Omaha daily bee., 1881-06-16
THE NATIONAL LAND OFFICE.

The whole country, and especial.
the people west of the Mississippi
anxiously await the choice of the sue
cessor of General Williamson. TIL
national land office has for years BEEF
the nest Of jobbery and fraud, whicl
when fully uncovered will %overtop tn,
star route swindle. As the CUSTODIAN
of the national domain the commits
sioner of the United States land offic,
had at his disposal millions upon mil
lions of broad acres on Uncle Sam
farm, and the way he farmed i
out to the giant monopolie'
would furnish a most interesting
chapter of knavery. The Pacific rail
roads alone were endowed with owe
fifty millions Of acres in the heart ot
the continent, and we may rest assured
that their interests were well taker
care Of by General Williamson, who
was appointed chiefly at their in.
stance.
The great mineral belt on both
sides of the Rockies, and the vast
tracts of government lands from Texas
to Washington territory, offer an i'm
mcnse field for land-sharks and lob
bers Of the Dorsey brand. With q
corrupt commissioner in collision
with land rings, there is nc
limit to systematic plumber
and robbery of the government.
No wonder there is such an active in.
terest shown in certain quarters about
filling the vacant commissionership.
One report that reaches us is to the
effect that General Williamson's right
hand man and former chief clerk would
be promoted tothc full rank of commits.
sioner. w know nothing discredit.
able to this worthy chief clerk, but
deem it safe to demonstrate against
it. Any man trained by Williamson
must have been associated more or
less with the orr upt gang of sharks
that made it their business to control
public surveys and managed
to gobble vast tracts Of valuable lands
by bogus claims.
Another report represents Senator
Plumb, of Kansas, urging the appoint.
ment of n candidate of his own choice.
1t will be safe for Secretary Kirkwood
to fight shy of Senator Plumb's pets,
for no other reason chen the notorious
fact that Plumb is an active capper
for the railway monopolies IF Mr..
Plumb has influence enough to pro-
ure the appointment of the next
commissioner he will have influence
enough to control his conduct in mat
tiers in which he or his associate mo-
nopolists have a vital interest.
What the people of the west, .and
especially the homesteaders and
pioneers who have settled
or intend to settle on the public do
main, demand, is n commissioner who
comes into the Office clean handed,
with no obligations for his place to
any corporation, corporation attorney
land jobber. They demand a mar
who has been tried in positions of
great responsibility and was never
charged with or ever suspected Of a
crooked act. There are many such
men to be found in the west, and if
the west cannot supply such n man,
then Secretary Kirkwood or President
Garfield should find a man that pos
sesses these primary qualifications,
wherever they may be able to find
him.
1t is true Uncle Sans farm is grow
ing smaller every year, the lands have
the most part been donated to
subsidized railroads, but millions of
west of the Mississippi
hat still remain under the con
troll of the natural land office
must be taken care of by a commits
sion who is competent and cannot
be bought.