Reporter and farmer. [volume] (Webster, Day County, Dakota [S.D.]) 188?-1946, 1885-10-15
rAz PUBLIC LANDS.
Disclosures In the report Of the General
Land Commissioner.

Washington Special:-The annual re.
port Of Land Commissioned Sparks Is
nearly completed. IL has involved q
vast amount o fwork, and win reveal some
startling facts in the condition OF the yari.
pus railroad land grants A large force oil
tlerks have gone over all the grants to ad-
Just them. Strange as il may seem, no
road has been found TO have less than its
grant called for. All nave more, many lar
more than they are entitled to. The mode
Of obtaining the great excess is set forth
at great length and is bound to create q
sensation. It appears that by conceal
ing or keeping In the dark the essential
tacts, aud by ignoring the character OF the
grants and the plain provisions OF the law,
the railroad division Of the general land
office has succeeded in allowing railroad
corporations to obtain patents Tor
lands which were not granted, and in
amounts which were largely In excess oil
the quantities authorized. Neither the
commissioners nor the secretaries were adj
yised OF the facts. The whole responsible.
ty was left to one or two clerks, who made
such examinations as best suited their con
yenience and purposes. No written state
ment Of the result was required or made,
and the facts upon which the rights OF the
companies depended were thus ignored and
concealed. In order TO more eficctually con
zeal the true status OF the grants, they were
treated as grants OF specific quantities n
estimates of the quantity OF land granted
were made and published. These estimates
are false and deceptive, and were made
without taking into consideration the
limitation as to whore the indie mnity lands
" ere to be selected and other restricting
clauses In the grant. They have been used
for the purpose OF inducing the public to be
lieve that the companies have not received
the quantity oilands granted. Thesefrauds
would have long since been exposed, butt for
the fact that the companies have had suih-
cient influence and power to keep the adj
iustment Of ths grants In the hands Of their
friends. There are clerks 20 In the depart
ment who are responsible for many oil
these irregularities. Maps have been
made showing how false lines were run in
surveying the bends and crooks OF the grants
whereby large mounts Of lands were taken.
IL is understood that the report will recon-
mend that suits be brought TO recover from
the railroad companies the lands patented
to them in excess OF their grant, and where
they have sold the lands thus fraudulent
ly obtained the government should re-
cover Judgment for their value. One out
eome OF this win be TO open the door to a
multitude Of suits by settlers who have
bought ACCOMPLISHMENTS or waivers from rail
road companies. When the amount ofany
railroad company's losses Of lands is
placed, and the amount of lands patented
ia lieu OF them are ascertained, if the latter
exceeds the former IL is clear that the com
pany had no right to sell waivers. This
viii give the settler who has paid for such
relinquishment a chance to sue for his
money. Usually such waivers have been
sold for about the government price OF the
land. as