St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1884-09-28
Hho is "sterev Eiki,,sa

Who is ".Stere" EIIsins?
No question since the organization of the
present Republican national committee has
been more frequently asked than the one
which we shall here attempt to answer, says
The Den0er Meas. The suddenness with
which an apparently obscure individual has
leaped into prominence, together with the
| flourish of trumpets attending it, to say moth
ing of bis representation on the committee
as the member from territory, has natur-
ally caused the inquiry. The answer TO it
generally is that he is the son-in-law of Sen
ator Davis, of West Virginia, but that is
scarcely satisfactory. Our acquaintance with
the political history of New Mexico, together
with certain old residents of Missouri, enables
us TO give better one.
Mr.. Elkins is Missourian, and lived
there prior to and during & portion of
the war; His education and asso-
Citations naturally developed in him
q strong love for the institutions and inter
ests of the south, and as pro-slavery Demo-
crat he was in those days equalled by few
and excelled by none. During the entire
period of the rebellion his sympathies were
intensely southern, but as his abilities were
lot of the combatiVe order he failed to take
| up arms for his southern brethren. During
the year 1862 Gas we are informed), in order
| to evade the northern draft and 70 avoid a
forcible enlistment against the principles
and the people which he loved so well. he
underwent voluntary exile and fed to New
Mexico. There he was for many years an
intense rebel sympathizer and violent OPP
ponent of the Lincoln regime. Up to 1870
Mr. Elkins was the most ardent of Democrats
| and the very last man who would have been
selected as the future leader of the great
party of moral ideas.
During these years, however, Mr.. Elkins
and his associate in the practice of law, Mr..
| Catron, acquired a great influence over
the Mexican population, and also
| acquired immense landed intere SIS through
the nominal purchase Of land gra nts from
the Mexican government, protected by The
treaty of Guadaloupe Hidalgo, but not then
patened by the Uuited States. About the
year 1870 Mr.. Elkins, despairing of an
early restoration of the Democratic party to
power, and ''seeing various channels in
which'' he could make the Republican party
useful, experienced a change of heart, ac-
| knOwledged the errors of his ways, was re-
| ceived into full fellowship of the Republican
party, and was sent as delegate to congress
which position he occupied from 1872 to
1876. All of his little schemes, together
with those of Catron, then assumed shape,
and the fruition Of his hopes was matter of
a little time only The government showed
its appreciation of their newly exhibited 10y
atty by showering its favors upon them and
patenting to them without stint the public
domain. Each has thereby acquired enor-
nous wealth, and they have in turn faith
fully served their newly found patron, and
it is but meet that Mr.. Elkins should give TO
the national committee the benefit
of that rich political experience
acquired during long course
of years in New Mexico. There elections
were determined by the count in the law
Office of the worthy pair referred to, and the
devices resorted TO for defeating the public
viii justify the statement made by many of
his admirers that 'Steve EIkins is as much
smarter than Steve Dorsey, when it comes to
politics, as Dorsey is superior to ten-year-
old boy"
It is an open secret that in all the schemes
in which Elkins is and has been interested
Blaine is u silent partner. The land grants
of New Mexico, the mines at Leadville, the
coal and railway interests in Pennsylvania
and West Virginia-all these and others,
engineered and cOnsumated by S. B. Elkins,
are matters in which two are Jointly inter
ested.
And this suggests the true secret of Mr.
Elkins' overweening desire for Blaine's
election. Mr. Ekins was one of the pro-
moters of the Maxwell land grant scheme
and one of the g-antors Of the present
company. Mr.. Elkins, while in official
position, sold the claim, together with Chat
Fee Waddingham, and others, for an enor-
nous sum to Dutch capitalists. The bound
aries of the grant were exceedingly indef-
mite, but it was known that in extent it could
not exceed a million acres. In order to
properly define and mark its boundaries the
interior department required a survey of the
grant, and Mr.. Elllins was fortunate in Sc
curing the job for his brother. The lines
were run to suit the owners of the grant, and
finally secretary of the interior was found
whose conscience was sufficiently pliable to
enable him to consent to the issue of a pat
ent according to the survey. It's fraudulent
and swindling effect was soon apparent, for
IT included 1850, 600 acres of the public do
main, to which Elkins and his confederates
never had shadow of claim, and a very
large portion of which was in the actual pos
session of bona-fide settlers. A suit is now
pending in the circuit court of the United
States for this district, brought
by the government against the
Maxwell company and Elkins and
others, TO set aside this outrageous and infa-
nous grant, and that the action will result
in NlctOry lot the government, Is prose-
cuted, is apparent to everyone cognizant of
the facts My. Elldns' warranty of the title
TO 1850, 600 acres, therefore, becomes a very
serious matter for him, since he must re-
spond to his grantees in the event the title
fails, and that means financial embarrass-
ment, if not financial ruin.
Does any man acquainted with the facts
with Mr.. Elkin's danger and Mr.. Blaine's
reputation, doubt tor a moment that Mr.
Blaine's election to the presidency means a
dismissal of the Maxwell land-grant suit by
the government! Why do both ChafTee and
Elkins aspire to the head of the interior de-
partment above all other positions, but that
this and similar frauds of their own perpe-
tration may be spared an open investigation
before jury of honost citizensl Mr.. Elkins
is undoubtedly anxious for the success of
Mr.. Blaine, and woe to the poor squatters on
the Maxwell grant If Mr.. Blaine should be
elected.