The Iola register. [volume] (Iola, Allen County, Kansas) 1875-1902, 1884-05-09
FACTS FOR THE PEOPLE.

Now the Public Lands are Appropriated
by Foreign Syndicates-Public Debt
statement-Other Matters.
WASHINGTON, May 3.-Some eorrespon-
dence recently passed between the Depart
ment of the Interior and Senator Plumb,
chairman of the Committee on Public Lands,
with reference to information called for by
resolution of March II, last, directing the
Committee On Public Lands to inquire in
what manner large quantities of public lands
had been transferred or possessed by for
eign corporations or syndicates. What, If
any, legislation was advisable to prevent
such transfer or possession. On April the
Secretary of the Interior sent Plumb COM
munication from the Commissioner of the
General Land Office, in which he states there
were several methods by which foreign cor
porations and syndicates may legally ac-
quire title to public lands. The Secretary
also transmitted the same date copies Of
reports from special agents showing
the methods adopted for unlawful
acquisition of title to public lands
in the interest of foreign cap
italists Special Agent John NJ. James
reports, in relation to thirty-eight claims in
Estes Park, Col. owned by the Estes Park
Company, organized under the laws of Eng
land and doing business in Colorado. Wind
ham Thomas, Earl of Dunraven, appears TO
be one of the chief fTnctiOnaries of this
company. Thirty claims, the special agent
found, were secured for people who were
never in that part at all, the remaining
eight were secured by people who made oc-
casional visits and show of improvement.
In no case was the law complied with.
Special Agent Wilson T. Smith reports the
result of an investigation in California into
the transactions of Falkner, Ball & Co., an
English house. He secured complete evil
dence in sixteen cases, proving the entry
men took up timber land under an agree
ment to transfer them to the agent of a
syndicate, each entryman receiving fifty
dollars for his service. Further investiga-
ton was stopped by the agents of the syndi-
cate, who surrounded the hotel with their
henchmen, and no one who made entry
with them was allowed to approach the
special agents room. Under date
of April 20, the Secretary sent
the Chairman of the Public Lands
Committee a supplemental batch of cores
pOndence between the Commissioner of the
SeueTdl bdnu dlltt IL VI
brokers in Edinburg, who had taken alarm
at the introduction in the Senate of the
aforementioned resolution and desired to
be informed if they would be interfered
with in the possession of land already Occu-
pied. The Commissioner replied to this
letter stating that in his opinion no law
would be passed retroactive iii its. nature,
the property rights of all persons being fully
protected in the United States. He says,
however, misapprehension may exist as to
what property rights have been or may be
acquired under the present State laws. He
then stated in detail the methods by which
public land may be legally acquired, and
closes with this statement: POssesSory
rights to public lands, other than as author
lied by the settlement and improvement
laws, are not recognized, and mere posses
sion, occupation or enclosure gives no color,
right, title OF claim to any larger quantity
of land in the United States than the guam
tity authorized by said laws.
PUBLIC DEBT STATEMENT.
81 ~, go,