Iowa County democrat. [volume] (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1877-1938, 1886-02-05
T.. Il. WaShburn Defends General
Sparks.
From The Madison Democrat

FROM Inc haulsOu DSulOtEht.
Since Gen. Sparks has been in the Of
flee of commissioner of public lands
and shown a determination to save to
the American people the remnant of
the public lands not grabbed by greedy
corporations and gigantic foreign syn
dicate.s he has been attacked even
more savagely by land rings than Post
master General Villas has been by the
steamship subsidy gang. Gen. Sparks
has been called crazy, a fool, and
no vilifying has been spared to break
him down. lie has however gone
right on in retaining stolen land
and protecting that not already stolen.
Ever republican newspaper that could
be hoodwinked into the belief that
making war on Gen. Sparks would
damage the administration has had its
columns stuffed with falsehOUd abo ut
Gen. Sparks and the manner in which
he conducts his office. Among the
republican, newspapers the Chicago
Tribune has been Il leader III charging
upon Gen. Sparks. At last, however,
that paper has stirred up Hon. f. i.
Washburn and he has written de-
fence OF the commissioner in which he
SAYS:
The general land office, for the last
fifteen or twenty years, has, according
to my judgment, been the most cor
rupt department that ever existed i'll
any government on the face of the
earth. For years and years the land
iobbers and the land grabberS seemed
have had full sway there, and 1t is
quite time they were rooted out. And
/ am glad to find that an Illinois man
like Mr. Sparks has had courage to
attack these StupendOuS abuses and
to attempt 10 recover for the benefit of
the people at large some portion of the
pubic lands which had been obtained
from the gover,nent by the railroad
company. hope that his hands may
be strengthened and that he will con-
tinue in the course which he has laid
out for himself. Some say that ::
pressure has been made upon the pres
ldent and upon the secretary of the
interior, Mr.. Lamar, and that it will
be necessary tor him to be removed.
Ii is impossible to believe that such
can be the case; that an honest, faith
full and incorruptibe public officer
should be bounded out of his place by
the men whose action he has exposed.
and who is making such laudable
efforts, rs | think he Is, to get back for
the government, hundreds of millions
of acres of public lands which have
been literally tilched from it by the
land-grant railroads.
No man in the United States knows
better than Hon. L. i. WaShburne
what he is talking about. Washburne
is like Juge Thurman, of Ohio,-re-
tired from public life on account Of
honesty-aud he has not been able to
Keep still and see this party attempt to
make political capital by abusing a
public official for honestly performing
his duty. 1t is probable that Wash
burne's letter will stop the howl for a
while. Mr.. Washburne need not wor-
~ about the removal of Gen. Sparks.
Grover Cleveland is not man to turn
from what he knows is his duty, to
please Il gang of land grabbers. His
management of the Indians; his treat
ment Of the cattle companies; his
support of the Secretary Whitney,
and Postmaster General Villas, is suf-
ticient proof of what he will do. Gen.
Sparks will go on, and land stealing
will be another defunct industry dur
ing this administration.