The semi-weekly miner. [volume] (Butte, Mont.) 1882-1886, 1882-01-11

ri Al UUVv1D 01Dooo0
q Or 1lfsbeAss esavsy H. vssy u
= whooesouo newu that Psssids0t 4
, thur = determined - give ex-6enatl
6asgent Cahinet position. This 81
E tlemsn's name has been mentioned !
2 couuectjon with Same Cabinet OlIlce &
d some time past, and the Fesultof the a
{ nouncemeDt = that his public recor
he's been pretty thoroaghly overhaule
and given to the public. Mr.. Arthur
! not ignosant Of Il, but like Grant, tn
!. President stands BY bis stalwart friend
, and permits no charges against their in
!, tegrity to influence his attitude towar'
them. He has said Sargent shall hav
. Cabinet position and he win get II
The protests Of leading journal
throughout the country are - littl'
needed by the stalwsrt President as an
the gentle zephyn by the Numidiar
lion. In the eyes Of Mr.. Arthur, stall
wartism covers multitude Of sins. Bu1
It IL quite possible the great mass Of thu
people think differently, and are in
clined to hold Mr.. Arthur to . strict &C
count in his choice Of men who are sup
posed to represent the wisdom, intelli.
gence and integrity Of the Nation.
Aside from Sargent's objectional ut.
terances on the Mormon question t.
which reference has been frequently
made ~ the press ofthe country, his ret-
ord on the Desert Land act has been
such - to inspire want Of confidence
in him on the part Of the people, assoc
rotary Of the Interior. To what extent
Mr.. sargent and some Of his personal
friends were enriched by the passage Of
that act may be learned from the follow
ing taken from the San Francisco
''Chronicle" ITO the efforts Of Senator
Sargent the agyrieved settlers of Califor-
mia can attribute the passage of the act
in question, which has virtually placed
premium on land grabbing. The un-
popular law provides that all lands, ex-
elusive Of timber and mineral lands,
which produce only by irrigation. shall
be deemed desert and acquired in the
proportion of go acres to each settler.
who will pay = cents an acre and agree
to reclaim the tract within q specified
time. Taking advantage Of this elastic
statute, which could he stretched to suit
the purposes Of the most Unsuitable mo-
nOlnlist, William b. Carr and j.. b.
Haggin, the intimate political associates
and confidential friends of Senator Sar-
gent. absorbed over 5O,OOO acres of pro-
d,,ctive land in Kern county before the
victimizctl people awoke to the legalixe>.
fraud. Not ten people in Kern county
were aware If the Significance Of the
act until Senator Sargent's confitlants |
had acquired princely possessions. In |
March. 1877, the Desert Land Act was
passed, and in December Of the same |
year the records Of the Vis,lia and Ri
kersfield Land Office showed that Carr,
Haggin, Tevis and their associates had
seized on ~, 900 acres Of land that We'd
in prNlu"tivencss with the great plains
Df the San Joaquin. This vast tract of
land had always sustained fiocks of
sheep and herds Of cattle, and, except in
years of drought, which occurred ut i,l-
Eervals of twelve years, had produced,
without irrigation, invaluable crols. Of
grass.
The investigation which followed the
discovery Of the bold seizure of the pu;,-
IL domain disclosed many facts fatal to
senator Sargcnt's political ambition. Ii
:a* shown that thirteen Of Carr's
rirnds, VIII" h,ui 'x%n appointed t. m,.
itions in the Mint through Sargent's
influence, had assisted in the seizure of
$50 acH~. Of the s.,-<n'l.xl desert lan.l>.
Twelve OF the same class Of political r.
;slncr> in the Custom House had nut
"wn their nan.es for $500 acres Of tn.
llcge.l wilderness. The investigation
cvral''' large army Of men in some
ray dependent on sargent and Carr
tho lin'l allowed their names to Ike used
u the scheme Of cOnfis<vttoI. Numlr..rs
these dependents testified that they
a'l never SEEN the land anil knew Moth
~ "f its character, except what SOME !;
gent Of the Haggin-t arr combination
ad told them. Thcs&. accommodating.
irelings merely filed atfidavits that the
mi which they intended to settle on :.
~ desert, and having paid the initia-
on fee out "f the pocket "f the Haggim- :.
arr ass'"'iati"n, du,ifully transferred :.
/" property I" that enterrrising firm. :.
1t has been shown that iiagyin To- :,
sttrl for his brhhcr-in-law, who had :;
ever seen III" tract, one piece o: the ST. :,
.!l.si desert. which was well-timberc, ,,
nj not iniresiucntly inundated. One },
'ttlcr who had sought home in Kern ;
'unty before the Passage Of the in::.- :
"u- act. <w"re before the Commission T.,