The sun. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1833-1916, 1877-09-23
HOW LAND GRADERS WORK.
NorT frGUT ON ~ rWPtDFNT PLoI
& iTNsT IHE TUBLIC DOMAIN

'fs'Sf f'T ffbfft DOuAfN.
Tw" :'"gs that Wobbed - One Crook ed p.cu.
L." '"n aud Forged scrip california Con.
'r."s'crs- Why and How the Desert Land
tct w"s rassed-Csrr & Co.'S Operations.
WASHINGTON, Sept. 1G-Somc account Of
the land grabbing which has been carried out
on gigantic scale on the Pacific coast by n
Ilng. working In conjunction with n Ring hero.
mas already been given in TEE sun. This
grand scheme OF land stealing seems to have
had its birth in The fertile minds of the mem
ners Of 4 notorious claim agency in this city
The firm Of Chipman. Hosmer 4 Co. has long
been known as one Of the most successful
claim agencies NJ the national capital. The
nrms methods OF obtaining and conducting
business were as follows: Clerks in the various
departments. who were employed in the settle
nent OF claims and possessed valuable infor-
nation in regard to unsettled business pending
In their bureaus. were induced TO resign, ana
either work on q commission for Chapman.
bosmer 4 Co.. or. If especially well informed
and valuable were given an interest in the
brm. In this way the firm had a number Of
specaties in the claims line. and its business
rapidly grew To great magnitude. The men
they had obtained from the various departments
knew just what evidence was necessary to Sc
cure the payment of large claims which had
been hanging for long time. and. when n
favorable bargain had been driven with the
claimants, they were able. with slight expense
and little trouble, To- supply the missing links
in the testimony required bv the accounting
officers and get the claims allowed.
In 1871 the District Ring was formed and the
comprehensive improvement of the national
capital begun. y. r. Chipman was elected dele
gatc from the District of Columbia The Dis
trict Ring was powerful local organization.
and Lax - connection with nnl..,..l
nll-poweriul az the White House. II numbered
IN IT, ranks nearly all NJ tho lobbyists and
agents OF great corporations whose interests re-
CURED watching nj the national capital. In n
short time it, ramiilcatons extended through
Out the entire country. aud every corrupt COM
binaton that was Interested in securing Cow
eminent contract, or olduning special leeisla-
ton from Congress lad relations more or less
direct. with ihu famous Washington Ring.
Chapman WAS n useful colleague Of Boss Shcp-
nerd He looked carefully after the interests Of
the Ring. and acted rs liz attorney in all matters
hat came before Congress. His old firm WAS
al the while doing an cyer-iucreasinc business
under the firm name Of Ilpsmrr 4 Go. Among
the other specialities 81 this firm was Land
pnico business. g. ID. Gilmore was the general
manager ~ his branch Il Chapman Il Hos
mers business.
In January ts72. Subsidy Pomeroy intro
duced Il hl IN ihr SENATE To- allow every soldier
and sailor to locate 100 acres II public unds.
settlement and actual Improvement heine
necessary Soldiers who had previously en-
tered 50 acres or less might enter enough
additional TO make up their 100 n"rcs. mud
this they could do by agents. without personal
entry. After some opposition mis- bill. with
favorable report from the Committee on Public
Lands. pass, the Senate Il won't through The
House without much criticism. aud h"caur
law On April 4. 1872. Th'. Land Oflicc asked
congress To amend rhi, law by requiring the
additional entries G. lee mad" cont guou- to
w. toriner "htri'S; lhis wa ionn On June ;;
ssi2. Bat "a" following winicr HitrhcVak Of
Nebrasku-pom"rov lawn. hrcn driccied ia
his famous attempt TO blw, reelection. and eN
posed 10y the historical larke-inrroduccI
h.ii 10 g"t rid Of the cont suous' requirement
Of tie amentntory MT Of June :. 1872. Hitch
Committee vn Military ANar- instead ii the
Committee on Pablo Land- II was reported
ton and palral'f ial-ehoo,ls and pn--.I by
the mute Lar" IN me forenoon II Mar h {.
