot Suryeyor-G enetal OF Nebraska aud
! Iowa. Cunningham's talents "a civil engineer
| had never before been recognized. II his ene-
mics may be believed. he was a alhawkcr at
tho time Of the war, and enlisted IN tho Fcdc al
army rather than stand trial for stealing. His
| principal military achievement was n raid made
! upon his own account on a store in Florence,
,he Mormon town near Omlha. lie IS SAID to
loaded with private booty.
| For three or four summers Cunningham has
had charte of the l,caion u townsht9s in tho
D.
and Republican branches. Each township Is
supposed t. be six miles square, and to oe sub
CNided into thiriy-six sections. To liy oh a
tow Wnshp IL Is therefore necessary to run thirty
six lines. eacn six miles long. Iho Government
| allows : 80 mile, or SlOlO a township. Every
| surveyor Is required by law to define the bUun-
| dar!es by means Of sufcient landmarks, setting
stones for this purpose and driving burnt stakes
where stones are not Obthinaale lie must al so
correct his lines by retraversing them, and must
make oath that all this has been done before he
can receive his pay.
ORIoINAL suRvFYINo
Tho work was let out by Cunningham to con
tractors Of Ia, own choosing. lhese Ecntlcmcn
are said 20 conduct the survey on mn exceed.
iugly simI le plan. Finding that there + a de Il
! OF fuss and bother about actual held work, anI
/ that r. consumes precious time to hunt tor
/ corner stones and to hew and char II lkes, they
have adoi ted the following practice. not lie G.
/ try; Mark OF Your township on the map, with
the aid Of a parallel rule and a GuntCr. get your
| employees to swear that u has been duly meas
ured on tue suffice Il the earth and then draw
/ your $50 pr milc, taking care to be exact IN
| all computations of figures.
/ Old residents say tnat IN cases where con-
! tractor h = troublesome scruples ibO4t pc jur-
ing himself, he sa ishcs his CoI8 fence bI tossing
! pebble or bun'lo ekull On 20 the spot whore
| the stone should be set; or by ighting match
! and dropping IL wneTe the burnt stake should
ever corrected. IL IL iuri her asserted thtt one
| Of Cunningham = gang, under the command Of
man named stevenson, Lad out twenty-five
/ townshlia ~ TINS uanneri drew therefor The
! sum o. $i542O, and never drove "A stake. Either
tie work must be done again, or future settlers
! in tho Eikhorn gion will be Obliged to locate
| their lands ~ means of the buffalo bones ana
| burnt matches which Cunningham men have
scattered over the face OF nature.
These are practices which would seem to IN
! yi;e Investigation by the DemocrItico House
! II Rel lreseuJatves. Possibly Mr. Cunningham
| thinks SO, for he has resigned lis IRRITABLE
office.