Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1882-01-13
LAND FRAUDS.

WASHINGTON, Jan MISREPRESENTATION
OF quite a serious character have re-
Gently been made to the commissioner
of the general land office with reference
to the abuse of the pre-emption law in
the northern part of Minnesota, es-
pecially in the Duluth land district.
1t is stated that thousands upon thous-
ands of acres of land have been located
in this district, for purely speculative
purposes, under the pre- emption law
The design and spirit of the pre-emp-
ton law Is to allow claims to be taken
for actual settlement, and there are.most
rigorous provisions in the law to pre-
vent lands taken under it from being
transferred from the actual occupant or
settler. These provisions, it seems, have
been utterly ignored, while there has
been a systematic organization under
which thousands of fraudulent pre-
emption claims have been made. 1t is
said, among other things, that the
crews of vessels and steamboats, COM
ing into Duiuth from down the lakes,
have been taken, and, after an absence
of day or two from Duluth, have
come back and made the necessary
oaths for pre-emption location. The
locations have been made in most cases
without the slightest improvement
being made on the premises, as pro-
vided by the law. 1t is also said that
upon the extreme northern boundary
of the district, and Immediately oppo-
site to the dominion territory, where
extensive surveys have been made dur
ing the past season, the land is now
being taken by people coming from
the other side of the line, and not
citizens of the United States. The
commissioner of the general land Office
has addressed a communication to the
land office at Dubuque calling their at
tention to some of these facts and ask
ing an explanation It does not seem
possible that all of these abuses could
have occurred without the knowledge
of the land office there. 1t is expected
that the land office will send their
special agent 10 make a thorough e1.
animation OF this whole matter, and
should he absolutely develop the facts
as have been stated to the land Office,
there will be music along the entire
line and q general roofing out of
large portion of the entries that have
been made at that Office during the
past eighteen months.
OFFICE SEEKERS
WASHINGTON, Jan. Indications are
there will be change of the district
of Columbia officials very soon. The
president 1t Is said, had determined to
remove two district of Columbia COM
missioners, Dent and Morgan; there are
numerous appointments and places,
but If the president has determined on
the appointments, he keeps it secret.
The change involves considerable DO
litical interest, and Morgan went into
the democrats, and they were largely
under the democratic influence and
consequently more
FAT POSITIONS
under the district government are filed
by democrats. The republicans are
insisting on the appointment of CON-
missioners who will weed out the demo-
cratic officials and give their places to
republicans. Some of the present dem
ocratic congressman have constituents
holding positions in the district govern
ment, and naturally they are working
to protect them. The president has
been pressed to appoint one democrat
lie commissioner, but the party pres
sure on him to take them both from
the republican ranks is so strong that
it Is not believed that the democrats
will have much slow.
THE PRESSURE FOR OFFICES WAS NEVER
GREATER
here-say those who have positions to
dispense-than now. Each and every
congressman is seeking appointm enfs
for one or more generally more of his
constituents, who worked for his eiec-
ton. Some of the heads Of bureaus
have done nothing else from morning
till night, but listen 70 appeals for
Office
HIS PAY ROLL.
The commissioner of pensions keeps