St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-11-22
Suits Instituted in Three Glasses of Gases
Against the Montana Improve
ment Company.
The True Inwardness of the Registration
Frauds Which Inspired Com
missioner Sparks Order.
The Department in no Hurry to Select
Site for Winona's Public
Building.
Interesting News of a General Char
acter Gathered at the Ma
tional Capital.
That Order of Mai. Sparks.

from Montana miners have not been re-
ceived by Secretary Lamar. The whole
turmoil has been charged against the
Northern Pacific road. The exact scope of
the recent land recommendations was that
Secretary Lamar advised Attorney General
Garland to institute suits in three classes Of
cases. First, where the Montana Improve
ment company had cut timber On all sec
tionS, instead of alternate sections, of un-
surveyed lands within the grant to the
Northern Pacific road. this to be suit in
equity for an accounting. Second, where
timber had been cut ON unsurveyed lands
outside of the grant, and non-mineral.
Third, when timber had been cut on unsur-
veyed mineral land and transported beyond
the mining regions. The latter cases are
to be criminal suits and for damages. Com
missioner Sparks to-day signed recon-
mendation to Secretary Lamar asking him
to advise the attorney general to institute
suits against parties who have unlawfully
inclosed public lands in the West. Special
agents have sent in numerous reports. One
of them recommends that the president use
armed force, if necessary. Letters from
citizens are still coming in and one received
yesterday from an ex-member of congress
details frauds committed in Cook county,
Wyoming. The writer says that some Of
thetpeOple in securing entries have used cow
boys to take up land and after securing
registration have taken land themselves.
Another letter from the agent in the same
section declares that ne believes 80 per cent.
of the land entries made there are fraudu
lent. The alleged frauds while extending
all over the West are said to be more gen.
orally practiced in the Northwest according
to the commissioners best information and
his annual report will show that between
SIS and 95 per cent. of the land entries
made are fraudulent.
THE CRUSADE AGAINST SPARKS.
Land Commissioner Sparks clearly per-
ceives the crusade which timber appropri-
ators and fraudulent land sharks will Or
ganize against him this winter. 1t is to be
war TO the knife and the knife to the hilt.
He will hew to the line. One of the methods
sedulously employed to cripple the eff
cheney of the office is to attack the integ
rity Of those who closely surround the COM
missioner and upon whom great trust is
necessarily imposed. An instance occurred
to-day. which at first blush might have
been construed TO indicate obstruction to
official procedure by the clerks. A man at
Cheyenne, W. T., had filed claim upon
desert land and then relinquished it.
Another party desiring to enter wished
cancellation of the prior claim. The mat
ter was long delayed, and upon an attor-
ney's inquiry it was found that chief of
division had ordered the clerks to go slow
in cancelling voluntary relinquishments.
In this particular case the facts were clear
and no fraud involved, and the delay was
indefensible, but there is no ground for any
clamOr. In most cases the governments in
tereStS caD only be- SubSerypd by close in
vestigation of relinquishments. 1t is a COM
mon practice to file claim, stick few
boards in the ground, a shingle on top, and
call it an occupation OF the land. Then
land shark gets a REIMBURSEMENT and some
man who desires to enter bona fide upon
the land is told that he can buy the relin-
quishment for $500. Reports of special
agents show that there is regular business
conducted in the fraudulent filing of claims
and sale of relinquishments.
MONTANA MINERS PROTESTS.
The heralded protests from the Montana
miners against the alleged order concerning
the telling of timber from mineral lands,
have not arrived. As matter of fact,
there has been a great hubbub without
sufficient provocation. What has been
constantly commented upon as an order has
as the head and front of its offending this:
The special agents reported that the Mon
taRa improvement company had been cut
ting immense quantities of lumber for COM
mercial purposes. The land commissioner
sent recommendation, in the routine
course of his duties, to Secretary Lamar,
advising that the latter request the attorney
general to institute suit against this COM
pany for its depredations.