Savannah morning news. [volume] (Savannah) 1868-1887, 1886-02-03
DEMENT, MAKES A DENIAL
RECENT PUBLICATIONS DE-
CLARED UNAUTHORIZED.

No Evidence that s25 200 was Paid any
Republican Senator in His Possession
Tho Charge that an Organized Ring
Existed In OfficiRt Circles Outside OF
his KnOwledge-The Correspondents
Ask to be Heard.
WASHINGTON, Feb. 2.--Surveyor-Gen-
eral Dement,, of Utah, was examined by
the Senate Committee on Public Lands,
to-day, with reference 10 recent publica-
tions which embodied alleged utterances
duplicating Senators, members OF Con-
gress and high executive officials in
Washington and Utah in extensive con-
spiracies TO misappropriate public lands
for their own benefit, and in cOnspiracies
to influence by bribery legislation affect
ing the Mormons.
Mr.. Dement, denied the statements at
tributed to him one by one and without
reservation. He said he had never stated
that he took four detectives to Utah, and
did not, in fact, take them. He did not
state that 90 per cent. OF the land entries
were fraudulent. lie made no statement
about mineral lands being entered as
homesteads.
ALLUDED TO NO RING.
He did not state that there was o ring,
including all the Federal officials In Utah
from the Governor down. He made no
discovery to warrant any such statement.
He had discovered nothing which would
implicate Gov. Murray or any other official
in frauds. Being asked if,he had discovered
anything which would implicate Federal
officials outside of Utah of the past or
present administrations in frauds, Mr..
Dement, said that what he might have
dfannynrnd VI anhodfQd in hia rannrta
to the Commissioner OF the General Land
Office, and qhe reason he aid not answer
more explicitly was because be did not
know what they might possibly lead
up to.
NO PERSON IMPLICATED.
"Have you discovered that any present
Oficlai OF the land officeor any past official
has been connected with land frauds in
Utah?"
81 have not"
Mr.. Dement, said in reply to further in-
quiries that he had discovered nothing
bearing upon the connection OF MormOns
with legislation In Congress. He had never
stated that any Western Republican
Senator had received $3.50 for opposing
the Edmunds bill, nor that several Demo
cratic members of the House had received
several thousand dollars for services of
the same sort. He bad never discovered
anything that would lead to a suspicion
that the Mormons had paid money to Sc
cure legislation. Mr.. Dement, produced,
at the request of the committee, three
clippings, two from evening papers Of
this CITY. which contained all that he had
uttered on the subject.
GENERAL ADMISSIONS.
In general terms they admitted that
there was ground for belief that exten-
sive frauds had been committed IN Utah
as in other Western States aud Terrific
ries, but make no special or sensational
charge. Mr.. Dement, said he had sought
to conceal his presence here and had no
idea how the reporters 20 whom he re-
ierred by name, had found MIN out. The
newspaper men who sent out the inter-
views which Mr.. Dement, repudiates will
ask the Public Lands Committee. of the
Senate, to grant them hearing in order
that they may vindlcate themselves and
give the sources OF their information.