The L'Anse sentinel. (L'Anse, L.S., Mich.) 18??-current, 1891-03-28
Legislative Matters.

Senator FIeshiem introd iced .reso.
luton in the senate, which was adopted
directing the committee on public lands
to investigate the Offices Of the auditor.
| general and the state land commission
or, and ascertain how ii comes about
that where applications for the purchase
OF tracts of public lands are received,
upon partial payments or otherwise.
but before the applicant has time to
secure the tract desired, it il sold to
other parti 8. Senator Fleshiem is Of
the opinion that an understanding exists
between certain clerks in the Offices
named and outside spectators, where.
by as soon rs it is known that certain
tracts Of land are in request, the out
side parties purchase, ut the state
price, away from the applicant and are
then in position to sell tho land at
snch prices and upon such terms as
they may le able to exact. The system
in tn. land department i, now exactly
binh6' w thu1 III 10 Oulteu ptbteS
land office. 1t is only by max ng known
the intentions Of applicants Tor public
lands that there is any chance for specu-
lators to forestall bouafide buyers and
settlers, and if the pract ce of revealing
the applications is still in vogue, Audi
tor General Stone and Commissioner
OF the State Land Office Shaffer will
! put stop to it instanter and decapitate
the offending p rites. The case of
which Senat.r Fleshiem complains is
like this: A constituent of his-Mr.
Edward Connolly, of Watcrsmeet, sent
to the auditor generals Office short
time ago inclosing $50 aud expressing
the wish to purchase eighty acres of
state land in his county, which he fully
described.
The letter was received and opened
by the clerk in the auditor generals
Office in due course Of business. 1t was
then SO to the land commissioners
Office, where the money was retained
an ! q paper known as a timber afi-
davit" was mailed to Mr.. Connolly.
This affidavit required tho facts in re-
ference to pine timber, ETC., upon the
( tract TO he sworn to. It is customary
| to have such sffidavits where lands are
sold upon credit, in order to protect the
state from the spoliation of the timber
aud the subsequent abandonment of
the land by the purchaser, and the
price is fIed accordingly. Where cash
down is paid, no aflidayits are required.
This affidavit was mailed to Mr..
Connolly, and when he came to fill it
out and complete his entry for the
lands, he discovered that the tract he
wished had been sold to one Wood and
certain banker of Lansing whose
name Senator Fleshim has. They were
ready to sell to Mr.. Connolly, but, Of
course not AZ states price nor upon the
states terms. Senator Feshiem. at
the request Of his constituent, looked
into the case and found that within
fifteen minutes after the letter of Mr..
Connolly was received at the land
Office, Mr.. Wood appeared there and,
without any delay, purchased the tract
Of land which Connolly had previously
applied for. The latest phase OF the
case is that the Lansing banker has
announced his desire to surrender his
claim to Mr.. Connolly and withdraw his
ownership. It is thought that this
ought not to end it, but that snch mea-
sures should be taken as will hereafter
stop all underhand work Whereby bona
fide applicants for the purchase Of
public lands are deprived Of their
rights.
The house committee on ways and
means have reported back the bill to
establish normal school in the Upper
Peninsula with the recommendation
that it be.referred to the committee on
education. The prospects for the es-
tablishment of such school at the
present session are not bright.
The secretary of the interior has dir
ected the commissioner Of the general
land Office to instruct the district officers
in Wisconsin to give notice that the
surplus lands left after the adjustment
of the land grant to the Chicago, st.
Paul, Minneapolis s. Omaha railway,
will not be opened till April Is, but
that applications to make homestead
entry thereon will be received and fled
in the order Of presentation one day
earlier. and that no claims OF priority
are to be recognized because Of settle-
ment made while the lands we're under
withdrawal for railroad purposes, or
before April 18, the object being TO
prevent squatters who have Illegally
occupied the lands from obtaining
undue advantages over law abiding