The New Orleans Democrat. (New Orleans, La.) 1875-1876, 1876-03-28
LAND AlDs-ROUWERY EVERY
WHERE.
President Grant Gravcly Implicated
SUb-eOnb lntttec tO he sent tO lNycs-
ttgate the Matter.

We make the following extracts from
a dispatch to the New York World
WAsHINeToN. March 23 II G. Allie
man. ex-United States Attorney for Col
orado. will be subppnaed to tell all that
he knows about the stealing Of publ,
lands there. Mr.. Alleman was in Col
orado for three years. When he went
President Grant instructed him tc
prosecute the men who were rohbing
the country of land. He thought the
President meant what he said, and Al
leman began the prosecution of land
| grnbbcrs in earnest. After about n ycal
| had elapsed the attorney noticed that
he received no support from the Ad-
ministration. He applied for II detective
to assist him. and his request was
refused He wrote letters to the
President. asking for instructions,
and received u reply to continue his
prosecutions. But he could obtain nc
support. and rs the men whom he had
been prosecuting, some of whom were
under Indictment. had been to Washing
ton i'm consultation with Grant. hc
despariugly sent in his resignation. II
was not accepted at once, but after u
renewal the Attorney General was in
structed to accept IT. and new man.
who. it is understood. has never attempt
.
was sent TO Colorado in his place.
It seems that the attention of the
President was first brought to the Den
yer and Rio Grande Railway by ex.Gov.
A. G.. Hunt. Superintendent of the road
mt the time when the President ma le
his Western tour. II Is presumed that
the land question was satisfactorily i'm
pressed upon his mind Mt the same time,
for he has never attempted to remedy
the evils which were officially brought
to his attention by Mr.. Alleman and are
now on record in the Attorney General s
office. Mr.. Alleman states that there
is not u single acre OF land below
the Divide which runs through
the centre Of the State nearly east
and west that is entered upon the books
Of the Land Office as mineral hand.
although scarcely any of it contains
ANYTHING but immense coal deposits. On
the contrary. this land. which is mostly
in the possession of private individuals
through perjury and suboruation. is On
tered ns agricultural land valued ut
S1 25 per acre. while it should he valued
as mineral land Mt $50 per acre The
Government IS thus defrauded OF the
difference. For the required improve
meuts on the property, where the
person stealing the land does not
IKE To commit lNIJuIy ouiilS tH'S
caused to be placed upon every
800 acres Of land u miniature log
cabin about foot square. Then they
go before the Land Registrar and swear
that the improvement on their lands
is a cabin of logs 10 by l2 in size, forget
ting to mention the feet Colorado can
probably boast Of possessing more rich
officials who went into the Territory
poor than any other Territory in the
Union. Sngularly. too, these men be
came wealthy while in the service OF the
Administration. running the Colorado
Territorial Government Theae men
are or have been connected with
the plundering Of public land, Ex-
Governor Hunt has been under indict-
ment for perjury in obtaining land.
The United States Marshal. Mark \.
Shaffenburg. was in the service Of the
land .grabbers' ring, and refused to
serve subpGnas upon certain parties
connected Herewith, when ordered to
by the United States Attorney. He
stole, it is alleged, on IN average several
thousand year for nearly four years
from the Government, by the prcsenta-
ton Of false vouchers, and is under in
dictment now for this offeusc. 1t Is
stated, however, that Shaffenburg has
succeeded in compromising his ease,
and will probably escape punishment.