National Republican. (Washington City (D.C.)) 1872-1888, 1886-01-20
THE LAND OFFICE CLERKS.
A Champion for Mahgn subordlnates-
The Question of Fraud.

Some time ago the NATIONAL REPUBLICAN,
contained an interview with n land lawyer re-
tpcctinE Commissioner sparkss decision, thata
person who had perfected presumption claim
could not make Communication of homestead
entry, which received very favorable comment
from persons supposed to understand the sub
ject Happening to meet the same land law
yer day or two ago II REPUBLICAN, reporter
asked: "What do you think OF the article sin
Great Eight"
Well replied he, ~ think II is very much
Ike other bOmbnstic uttcrancCs which have
seen credited TO that gentleman. DO you sup.
pose that the statement made scml-cditorially
by the OptdL that II Is q fact well-known 70
hundreds In Washington that some clerks IN
the land Office have made double salaries Tor
years, has the least grain of truth IN iR inc
writer of that article pretends 70 ympaath We
with the commissioner. II he desires 70 ald
him why don't he give him the names ofSome
of the hundreds who we'll know the facR If
Sparks Is in earnest IN the statement that ne
has CLERKS in his office who have
road and other land grabbing rings,
and giving out information surrestltlousy
Why don't he ieITSt out ana disCn,s og mem 9
year and he has not dismissed a single clerk
ON such grounds If he believes what he says
a6ost tn9 hc T thnIg PnF Kin w9a ar
retaining such persons2 II IL Is true that the
state. of facts exists as he paints 1t and he is
numerous guilty parties Immediately under
his nose Is II likely that he will prove very
great success in bringing TO justice the laad
thieves who operate hupd,eq h OF miles aiwayg
no opposition to the suspension of the Issuance
of land patents, when he knows that public
meetings have been held In the west at which
resolutions, denouncing that action were
unanimously adopted, aud he has document.
nTy evidence on file in his ofice 10 prove the
fact. Again, he is said TO have said that the
n nj
after making final proof theoretically that is
true practically, quite the reverse. The com.
missioner SGT oc has publicly seSmGS oa@
arc fraudulent, and on that hypothesis. has
suspended the Issuance OF patents over q large
,eTrSy Under suSn GlTc h, y M sel
very few capitalists DESTROYS of buying his
claim or advancing money on II. He Is said
TO have done great thing in refusing to make
cases special, and that the honest settler
never had his case made special The
records Of his Office will show that at least
seven out Of every ten cases that have been
made special during the past eight or ten years
have been settlement claims, and that the
action was taken at the solicitation Of senators
and representatives, who have vouched for the
good character of the claimants, Then he
publishes letter from awoman, who says that
her nearest neighbor is five miles away, though
The lands IS AL about her are taken taken up and he
that the lands IN that vicinity have been
fraudulently entered, but such Is not necossar-
the land might be taken without actual resi-
dence and without the preparation offraud The
act granting additional homesteads to soldiers
Is one. He says that thousands will not apply
for patents after making final proof. because
they can thus escape the payment OF taxes.
This only exposes his ignorance of the subject
or desire to mislead the public IL Is well
territory lands become subject to taxation i'm.
mediately upon the vestment in the holder OF
an equitable title, and such title vests upon
n IA writnr
the Capital says: Every man who Is employed
there Knows that If he makes himself useful to
these outside interests he Is certain to be pro-
vided with good position in case he loses his
sense is really beneath the notice of thinking
men and shows the long ears worn by the
author. If the corruption Is 50 general the sug'
gestion that Sparks and all his chief suboIdl.
mates are asses Of morethan ordinary stupidity
Is forced plainly upon us by their failure to
discover II. All the talk about having an un'
Outstanding with the President Is twaddle
Sparks is merely n subordinate of Secretary
Lamar; his official intercourse with the Presi
sdent must be conducted through the. chiei
OF the department. About those Duluth pat
ents issued In the face of Sparks's order you
will observe that the Capital makes him say
that when IL was found that they were secured
Immediately dropped. That is not true, and
defy the commissioner to show that any Wash
ington attorney appeared In any one OF the
cases, or received single one OF the patents
The issuance of the patents is admitted. Il
Sparks did not sanction the action; II II wa
done fraudulently, in violation OF his order
why was not some one discharged for it Il
the attorneys referred to rs having secured thC
patents did SO through collision with dishon
est clerks, why have they not been disbarred
Oh. lose my patience when | get 70 talkini
He Is led by the nose by a few persons, who
through the judicious use of flattery, puhup hi
inordinate vanity until the little judgmen
which he may have sometimes had takes ieav