Omaha daily bee., 1885-09-23
WASHINGTON.
StuDGld0lS Frauds UH3arihGd by ihG
General Land Office.
The Deposit System Prostituted
for Private Gain.
The Surveyors in Collision with
California Capitalists.
The Pueblo Indian Tax ObjectoYs-
PostmAsters Appointed-Notes
From the Capital.
WASHINGTON NEWS.
CHANGE NOT RxPEDIENT "a SESSION OF IL

dent that he is impressed with the belief th At
change in the Office of surveyor general Of
the marine hospital service is neither wise nor
expedlens, and that he has accordingly with
drawn the name Of DIR. Matthews, who he
had previously urged for the place. It Is
also said that he will oppose the appointment
of DR.. Walling on ths same ground, The
resignation IF Surveyor.General III amilt n
has not bsen accepted aud tho impression is
gaining that he will return to the office.
The cabinet meeting t'-day was attended
by Seer taries Endicott, Whitney, Manning,
aud Postmaster General Was. Among the
gu .stions considered at the meeting were the
troubles in Wyoming, possible reorganizsti m
of the civil service commission. aud the Sser-
liDg Bacon controvei sy in the New York Gus.
tom hou,e. The political situation in Nav
York was incidentally referred to.
sTUPESDoUs LAND FRAUDS.
| It Ia stated d thai the land office action taken
some time ago by Commivsinner Sparks, re-.
vuking cert siu illegal contracts for surveys of
punlc lands under what is known as the de-
p,sii system, and in suspending accounts
under similar contracts be cause of various
i,Ie. ularities, aud for the purpose of ascer-
taiuing by field txamina ions whether sur.
,eys have been properly or actually extended,
brought to the front the aux of Nevada aud
o hsr banks in San FranchoI as psr ties
claiming an interest in the account by virtue
of loans mad, to his surveying contractor, and
repre-, entatiyes OF the baubs are now here
urging the payment of such accounts to pro-
| tect themselves sgainst loss.
| 1he commissioner does not recognize the
banks as having any legal or equitable claims
again,t the government or right to intervene
between the accounting officers of the land
department aud their official duties Ii the
b nks, he says loaned money to iu-veying
Contractors, it is purely matter OF private
business, aud the ba k5 must look to their
borrower for pAymn5. No loans have been
m ade to the UuiE.d States, nor has the gov
ernmt ns Incurred any Obligations to these
tions by 'ngress for surveyi 6 public lands
has been from S2OO,O0O to $4,000.
allows al Aa0Iloi inaIvidua's to e"' mate s H@ dsv
| posite, which are credited the surveying
fund and constitute additional appropriations.
The land ffic, reports sho we'd soms Sc,
QUO to have been deposited since 1879. The
law only auth >rizes deposits made by settlers.
| The fact appears, says h, commissioner.
that they are made only by capitalists 1t has
been a'leee that bureau has been main
,ained in San Frsncisco which acted as an
intermediary between the deputies and sur
veyors- general, and the business was to
supply deficiencies in field notes and assist in
Of of the f''gslaiA general land Office N'1ns ons
of the contracts revoked by the
com missioner wa, of the original estimat I'd
liability of $S 0NO. The land office accounts
show that about Sl3c 600 has already been
p lid cut under this contract, and the bank
claims nearly $4,000 more .till due. The
commissioner refused TO accept the returns,
amounting to 500, COO, for work alleged to
bs performed under this Contract, on the
grounds tina. essential prerequisites to legality
not been complied with. the bond of the
deputy nos having Teen filed. and no deposits
made to pay for surveys. and further that the
amount charged Is in excess of gal rates.
| Isi. tha opinion OF the commissioner that
the practice OF the San Francisco banks in ad.
vancipg money on surveying contracts, which
| be said had gro wn up within ten years and
states and territories. aud which are now
urged q, co uitable consideration, cannot be
regarded as In the interest Of the public
service. He says: st led the surveyor TO
return surveys of uninhabltabls, mountainous
and esert regions, to augmented rates and
extravagant expenditures to looseness and
Irregularities of contracting and surverying,to
pr, digsl issue of deposit certificates, to
premature survey of valuable timosr and agri.
cultural aads, followed oy their appropriation
through fraudulent entries by rich syndicstes
and large corpor' tions and the exclusion of
ac,ual settlers from lands osLensibly surveyed
for their benefit, bus immediately taken up
| by specul stive combinations connected with or
closely allied to surveying operations
1T tended also to do away with that
wholesome supervision and restraint which
the law requires the land department to exer'
else over deputy surveyors. With the shield
of q powerful syHdicate and moneyed corpor.
ations interposed between them and the gov
| ernment they felt independent OF the land
flee and became accustomed to look upon it
as mere machine to certify accounts withC ut
reg. RI to their accuracy or justice. Many Of
the accounts now presented are for extra
| c,mpen alton for resurveys which cannot be
allowed because IN violation OF instructions as
| to pr scribsd minimum rates, and which in
strnctiOns are art Of the contracts
Reports reached this land Office of extensive
frauds In surveys in regi ms covered by these
contracts which the commissioner states he
has not had time with the agencies at his
c mmand to thoroughly investigate. and that
delay Is unavoidable until an examination can
be made which will enable him to decide
Nhich claims should be paid and what rejected.
The amount OF alleged dues on survey ing con-
tracts claimed by tbs bank of News ia areabout
$3.50 900. WHAT further unliquidated claims
OF a similar character yet to be presented are
| unknown.
HIS RESIGNATION ASKED FOR.
The secretary of the TREASURY has called for
the resignation Of Martin L. NOeEr Rs chief
OF the division Of captured and abandoned
property and lands. Mr.. Noerr was ap-
pOiut' ITOtu tDe DlrtTICi Ot huu
is one of the oldest employees in the service.
There are no'bSges against him.
CATTLE BEING REMOVED.
Capt. Lee, agent at the Cheyenne and
ATspshoe Indian rsserv tions, has tslegraphed
Commissioner Atkins that only q, ,OC0 head
Of cattle rsn ain on the reservation. and that
those will be removed by the end Of this
month.
THE INDIAN TAX KICKERs.
The Pueblo Indian delegation called again
| on the commissi oner Of Indian affairs this
morning and will leave for their home in New
Mexico this evening. They have been par
italy successful ia their mission, for the 1m-
missioner will request the authorities of Nav
Mexico to suspend tho tax by levy until the
exact lseal status Of those Indiaus can re de-
termin d. The commissioners seems TO be Of
the opinion that these Indians should not be
taxed. He admits that they acre properly
regarded as citizens under the tresty by which
New Mexico was ceded TO the United States.
but says they hsvs never been all we'd TO eIer-
ciss the ight Of citizenship. The New MeIiesn
authorities have not sllO we'd them TO vote ex-
cep. upon some petty question Of di,ching. 81
f5cttnR their own community, Tlatr lkndR