St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-08-28
DAKOTA LAND FRAUDS.
Serious Difficulties With Those Who Hold
Land Fraudulently on specu-
lation.
Duty Incumbent Upon Special Agents to
Check Frauds of Every
Kind.
Give the Honest Settler n Chance and
Watch the Land Grab
hers.
How the Country in the Northwest is
Prevented From Being
Settled.
Special to the Globe.

Special to the Globe.
WASHINGTON, Aug. 27.-Hon. S. B.
Bevans, prior to his departure for New Jer-
sey Ell route to Dakota, gave expression to
his strong apprehension OF the purported in
terview which person signing the initial
Cd" sent from here to the GLOBE. He is
not candidate for delegate nor for any
other office. He is not in politics, and as
soon as the present leave of absence of
fifteen days has expired, he will return to
Dakota and resume active work in the pros
ecutiOn Of land frauds in the Watertown
district. He is emphatic in his statement
that he is not nor ever thought of being, a
candidate for delegate. Col. Bevans says
that during the time he has been in Wash
ingtOn he has taken considerable time in
veStigating matters in the land department,
and is satisfied that his ideas expressed
some time ago are correct; that is, that the
first difficulty, the principal difficulty, lies
with the registers and receivers. They are
not particular enough in investigating the
reliability and proprety Of the entrymen
who present themselves to make entries.
They do not investigate their right to make
an entry, and therefore large number of
PEOPLE MAKE ENTRY
and get possession Of the public lands who
have no right to do so. The next difficulty
is, that they are too careless at the time
final proofs are made. While there has
been great Improvement during the last
six months, there is too little regard paid
to the cross examinations of the claimant
and the witnesses at the time they make
the proof He admits that there has been
considerable improvement in South Dakota
l>,,+ -+;I = Co,
Unless the entry is correct one, unless
these errors and omissions are corrected
and the register and receiver hold the en-
tryman when he makes entry and proof to
strict account, these land troubles will not
be very soon settled. While a special
agent may find and investigate five or ten
fraudulent entries and proofs of pre-emp-
tons and committed homesteads, the land
officers are passing twenty-five or fifty in
the same category. There are no difficult
ties i'll this respect with men who come
there to take the lands as actual settlers.
but it is With those who come there and
enter and hold them
FRAUDULENTLY ON SPECULATION.
The talk about patents not beng issued
is all nonsense. They are being issued as
last as the department can
examine the proofs, and the
amount of work being done by the COM
mission. consisting of Assistant Commits
sioner Stockslager, Chief Clerk Walker and
Counselor Williams, is something wonder
full. Those who are entitled to patents
will get them. Those who have receipts,
honestly obtained, are just as well off as if
they had patent. A patent obtained on a
receipt which has been fraudulently pro-
cured from the register and receiver is no
better than the receipt. Fraud vtiateS all
nc L. 4loo4L l. I
in his district regarding his action in cases
where contests are pending on fraudulent
timber culture claims has received the at
tention of the department. Up to this time
he has not received any orders which will
in the least check his efforts in the direc
ton which he has been pursuing. He is
clearly of the opinion that it is the duty of
special agent to take notice of and
CHECK FRAUDS
of every nature relating to the lands, and
to protect the honest settlers from the at
tacks of nonresident fraudulent claim
holders. In fact, instead of this being
checked, he thinks that he will go farther
in that direction than he has gone yet, and
will give more attention to these claimants
and the witnesses. at the time that those
contests are tried, and will, if he finds
hereafter as heretofore that parties swear
falsely, give them such attention as
the law provides for. He says in those
contest cases, not only of the timber Gull
ture but also of prescriptions and aban-
doned homesteads. that the claimants do
furnish just such evidence as their at
torneys ask them to do, in order that they
may continue to fraudulently hold the land.
That unless special agents take notice of
this character of fraud, the honest settler
stands no chance with those land grabberS.
= J. H. L.
agents honest SO that the settlers can
have
A FAIR CHANCE,
with the fraudulent spectators they will
soon settle this question themselves, and
the fraudulent holders will be rooted out.
Give them a chance and protect them in
their rights, and what the register, special
agent and receiver fail to do, they them
selves will do. A large number of these
persons come and make the entries know
ing at the time that they have no right, but
holding them, to compel some honest set
tier to pay bonus for REIMBURSEMENT.
There are thousands OF acres held Just that
way, and it is time that it were broken up.
These fraudulent entrymen make large per-
centages upon their investments, and do
not hesitate to divide with those who can
obstruct them, if they can find persons who
are willing to share with them. Ninety
nine per cent. of nonresident timber cul-
ture claimants never break, cultivate, and
plant. for the purpose of growing trees, but
they simply do it to hold their claims and
COMPEL THE SETTLERS
to improve the country around them in
order that they may sell at an advance.
The nonresident pre-emptorS are but little
better. They never have settled and inn
proved with view of making it a home,
but would hold it just long enough to prove
up on by false swearing, then leave it, sell
their shanty and await the rise of property
to sell. In this quiet way the country is
prevented from being settled. Those who
are there are deprived of school privileges
and other accommodations which would
follow If it were not for these fraudulent
holders preventing the settlement 1t
makes no difference to them because they
are off in the states where their children
can have the benefits of convenient schools.
and all the other accommodations which
accrue to well settled country, as Dakota
would be were itnot for the difficulties I'M
der which the settlers there labor, in conse-
quence of the loose and careless manner in
which the land business has been conducted
heretofore.