Watertown republican. [volume] (Watertown, Wis.) 1860-1906, 1897-09-01
LAMOREUX'S ANSWER.
Ex-Land Commissioner Makes For
NAL Denial Of Charges of At
tempted Fraud.

Juneau. Wis, Aug. 2S.-[ Especial. /
Judge LamOreux of this county, late com
missioner of the general land Office, has
at last come forward with a denial of
the charges Of fraud in the Benson sur
Vey cases. Some time ago it was
charged that LamoreuX attempted to have
fraudulent survey claim allowed and
passed. but that the scheme was frus-
trated by the timely interference of Sec
rotary Francis.
The communication of Judge Lamoreux
giving his version of the affair is as fol-
lows:
Years ago, I think in 1875 to 1873, there
were some surveys in California which
were suspended by Commissioner Sparks
when he was at the head of the land of
nee They were known as the Benson sur
Feys Suits were brought against the gov
eminent on them. The government lost
the. suits and Judgment was rendered
against it. While Mr.. Olney was attorney
general he sent for me and said that if
we, the government, could not furnish
more evidence, the government could not
succeed III defeating the claims, and the
surveys having been made many years
ago the department could not get the evil
dence. He then asked me to see if COM
promise could not be effected.
A compromise was finally agreed upon
between the bOndsmen of the deputy sur
yeyorS and the government, under the di-
rectiOn of the department of justice, which
provided that they should furnish evidence
TO the department of the accuracy of the
surveys, and when approved by the sur
Veyor- general of the state and the depart
ment, recommendation should then be
made TO Congress for the payment, as no
survey can be paid for after two years
without a direct and specific appropriation
by Congress-.
We proceeded under this stipulation, and,
/ think, Congress once appropriated $40,
UOO some two or three years ago to pay
for those approved.
The compromise provided that if the de-
0TfT QrlT fixAl
they could send an expert into the field
with the deputies and the surveys could
be corrected if not found correct, to the
satisfaction of the department.
All that the general land office had to do
with it was to examine the surveys in
the surveying division after they were eX-
amlDed by the encouragement and APP
proved by him. Then they had to go to
the treasury department and on to Con
gress- Now it is the duty of the accounts
division of the general land office to sub
NIT 10 the secretary an estimate of what
it would cost to pay for the surveys if
they were found correct.
This the accounts division did. They
submitted an estimate of $4,000 The sec
rotary sent for me and we talked the mat
Ter over. He said it was near the close
OF the administration and he thought he
would let it go over until the next admin
istration, as he thought then that Judge
Mckenna of California would be secretary
Of the interior. SO the estimate was not
submitted to Congress- although the sur
veys were approved by the encouragement
of California.
I had been advised by the committee on
appropriations to approve them without
field examination, as they said an exam
ination twenty years after the survey was
waste of money and the court had de-
ci1ed in the test case with the government
against the government.
This is all there is to it, and / suppose
that everybody knows that you cannot get
money out of the United States treasury
without a direct appropriation by Congress.