New-York tribune. [volume] (New York [N.Y.]) 1866-1924, 1889-12-29
THE LIND OFFICE FRA UDS.
DEVELOPMENTS ABOUT THE STOLEN DU.
LUTH PATENT CAUSING MUCH COMMENT.
FUTILE EFFORTS OF THE MEN IMPLICATED TO
DIscREDIT THE FINDINGS OF THE IN.
vEsTIGATING COMMISSION.
INV TELEGRAPH TO TIE rkBUNI.J

Washing Dec. 2S.-The recent disclosures
relative to the nefarlous practices Of the Democratic
hold over' officials in the General Land Office. and
their outside aiders and abettors, published in The
Tribune continues to be absorbing topic OF con-
versation in official circles, continues also to have
an abiding interest for the large class OF persons
whose business interests centre In the General Land
Office and the Department OF the Interior. The
fraudulent practices connected with the stolen Duluth
land patent appeal directly to the public mind, be-
cause the facility with which corrupt combination
between Government employees in the General Land
Office, lax connving attorneys, and complaisant
registers and receivers in local land offices. is sui-
GENTLY startling to suggest that in face OF such
venient arrangements vested rights-whether OF
farm, mine. or dweng-can be considered safe, so
long as those concerned In these combinations are
permitted remain IN office by too indulgent Gov
eminent political party.
There appears to be disposition upon the part
Of those Interested in this fraud to PREJUDICE the find
lngs OF the Commission which Investigated the case
and the action OF the Commissioner Oh
the General Land Office, which will naturally
be taken upon them. Publications are appearing
from time to time, undoubtedly instgated oy ue
ring ntmatlng that no evidence was produced
directly duplicating them In the STEAL or showing
that they ever solicited the issuance Of the patent
Unfortunately the facts are exactly the reverse.
Emphatic and incontrovertble testimony was adduced
before the Commission that the issuance OF the patent
was directly solicited and its expedition engineered
by Luther Harrison, ,of the Washington attorneys
OF the combination. This testimony was gwen uhder
OATH by the Recorder of the General Land Ohice-a
recent appointee and therefore necessarily entirely
unconnected with the old rlng-by the young woman
who handed the cases out for patent and by the
woman who compared the patent after Ii was written.
These witnesses all testified that the patent was ex-
pedted at the instance Of HARRISON upon some
specous pretence made to the Recorder
1t further appears that the patent was dis
covered in the local land office, after its transmits
sion from Washington by the resident attorney OF
Hartman and Maet, F. i. Chew. and was Immediately
taken out, recorded, and various con-
veyances Hereunder also put on recoro'
for the purpose Of complicating the title ana
If possible, putting it beyond the reach oi future re-
clamation. Indeed, it appears that several OF the
cOnveyances were cCTded two days after Hartman
and Mallct had undertaken and promised upon the IN
dignant demand of the Commissioner of the Genera
Land Office, to return the patent. The attempt TO
break the crushing force Of the testimony only helped
to rivet more secury the chain Of proof which made
their completely In these nearious transactions aoso
utely conclusive. This consisted in the production
as genuine. of mutilated list. and telegram the
latter being subsequently shown to have had nothing
whatever to do with the expedition OF the patent;
and IL was In fact received several days after the
had been made special" ana was ALREADY III
the hands of the patent writer.
AS regards the methods In vogue among the Dem.
ocratic holdover" employees of the General Land
Ofce a. il ante a significant fact that. although
orders exis-reiteraed BY successive Commissioners,
times without number-peremptorlly forbdding the
borrowing Of money by them from attorneys practising
before the Office the local banks full Of notes
drawn by divers Of such employees. and Endorsed by
complasant attorneys, whose conhdng friendship for
the makers frequently lead them to endure without
particularly loud complaint, the catastrophe OF
protest.
II goes without SAYING that the Republican officials
Of the Interior Department will thoroughly investigate
ard promptly redress the wrongs which they ind to
exist and punish the ngdoers for, as matter OF
fact. drastic remedies administered by the st0reyed
Oddess OF Reform. appear to be loudly called for In
che General Land Office