The record-union., 1891-02-27
Important Document from Land
Commissioner Goff.
FALSE RUMORS REGARDING THE
KAMEAH COLONY.
The Commissioner Believes the Colo
nfsts Have Protected the Giant
Trees. and that They Should be AL
lowed to Retain the Lands They
Now Hold on the Reservation.
Special to the REcoRp-usroN.

Special to the RECoRD-UNIoN.
WASHINGTON, Feb. pa very inn
portant document from Land Commits
sioner Golf, concerning the Kameah
Colony OF California, is on it's way to the
Secretary OF the Interior. In it the Conn
missioner holds that the colonists should
not be deprived of the lands they now
occupy. They should be allowed to COM
ply with the law under which they made
the settlement, and acquire title to the
lands they have located upon.
The Commissioner reviews at length
the claims of the cooperative colony, and
maintains that in filing timber land ap-
plications on land in the Sequoia National
Park reservation under the Act of June
3, 1878, they have complied faithfully
with the law by which said lands were to
be owned by private individuals.
He alleges that his special agents have
given the matter special attention, and he
has been supplied with reliable evidence
from which to arrive at his conclusions
Concerning the report that the colonists
have been committing timber trespass
upon lands in the reservation, the Com
missioner refers as follows:
II place little credence upon the news
kameah Colony or any other persons are
cutting down or removing the giant trees
from these lands, or otherwise damaging
or destroying them. The parties who
write the articles probably have never
visited the lands, nor been within hum
dred miles of them, and consequently
can have no actual knowledge of the COM
mon presumption which they boldly
record as facts"
The Commissioner says it is doubtless
true that the colonists have cut down
small trees on public lands for their own
use, but certainly they have not disturbed
any giant trees, as they could not be
handled by the ordinary methods known.
to the colony.
The Commissioner accepts as authority
the report of Special Agent B. f.. Allen,
who says that the purpose of the colonists
is of lawful and laudable nature. and that
instead OF damaging the lands or destroy
ing the giant trees, they have expended
about 100000 in Improvements and
adding to their value, and have guarded
the giant trees for five years, saving
them from damage and possibly destruc-
ton from fires. Inhis judgment it would
be in line OF preserving the trees to allow
the cOlOniStS to remain.
He can see no reason for further de-
partmental interference in the matter,
and recommends official action of this
kind to Secretary Noble.
Again quoting, the Commissioner says:
1.-The suspension from entries and filings
was based on a supposition of fraud or fr-
regUlarities of the surveys. In five years
no evidence has been found to establish
good reason for ordering the suspension,
and furthermore the filings were made
prior to any order of suspension from tho
Commissioner, and 1 do not deviate
from an accepted principle when 1 insist
that any order made by any Commits
sioner cannot be retroactive as evidence of
the good standing of the colonists."
1t is not known what Secretary Noble
will do with the recommendations. Some
interesting developments may follow.
The evidence upon which Commissioner
Golf implicitly depends is secured by
special agents under Chief of Agents
High. The recommendation will be
passed upon by First Assistant Secretary
of the Interior Chandler, who insists that
he has reason to doubt the reports made
by the special land agents where extern
sive interests are involved. In connec-
ton with some matters, his attention has
been called to the legal feature of the
question, and it is said on good authority
that he at present is not inclined to the
belief that the colonists should be al
lowed to remain on the reservation.