Salt Lake evening Democrat. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1885-1887, 1886-02-03
A REPUBLICAN ON SPARKS.

No man in the employment of the
Government has been more abused than
Land-C Commissions Sparks. This abuse
has been heaped upon him merely be.
cause he has attempted to carry out the
law, and because some laws have been
harsh in their working the Commissioner
is blamed for it. He is not responsible
for the laws which control his department.
but he is responsible for their enforce.
ment. The Republican Tribune of this
city has delighted right along in abusing
him most shamefully, and abusing him
for the same reason that the people Of
Utah abuse the courts here-because
they enforce laws that are obnoxious to
the people OF Utah. The Chicago Tribune
OF the 2Sth ult. contained the following
communication from the Honorable E. B.
Washburne, and we gladly give it place
in our columns, that the people OF Utah
may see in what estimation Mr.. Sparks
is held in the East:
Editor of The Tribune: see that the Hon.
William A. j. Sparks, Commissioner of the
many violent attacks by certain news
papers, as we'll as by the stipendiaries of the
Iand-grant railroads. l have no personal
acquaintance with Mr.. Sparks, and have
never seen him, and we. are as far apart
politically as It is possible for any two men
to be. But desire to say that in all that
have read in respect to his administration
of the General Land Office I see nothing
which justiflos the attacks which have been
made upon him, 30 far as | can judge.
In, In t,tu sry,u fl,ax,o N n,
stantially just and in accordance with law.
If persons affected by such decisions are
dissatisfied, 1t would be far better for them
to exercise their right of appeal to have such
decisions reviewed than to be assailing the
Commissioner through the newspapers.
They can be heard, if they are dissatisfied,
before the Secretary of the Interior, Mr..
Lamar, whom have known, since some
years previous to the breaking out of the
war. as member of Congress from Missis-
Commerce of the House of Representatives
of which was the chairman: and can state
that he is not only very able man, but q
very just and conscientious man, who can
be trusted in any matter of appeal that may
come before him. And then, on law ques-
tions, the opinion of the Attorney General
could be had, who is an able lawyer, and,
believe, an honest man.
The. General Land Office, for the last tif-
teen Or twenty years, has, according to my
Judgment, been the most corrupt department
that ever existed in any government on the
face of the earth. For years and years the
land jobbers and the land grabbers seemed
to have had full sway there, and it is quite
time they were rooted out. And I am GLAD
to find that an Illinois man like Mr.. Sparks
has had the courage. to attack these stu
pendous abuses and to attempt to recover
for the benefit of the people at large some
portion of the public lands which had been
obtained from the Government by the rail
road companies. hope that his hands may
be strengthened and that he will continue
in the course that he has laid out for him.
self. Some say that a pressure has
been made upon the President and upon the
Secretary of the Interior, Mr.. Lamar, ant
that it will be necessary for him to be re
moved. It is impossible to believe that sucl
can be the case; that an honest, faithful
and incorruptible public officer should bt
bounded out of his place by the men who's,
action he has exposed, and who is making
such laudable efforts, as think he is, to ge
back for the Government hundreds of mil
lions of acres of public lands which hay,
been literally filohed from it by the land
grant railroads.
In respect to these railroad grants Mr.
Sparks seems to be travelling in the same di
rection with Judge Payson, the able Repub
lican Representative from this State, who il
making reputation before the country fo
the energetic action he has taken in tn,
House of Representatives to get back for tn,
benefit of the settlers and for the public
generally, portion of the lands which tn,
railroads have grabbed through the con
niyance and corruption of the General Lant
Office. Mr.. Sparks deserves to be com
mended for his actions rather than de
nounced, and for one wish to bear towart
him as we'll as toward Judge Payson, m,
sincere thanks for the course which the
have taken. EB WAsHpURNE.
CHICAGO, January 27.