St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-05-15
POINTERS.
0hauncey P. Byam Expresses the Opinion
That Land Commissioner Sparks is
an Honest Man,
And Tells Some Startling Truths Regard
ing the Land Steals of Duluth
Spectators.
He Asserts That There is Sufi cient Ev.
1dence at Washington to Over
whelm Them.
Former Brainerd Paper Pointed
Out as Shining Mark for Care
full Investigation.
Stand Up, Pine-Land Thieves.

Stand Up, Pine-Land Thieves.
After closely watching the fight between
the pine-land thieves and Commissioner
Sparks OF the general land Office for several
months, have made up my mind that
Commissioner Sparks. a stranger to me. is
an honest man. 1t was at this point that
my lamp went out, and decided to say an
unsolicited word in his defense. 1t seems
that Special Agent LIE Gore has reported
That 80 per cent. of the entries made in the
Duluth district were fraudulent. and some
OF the newspapers Of that and the st. Cloud
district have deemed it polite to interpret
MS report as including all entries in the
state; as such libel on the facts would
bring vrtuous howl from the agricultural
portions thereof whose entries are made
ana completed IN the true spirit of the pro-
Visions OF the homestead law and the ac-
compllshment of Which would tend to make
1t all the more sultry for Commissioner
Sparks. In the Associated Press dispatches
from Washington, L have frequently no.
tlced the claim that the Withholding of
patents by Commissioner Sparks was work
Ing hardship upon the honest settler
This is all 'bosh," for it is impossible to
hold claim in the agricultural districts of
this state without fully complying with the
law, as the land is of such value for the
purposes OF the honest woman, that,
where there is the slightest failure
OF compliance. the claim is speedily
''jumped;" and they are closely
watched, as hundreds of them can be visited
in day. whereas in the woods it takes that
much time to look over quarter section, to
say nothing of the many laborious days of
travel to reach it. The horny-handed son of
Toll Is secure and content in his knowledge of
the fact that his residence has been contin-
uous. and his proof OF compliance with the
law complete, and another thing, ninety
nine out of every hundred of these people
imagine that their final receipt is their pat
ent. and they are surely not to blame in
this, since on the strength of it they can
sell their claim or borrow money on it with
all ease and facility that a patent would
give them. l know this to be fact, as I
myself have loaned to them for Eastern
parties what would aggregate thousands of
dollars upon such evidence of title. The
distress of the honest settler is the myth
cal child of the brain of the political lobby
lst employed by the schemers who malign
Commissioner Sparks that he may be
bounced and man put in his place who
can be induced to take a different view of
the case and allow the fraudulent entries to
pass for patenting. The foregoing are sim
ply my views. but there are facts to war
rant them. For instance: know of large
numbers of claims made and completed at
the Duluth office by parties who never saw
their claims. know of men proving up''
on claims. representing themselves as single
men, who had families at the time. know
OF men who Swore to continuous residence
| on claims during the period of six months
required by law, who never left the enyir-
Gus of the city during that time. I know
of city officers, who have swore to a COM
pliance with the homestead law, who were
ever off duty during the period requisite
to establish residence, and the records will
show it. know of advertisements being
sworn to as having appeared in former
Brainerd paper, duly signed by the editor
or publisher, setting forth that the san
nexedY was true copy of
said paper for the period Of
tered the paper or went to the public be-
You'd the clipping from the proof sheet. I
have known man to go into the Duluth
offices. who had been personally acquainted
with the officers for years, and who, nn-
der different names, had made several pre-
emption entries. I have known such a
man to step up and ask to file declara-
tory statement, and when heard the officer
put the question to him: ''Well, what is
your name this time? These state
ments are not dependent solely
upon my unsupported statement.
The records at Washington
will show who represented themselves as
single, and whose numerous family in Du-
luth will contradict. The files at Washing
ton preserve the authenticated evidence of
publication by the Brainerd paper. whereas
the file of said paper will fail to show it.
The repeating pre-emptor will answer
for himself and, if not, the handwriting in
the different assumed names (all of which
are preserved at Washington could easily
be traced home by any ex-
pert. These are few of the
things which 1 know, and it is my opin-
ion that Commissioner Sparks has pretty
well founded belief of matters and things
of a like import" Mr.. Sparks may be "a
hungry Democrat" but it is my opinion
that his appetite for the requirement of the
filthy" is fully satiated by his modest
salary; and. further, that despite tempta-
ton and malignity, he will manage to
acquit himself of his public trust in an
honorable manner.
CHAUNcEY P. BYAM.
ST Paul Minn Nav IA