The Livingston enterprise. [volume] (Livingston, Mont.) 1883-1914, 1892-10-29
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February 1lth 1891, rejected the appli-
cation on the ground that the alleged
stone quarry had no special value or
characteristic to bring it within the pur-
view of the mineral laws. This decision
checked Mr.. Collins programme some
/ what. but rs the lands were getting more
valuable every day. he concluded to try
another effort. He appealed from the
decision of the local land Office, and the
case went to the honorable commissioner
of the general land office at Washing
ton, who, on October 2nd, 1891, affirmed
the action of the Helena officials and dis
missed the appeal The facts here pre-
sented are sufficiently explicit to estab-
lish the charge that Mir Collins endeav-
ored to gam possession OF these lands on
the pretense that they contained valua-
Die mineral deposits ard that official
investigation proved the fraudulent ma
ture of the ground upon which the filing
was offered.
reference to the map shows that the
81 of the Els of section Is, township
20 north, range 3 east. is a short distance
west of the Great Falls townsite, and
takes in the whole east side of the school
secton-the side nearest the townsite.
Ii is worthy of note that the adjacent sec
tions on all sides had been taken up un-
der the homestead, pre- emption and des-
ert land laws. being of an agricultural
| ynti1 VI
to discover that the Creator had care
fully deposited stone quarry in the
school section, SO as to give it character
different to lands adjacent. 1t is evident
that Mr.. Collins placed very high est-
mate on the value of these lands-he
went to considerable trouble to acquire
title to them, and the suggestion natu-
rally presents itself hat if they were
valuable to Mr.. Collins, they were equally
valuable to the school funds for which
they were originally set apart.
From the Great Fails Tribune of Oc
tober l4th, 1892, We learn that the school
land appraisers of Casca le county have
just completed their labors, and report
that the value of these lands ranges from
S1.2o to 100000 per acre The latter val
uation applies to lands near Great Falls,
and, we presume, includes the tract which
Mr.. Collins made fruitless effort to ac-
qure. At tins valuation the 1GO acres
would be worth about $4,000 at the
present time; that is what they would
4 hn \Jr Al u ha IoI
in his scheme that is VIII at they are
worth to Montana school funds oday.
When the representative members of
the Montana democracy selected Tim
othy E. Collins as their gubernatorial
standard bearer in the present campaign,
we are forced to believe they did so in
ignorance of the facts herein related. No
political party can afford to honor men
engaged in such transac tions no politi-
cal party would knowingly take such ac-
ton as would condone the attempted
theft of the children's Inheritance and
with the proof presented that such an at
tempt was made, no self-respecting man
can consistently vote to bestow political
honors upon the perpetrator of such an
outrage 1t is humiliating to know that
there are individuals in Montana who will
sacrifice their manhood by engaging in
such schemes 1t IS still more humiliat
ing to find such persons honored by a
great political party ; it would be an
everlasting disgrace to see them sup
ported by the votes OF parents whose
children they attempted to rob.
If the newspaper press of Montana is
faithful to its duty it will hunt the rob-
bers down. There could be no act more
despicable, no scheme DIES erving of more
severe condemnation. than the attempt
to lay hands on any portion of Montanas
great educati )nal endowment. Political
considerations in such case should give
place to higher motives republicans and
democrats should unite in ii singing re
buke to such attempts, and the coming
election affords the opportunity.