Press and daily Dakotaian. (Yankton, Dakota Territory [S.D.]) 1880-1889, 1886-05-27
Unworthy Land Agents.

gHWOrEny aIanu Agents.
Washington, May 24-Commissioner
Sparks ls very much dissatisfied with
the present corps of special agents
whose duty it is TO investigate fraud
ulent entries in the west. When Mr.,
Sparks became commissioner of the land
of;ce5 his first act was to thoroughly re-
organize this corps. He believed that
the republicans holding those places
were acting In collision with the land
sharks and others engaged in robbing
the government. He removed the gen.
tlemen as speedily as possible and filled
the with democrats, who were
expected to render more efficient seryi-
ces. He now confesses that the one set
is fully as derelect in the performance of
their duties as the others were. Several
weeks ego one of these agents
WAS sent on a special mission to
q western state. The commissioner IS
in receipt OF information to-day which
shows that the agent in question went
to the capital of the state, where he fell
into the hands of the men he was in.
structed to avoid. They feted him in
grand style for several days, and when
he went on a tour Of inspection, several
of them accompanied him and kept him
in q state Of intoxication the entire time.
His report, which reached the office
last Wednesday, stated in brief that a
diligent investigation failed to reveal
the slightest evidence OF fraud. There
are a number of ether instances, the
commissioner says. which, if NOT SO re-
prehensible, are at least open to censure,
and he is thinking seriously of making a
sweeping change in the personnel of
the entire corps. There are probably
thirty of these positions within the gift
of the commissioner. They are worth
S 1000 o year. and expenses. s
The Polysan.y Amendment Report.
Washington, May 24-The report of
the house committee on judiciary
to accompany the joint resolution pro.
posing a constitutional amendment on
the subject of polygamy, deals in detail
with all branches of the subject. A con
siderable portion is devoted to q discus
sion, showing that congress- has the
power to deal with this question in the
territories. The report says:
Your committee deeply deplore, with
all good citizens, the existence of the
evil, and deem 1t to be of the first inn
portance that while the remedy shall be
radical, it shall be in entire oonslstence
with the constitutional principles of our
System OF government, an: commends it.
self to the Judgment Of this country and
mankind. The evils of the Mormon
system are deeper than can be cured
by ordinary legislation. To punish the
offender may be accomplished by law
but to extirpate the system. to eradicate
it from this union, will required change
in the constitution. Tt has been the
settled oplnien of the best defenders OF
religious conscience that when religious
faith permits crime its sincerity cannot
shield it from the penalty of the civil
law. AS long as it is q question o1
faith between ths!man and his God, the
OWL law cannot interfere, but when
faith breaks out into acts against the
laws of society it cannot give immunity
to the criminal. II this were not sc
guilt would be quick to put on the
cloak of religion to screen itself from
justices Your committee feel satisfied
that nothing proposed by them to the
house wall In the slightest degree trench
upon the sacred canons of religious lib
erty. 1t seems to the committee tina,
these provisions secure to the union The
courts and the congress of the unior
complete and Its kindred offense o
polygamous associations or Capitalization
between the sexes" The crimes arr
fixed by constitutional definition, tht
punishment is prescribed by congress
and the Judicial power of the United
States, will enforce the constitution
against aIl offAnderaa