Arizona weekly citizen., 1889-05-18
A MANLY LETTER.
Hon. Clark Churchill Explains His Position Regarding Gen. Royal A. Johnson's Candidacy for Surveyor General.
Phenix Herald.

ED. HERALD:-In the editorial column of your issue of the 9th instant appear these words, viz: INT. Clark Churchill has announced to getlemen in this city his opposition to Mir. Jchnson's appoint ment as Surveyor General"
 While this statement is literally true, the manner in which it Is used in your article tends to mislead and to convey an incorrect impression to the reader. I trust you will therefore have the kind ness to insert this in your next issue in as conspicuous a place as your article above mentioned occupied.
 The following are the facts of the case:
 During the time that Hon. Royal A. Johnson was in the office of surveyor general, over five years ago, I con- menced the investigation of the claim of Reavis and others to lands under the alleged and pretended Peralta grant, and 1 was then of the opinion that MT. Johnson ought to report against it at once because I knew the claim was spurious and without any merit and 1 vainly urged him to do SO. He refused. Afterwards the Commissioner of the General Land Office, Sparks, who had then recently come into office, wrote the letter in March, 1885, finding fault with Mr. Johnson, and taking credit to hirn- self for the discovery of the absence of any record in Spain or Mexico of any such grant, and stating that the absence of such record was proof that no such grant was ever made, l was led to be- lieve that NIT. Johnson had been dere= lict in his duty and that it was through his own fault that he had made no re- port; and thereafter, when he became a candidate for re-appointment to the same office l was very naturally op- posed to him and so stated to Mir. John son himself as we'll as to other persons, and endorsed the application of Judge Wallace.
 Since then, however, and while in Washington last March, I discovered state of things which fully exonerated Mir. Johnson from all blame and which proved to me that Commissioner Sparks letter to him above mentioned was un- just and assumed a state of the case which was not warranted by the facts, and that Mir. Johnson himself had, prior to Sparks coming into office, by cores pondence with the Secretary of the In terior, brought about the inquiry through the Department of State and the United States Minister to Spain, which had caused the search to be made in the archives Of that kingdom, the re- suit of which Sparks received within a short time after he came into office and took credit therefor to himself, when in fact Mir. Johnson is entitled to whatever credit there may have been for the mal- ing of that search and the obtaining of what Sparks himself declares to be suf- ficient evidence that no such grant was ever made.
 am further convinced that Mr. John son, if he had remained in office any length of time after these discoveries were made, and also that if he had been permitted to do so by tho Interior De partment either before or after that time, he would have reported adversely upon this claim; and that the censure cast upon him in this matter, arose from misunderstanding of the case, and I therefore make this statement so the people may be no longer mislead in the premises. Respectfully,
 CLARK CHURCHILL.
 PheniX, AriZ., May II, 1889.