Arizona weekly citizen., 1895-07-13

riI E GOVERNMENT
 During the years that elapsed while Surveyor General Johnson was private citizen, his study went on, and he an- nounced that he should seek second nomination to the office to complete the work be had spent so many years on. Reavis moved every power be had to prevent this, even to claiming that Johnson was his friend the most effect i've blow he could deal, but President Harrison appointed Mr. Johnson sec- ond time to go on and perfect the work in connection with the Peralta grant. Johnson qualified on July 18th 1889 and on the following morning com menced his work giving his undivided time to it until the middle of Octooer, when in the face of 6 positive order against 1t he forwarded his report to congress. and expected to hand ln hls resignation on short demand. His re- port caused the utmost consternatIon ID Washington on account of prevalent belief that the land would have to be usrended from entry and tho depart ment of the interior with its characteris- tic timidlty suppressed the report with out the slightest authority of law and ordered the case stricken from the record
 on the magnificent showing of General | do1 there was no law for such a
 proceeding the law provided for trans
 initial through the secretary of
 the interior to congress. In making
 this mistake ReRvis had an opening to
 get Def re the court of claims and did 1t 1 Surveyor General Johnson's efforts in
 this respect were unayailing.
 It is wonderful what vas done in this
 case by General Johnson without
 money, not link in the whole chain seemed to be missing and this wss frequently commented on at the trial at Santa Fe.
 When the land grant court was creat- ed and jurisdiction given over these land grant cases. Money was at hand and the examination of archives pos- si6le. MT. s. Mallet- Provost, soon after hIs appointment made two secret trips to Tucson, where he and General John- son went over the case together, and during one of these trips MT. Provost WAS brought face to face with the Miguel Perslta, of Wickenberg, healthy in the flesh instead of having died way back in the sixties, and Reavis WAS made to confess this, practically on the witness stand. From beginning to end has General Johnson lent his best efforts to the people at the Salt River md Gila valleys the first in the fight, the alder of the government attorneys at Santa Fe in the end.
 The government had searched every channel referred to in the surveyor generals report and the result justified every line of that now celebrated docu- ment. The vindictiveness of Reavis crept out time, and again when he accused Johnson of causing the burning of the railroad stations in Spain, and of causing him (Reavis) to move his grant eight miles south of its original location and almost in the next breath confessed that be committed perjury from an uncomfortable desire to con- meet Johnson's name with the matter.
 This is but resume of the great work done by General Johnson for the people of the Salt River and GIla valleys, the copper mines of Globe and Clifton the gold and silver mines of that section. The papers speak in grateful terms of the great work done, and one editorial suggests that he should be feasted on so gold pieces. we have seen private letters suggesting public purse. This should have been done long ago. Sur veyor General Johnson's work was done at the exact tune when 1t could,be done, 1t was done before Reavis had learned enough about land grants to stuff the proper archives as he so carefully did, when it was fatally late, it was done at a critical time when if had to be done, or never, without dollar. often at his own expense, and in the face of an array of counsel representing Reavis, consisting Of the very ablest lawyers of the country, Bampered by the departments, abused by the people interested, forbidden to do the work, by his own superiors, he rose above all these trials and obstacles and he did the most effective work in 8 land grant ever filled in Washington, SO pronounced by the best informed land grant attornies was EXHAUSTIVE AND COMPETE" and the property upon which people turned their backs m 'S3 to 'S6, became the gilt edged properties of Arizona.
 What is not generally known is the fact that soSn after the creation of the land grant court, an attorney represent ing one branch of litigante, came to Tucson, and having Leard that MT. Johnson would represent the govern ment in connection with Mir. Reynolds, asked him if he could inform his clients that money would be consideration for him to represent these claimants ID pressing the claim. He was promptly answered that 10 consideration on earth could or would be the slightest tempta- tio1. To this day not one fifty cent piece from the people of the l2,500,00 acre grant has ever reached General Johnson fer the wolk done during the thirteen years past more than half of the time out of office, but never losing gn opportunity te forward the exposure of the fraud.