New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1886-12-03
THE PRESIDENT AND THE LAHD
GRlBBERS.

GRABBERS
Mr.. Stacks letter on the 'and question III
" yoming, printed in to-day's TRIBUNE en-
hod;es specific and serious charge against
President Cleveland; OF, to speak more exactly
two charees. 1t is to be noted in The first place
that this is not an anonymous OF general
occrsot;on. The maker of il is the publisher of
a reputable newspaper, The Cheyenne Sun, and
no oives chapter and verse in support OF all he
alleoes. What he asserts is that President
Cleveland, In making the appoin tmcnt of
Governor of Wyoming, refused to give the
office to Dir. Post on the ground that he had
enclosed some Government land with fence {;
the fact being that this was done before the
enactment of the fence law; and that hay-
ing rejected Mr.. Post on this pretence the
President appointed Mr.. Baxter, who has not
only done what Mr.. Post was charged with
doing, but did it after the passage of the law
and consequently in defiance and violation OF
it This Mr.. Baxter, it is asserted, is retired
officer engaged in great land speculation, bis
aim being to sell an immense tract OF land, to
much of which he has no title, to foreign
syndicate.
1t ia evident that If this representation be
correct the President has stnltitied himself in
remarkable way for having first laid down
certain line of action as rendering an applicant
for Office ineligible, he has next proceeded to
nut in Office a candidate who has done the dis
qualifying things much more boldly than the
| other and with contempt for the law which
the other did not exhibit. Besides this, In
Amounting Baxter Governor the President has
given the lie direct to his own proclamations
| and messages concerning the protection OF the
! nublic domain In making the Governor OF
| Wyoming the agent or partner of a syndicate
of foreigners whose purpose it is to seize by any
| means the largest attainable block OF public
| LAID, Mr. Cleveland has clearly done all In bis
no yer to o-courag e and facilitate land-stealinG
and land monopoly; and in choosing law
| breaker he has done his best to bring the law
into contempt and lisrepute. One such
appointment as this, in fact. will much more
than undo all the good effected by legislation
and official denunciation If the corrupt land
grabbing system IT is palpably designed to
reinforce and uphold.
| Our correspondent. having stat oil the facts,
proceeds to uncover the motive of the Presi-
| dents action. 1t is, says Mr. Slack paIt of a
general administrative policy for the better
solidifcation of the South. This particular
| appointments WAS uculuuubu NY JuC lOuutNopO
Congressional delegation, and in order to
| assure the support of that section the publc
domain was stripped of protection, and the
agent of one of the powerful foreign syndicates
was put where he could do the most harm.
This is how the Chief Executive carries out
reform principles. In addressing Congress
| through his messages he shows himself unalter-
ably opposed to the stealing of the public land.
When the question is of fortifying his own
chances of reelection, however, he convenient
ly Ignores all his lofty sentiments OF
patriotism, and hardly appoints Governor of a
| Territory specially exposed this kind of
spoliaton man whose special business it is to
get possession of all the land be can, and
dispose of it to foreign corporations which can
be trusted to fence American settlers out, and
to drive into bankruptcy the small stock-raIsers
who try to make living on the neighboring
ranges. The case is really so black, so rank,
that if Mr.. Cleveland has any defence to MAKE
| he ought to lose no time in bringing it forward.