Fort Worth daily gazette. (Fort Worth, Tex.) 1882-1891, 1884-08-11
THE COMMIssIoNsHIP.
The Charming Out' Policy OF Com.
missioner Walsh OF the General
Land Office

ALBANY. TEx Aug. 8, 1874.
TO the Editor OF the Gazette.
We nee in the public prints n good
deal X said In regard to the Office of
commissioner Of the general land Of
flee. who is competent? Who IL trust
worthy" Next to the comptroller 1t is
deemed the most responsible to the
people. In truth, IL Is an office In
which more iniquity, population and
fraud can be planned and pracliced
without detection, under false, surrep-
titious guises and pretenses, than any
Of the other departments, for the
reason 30 few take upon themselves the
trouble to Investigate, pry into and
ask tor information which may be de-
sired or required ON any particular
| matter.
ii IL well rec0llected the large and
extended frauds, forgeries, populations
and swindlings that were prncticed
and perpetrated on the state and peo-
pie In the years lS7l-2-3 by and
through the officers Of the general land
Off &c, which called forth redress from
the Legislature, but the redress, so far
las ennctments are concerned, proved
feeble, and are still feeble, To cure the
evils resultant from Official dogmatism
and misrule.
The object % this communication
IL not TO array hostility against
the present commissioner, MIR.
Walsh, but the. writer believes there
are some things that Mr.. Walsh
has perpetrated officially, which the
people and all interested persons
should know, and II such charges are
true, is he Walsh trustworthy and
competent?
Early in the fall Of 1883 application
was made 10 Commissioner Walsh to
have transcribed the surveys of some
nineteen or twenty counties, as the
law required the surveyors of each
land district to obtain such from the
records Of surveys on file in the gen
eral land Office. Mr.. Walsh then had
Il force sufficient, but he stated
to the applicants he chad not
the force to do the work. but
would have TO employ special force or
clerks outside To do IL, and that not
more than four clerks could work on
IL at one time, as IA greater force would
require too many files Mt once from the
Tile room. That surveyors would have
To furnish books fDr these copies or
transcripts, and the work would begin
as soon IN the money was deposited in
the Office to pay for IL; and not until
such deposit WAS made.p Thus leny-
ing the impression no would have the
work done by special force. Mr..
Walsh told this force Of clerks
to be ready. THESE clerks
waited several weeks for books
and money, inquiring frequently
II all was ready togo to.work, but we're
answered by Walsh evaslvely, or In
the. negative. The clerks, or force
told Mr.. Walsh they would get the
books aud 40 the work, taking their
chances for the pay. Mr.. Walsh ob.
lected TO This without giving reassn,
hdhering to his point, that money
should be deposited IN the Office before
the work began. The applicants re-.
quiring this work We're writing fire.
4uently To Mr.. Walsh for IL. His ex-
cuse FOR not dong Il was shat he
could not get the force to do lt,u when
he mad engaged that force.
Ihere were certain persons then In
Austin irving TO obtain contracts to
iurnish These transcript records by
annljran," sh epu'a , iiahe proht. The
,uriny tha.a "seu WV. 1nty OF pro-
alternativc and ~nrn having no
iIn,,llv n.da "wm ou. from delay,
| Armstrong I,"d , a WIZ. MT
do ths w"rn aseht ih Austin, to
scrinis ThIs na a,hang these tran.
several per.ons ~ conn a.. EMPLOYED
and make transc,in,l' ,"esn surveys
Armstronp rsa,,y.a' ~ WHEN Mr.
profit, several hundred aallara "h ~ ,onis,