St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-11-27
Land and Legislation.
Special to the Clone.

Special to the GLOBE.
WAsHINGToN, Nov. 26.-The appeal
from the holding of Land Commissioner
Sparks in the case of the Northern Pacific
railroad VS.. Guilford Miller is awaiting yet
the filing of briefs before Assistant Secre-
tary jerks. The ruling appears to have
stirred up great CONFUSION in the North
west. In fact the proceedings OF the land
office would occupy the devoted attention
of a correspondent day after day to the ex-
clusion Of eXaming into other administrative
action. 1t has become apparent that the
Democratic administration is redeeming It's
promises of reform. Year after year plat
forms had resounding phrases about reform,
that soon proved that their production of
noise was all due to their hollownesS. Now
the very lining of frauds and expressions
that were tolerated, if not fostered under
Republican control, is being ripped out
And not with mere motives of arbitrary
partisan revenge, not as purely selfish eX-
hibtions of acquired power, but in accord
ance with the plain dictates of statutes and
without regard to sentimental hardships.
whose pretended victims must have fore
seen such results. The order in the Gull
ford Miller case is supported by a mass of
legal citation. but without the precedent of
the courts. the reasoning is so plain and
eogent, that it is only amazing that any
former land commissioner ever Withdrew
railroad indemnity lands from settlement
In the case now pending on appeal before
Secretary Lamar, two propositions were
put forth as clearly supportable from the
statutory language and from supreme court
decisions. One was that even granted lands
were not withdrawn from settlement until
the definite location of the road and that
ellen lands'' or indemnity lands could not be
so withdrawn until after definite selection
and requirement of vested right, after the
extent of the encroachments upon the
granted area was determined. At the
furthest an order Withdrawing indemnity
lands
FROM SETTLEMENT
could not operate beyond becoming notice
of the lands which might be taken as in
demnty, provided no settlement be made
upon them, before the rights to seize them
as indemnity accrue. In the present case
Miller claims to have made settlement two
years before any attempt to locate the lands
as lien lands and it is thought that the sec
rotary will confirm his right to make entry
after clear proof of settlement The hotel
lobbies are filling up with Western men. and
there is heard on every side bitter comments
upon the enforcement of law. These men
are Immigrant railroad lobbyists, representa-
tives of huge mining corporations, and even
men who have personal investments, not
large, but sufficient to make selfish greed
obscure the fact that their titles are based
on fraud. 1t is remarkable to hear these
men talk. They admit all the facts, but
complain bitterly that wrong should be per-
mitted to go on crystalz into gig antc
system OF public robbery without molesta-
ton. In the Miller case the equities are
clearly against the road. An unstinted
largess of land was granted. Delay after
delay ensues before completion. A provis-
ion is granted that an adjacent strip of land
shall furnish it's alternate sections as an in
demnity if sections Of the original grants be