The Helena independent. [volume] (Helena, Mont.) 1875-1943, 1891-03-30
STAND NOBLE.
Commissioner Groff Resigned Be-
cause Of Humiliations Heaped
Upon Him.
Els Land Decisions Reviewed by
Men Unacquainted With
the Business.
The Judge stood II ~ Long n He Could
and Then conclueed to Give Up
tho once.

4. WASHINGTON, March 20.-The resignation
ct Commissioners Lewis A. Croft from til.
general land office, is known to have beer
the resultof tho strained relations existin,
between himself ana Secretary Noble. TIL
commissioner Of the general land offic,
holds an important and responsible posi-
tion. He is charged with the survey, man
agement and sale of the public domain ans
the issuing Of titles therefor, and all ques
tions of conflicting claims come before hin
for original adjudication. Judge GroA
was particularly we'll fitted for the duties
OF this Office. He had served six years OF
the state and district bench of Nebraska
and he was regarded rs the ablest
specialist in land titles in the country
Under the routine Of the interior depart
ment the assistant secretaries occupy posi-.
tions nominally superior to that of the com,
missioner of the general land office. In
point of fact their duties require no special
attainments. as the secretary himself super.
vlses their work and reviews their decisions.
Judge Croft soon found, however, that Sec
retary Noble had issued instructions under
which Assistant Secretaries Bussey and
Chandler usurped all the important func.
tions OF the land commissioner and re-
stricted that official to very limited author
ity. 1t was extremely aggravating to law
yer of Judge Groff's standing and ability tc
nave his decisions reversed by officials who
knew little or nothing of common law and
possessed no special knowledge of land
procedure. When he appealed to Secre-
tary Noble that official invariably sus-
tanned his assistants and declined to inter-
I'm Et,re eI,o,,
he issued an order that no land title cases
should be made special by the commits
sion er, but must be referred to the score
tary's Office for examination and approval.
AS nobody but the commissioner could
Judge intelligently of the necessity for
making cases special, the arbitrary action
OF Secretary Noble served to tangle the af-
fairs of the commissioners Office in the
most exasperating fashion.
After several Intellectual appeals to the
secretary, Judge Croft took occasion to free
ms mind to his superior, dwelling at some
length upon the incapacity of the men des-
lgnated to review the fine law points in
otiice. Secretary Noble replied in charac-
teristic hot headed style, and the breach
created by this episode has never been
healed, though the commissioner has main
tanned carefully studied courtesy in all
his dealings with the secretar ry and his as
sistants.
In compliance with the the personal re-
guest Of the president, Judge Croft retained
his Office many weeks longer than he would
have done had he consulted his own feel
ings solely. Finally when his self lf-respect
would no longer permit him to remain, he
rendered his resignation, insisting that
he must be released at once. In Difference
to the president, Judge Croft has permitted
his friends to say that he retires from office
owing to ill health, but this excuse is trans
parent, for the retiring commissioner is to
be appointed to another position of an
equally laborious and responsible charac-
land claims.