, 1889-03-28
A sTUPENDOUs FIzzLE.

entered upon duty with u loud blast
of promises of reform in connection
with public lands That President
Cleveland and the bulk of his party
sincerely desired and intended 20
render good service in connection with
this branch Of public affairs there is
no question. But these good nten-
tions" never really materalzed and
for all the value they have been 70 the
public they might as we'll have been
used fer paving stones in that warm
climate where good intentions" are
said to be serviceable.
First came Mr.. COMMISSIONS Sparks,
with his wild madness and laundering
disregard for law and the rights OF
property. Against him stood A ttorney
General Garland, who seemed to go HI
for as plant tool Of the corporations
as Mr.. Sparks went on the other side
in disregarding their proper rights.
The president interfered in favor of
Mr.. Sparks. Hisinterference was that
of "A well-meaning layman, however,
ana not as lawyer capable of pointing
out the proper proceeding. His letter
to the attorney general was good in
sentiment but bungling aud general
in its wording, and left the conflict
the same ns IL had been. Next came
clash between Commissioner Sparks
and Secretary Lamar. The president
had to again interfere. He accepted
Mr.. Sparks resignation and placed
Mr.. Lamar on the supreme bench
Mr.. StOckslager was made commits
sionCr ard Mr.. Villas was made secre-
tary, since then the land policy of
/ the administration has occupied II sort
OF undetined rut, most of the time be-
ing taken up in correcting the errors
and disestablshing the doctrines of
immediate predecessors. While Mr..
Sparks was almost disposed to forfeit
u settlers homeste ad il he stad away
over night, Secretary Villas in the case
Of Patrick Manning went almost as far
in the other direction as to hold that
20 rosidence ON the land is required.
The boasted decision of Secretary
Villas is that known as the Guilford
Miller case. This is ii sort OF noisy gun
that shoot IN all directions and in
reality settles nothing that was not
practically settled before. As
whole this decision is more valuable
to the railroad companies than it is to
tho people, IA it holds that the valu.
able lands included in the Indian res
6rvations belong in moiety to the rail
road companies. clam the com
panies themselves have never made.
Copp's Land Owner, the semi official
publication of the land department,
com ncnts Il 1on the retirement of Mr..
Villas as follows:
There is decided feeling of relief on
the retirement of Secretary Villas That
he signed some able decisions during his
incurnbencv is beyond question. Whether
'uV Si'u'V btIoue W iIin VI MS law dU-
visers Is u matter of doubt. He was dis.
tlnguished for energy and industry, but it
was largely the energy and industry of
bull In china shop. la too many cases
he overrode his advisers, disreRarding the
law. and ignored the facts, to accomplish
two results, first, to carry out his peculiar
notions of equity, and second, to sustain
prior decisions of his office, no matter
how egregious the blunder. The efforts
made in the early part of Cleveland's ad-
ministration to check fraud and secure the
public lands for bona hle settlers have
been largely frustrated by Villas rulings
and the loud promises of land reform in
1894 have ended in ridicue. In the his.
terry of the secretaries of the interior Villas
will take rank far down tue list
How Secretary Noble and the new
land commissioner, who is yet to be
selected, shall succeed in bringing
order into the department. aud giving
some stability to the rulings remains
10 be seen. There will at least be one
source Of congratulation in the fact
tha, no great flourish of promises has
been made at the outset.