ne. ms tll passed IA" House. and ChipniRn
rushed ~ % hre0inork -peed to the Presidents
iGr T to il nnly a lew min,tee r'forr Is oc1eS
nd"r this act 81 ia. soldiers who had " here
sotore' taken up ishty acre, or less could gei
Eighty acres or NOR. IL Tie case inighi b". any
where. Then whom the REVISED statutes wrr.
finished. II was found that tho Interests II the
RING haA NOT been neglected.: tn additional
Homestead act was deird no, from H. approval
ou March .. 1873. but from june lsI4-tlie date
Ul III" approval al The Revised statutes. This
allowed AN soldiers VINO had entered eighty
acre. between Marei, B. 1913, and June. 1874. 10
,onic IN ipr an additional eighty Hrrrs. Then
the Commissip nrr 4 tho General Land Onire
issued instructions t. registers and receivers
which permitted th" uuth ~ applicants fur adj
aitiouN entries 10 be nlnts before any county
lnngistrate. instead OF before an officer Of the
Land Onic-.
II * q matter Of oiIlclal history now that. soon
after this needlui leg station and the coliu-ive
gdling Of the l.and Oniee were obtained, a man.
niacture 81 forged aiIh'nti"ns Tor additional
homcst.ad- WAS 81 M al Springfield. In south
western Missouri Here bogus additional
oaan,tiss. and z. D. Gilmor" Il tnpr.an. Nos
luer Co.. purchased tir stun ~ asi ~ II wa,
produced. II was placed through thi~ iirm and
their confed"raIes al over the Western country
wherever there Was valuable farming or timber
!snl. Nacnn, nipmsan Tn3a Jmbi,' d ~
had been taken away b, the abolition uf the ter
rltotial form - government for ~" District. set
Der. He was a~sociai"d with the Sierra FluIno
Company. and placed great quantities oi the
forged additional hpnlcs rai script on the m -
valuable timber iHud in California. H. and his
.onfedcrates secured in AZ about ,Z'W 81 tho
bogus script and thus obtained title 10 about
Among the other parties who appear 70 have
been =, engaged along With Chlpman, tlosncr,
j. b. Hoggin. and Lloyd Tevs Of san Francisco.
Carr Is known as the Boss Of he Sargent wing
Of the Republican uariy in California. He ID n
man OF great wealth. accumulated IN various
ways more or less questionable. He is Of low
origin. iiteratc, and III bred. He has long been
the particular friend and, champion Of Ef'lgy
Sargent. and through him has exercised almost
absolute control oyer the Federal ofiiceho!der-
on the Pacific coast II" made and unmade Col
lectors Of Customs, District Attorneys, and in
ternal revenue officers. and exacted from the
entire army VI Federal officials the most Obsc-
auious demeanor toward himself and his pro-
tege. Sargent. Among other schemes which
Carr originated wus one ogohhlr up vast guam
titles OF land along the line of the Southern Pa
,ltlc RailrOadOf California. south Of Tulare lake
in Tuare and Kern counties. The southern
part OF the great valley Of California which
lies between the Sierra Nevada and the
coast range Of mountains. possesses all
The natural requirements, save one, foI
the granary Of he world. The soil. composed
OF the wash Of the mountains which run para 81
on both sides of II, II naturally very fertile The
whole area, about egilnl ~ extent 10 ONO and
half 81 Indiana. Is. with the exception OF the
foot hills perfectly laycl. The only drawback
y the want Of sufficient rain TALL cduny distrl-
buIed throughout the spring and summer
months. Tie great aitiiud" uf the Sierra Neva-
ia mountains, az raging 9,j'O feet. obstruNs
the passage 81 me rain clouds aud causes "A pre-
"lpiaiion "f H. tailfal Tli" coast range with
an average aliiul ii about nuO feet. does nul
fecels" $50 llrii rain fan and but little nov