The news & observer., 1897-03-14
LAyIU. E@UX is LIFT
He Will Be Feremptorilv Dis
missed from Office.
THE CHICAGO LAND DEAL
MIR. CARLISLE ''ABSOLVED," BUT
CONDUCT A SURPRISE"
$50, 100000 IN THE JACK POT
Lamoreaux Gave Opinion for Division
of the Land and Carlisle to the Sur
prise of Officials Asked
Its PromuIgat

Washington, March 13.--A sensational
order repudiating acts of the general
land Office in the Chicago lake front case
and which probably will be followed inn
mediately by the peremptory dismissal
of Sias w. Lamoreaux, of Wisconsin,
commissioner of the general land office,
was signed by Secretary of the Interior
Bliss to-day. The order directs that all
proceedings in the case, subsequent TO the
filing of the application to locate Mckee
scrip ON the lake front, be rescinded and
annulled and it orders a new trial before
the new commissioner. not yet appointed,
within thirty days after notice to all
parties. The action is based on the pur-
ported opinion of Mr.. Lamoreaux given
out by him to one of the parties in inter-
est three days before the time appointed
by himself for the formal announcement
of the division and the notice to the other
interested parties The land ON which
it was proposed to locate claims by means
of this scrip is in the heart of the city of
Chicago and immensely valuable, esti-
mates OF its worth ranging all the way
from fifteen to thirty million dollars. The
decision formulated and and promulgated
by Commissioner IsaTnoreaux and which
resulted in to-day's scathing rebuke, it is
said at the department Is directly con-
trary to decision rendered by him on
August 31st last, involving the same
lands and identical except as to parties,
with the present case. This decision was
rendered on an application by Martin NJ.
Cooney and others 10 locate Mckee scrip
on identically the same ground and it is
said under the same circumstances as
the present case. The application of
Cooney ct al was rejected while the appli-
cation OF Harvey NJ Iafollette and Mat
thias Benner was allowed by Commits
sioner Lamoreaux in the decision which
has been Tepudiated by Secretary Bliss
to-day. The party TO whom the opinion
was given in advance is stated DO have
been ex-Congressman =. j. SomerS, of
Milwaukee, one Of the scrip locaters,
counsel, who was here for some time be-
fore the publication. The opinion was
never filed or put on record and is said
at the department to be faulty for that
reason, being regarded the same as an
opinion carried about in persons breast.
The first knowledge of the higher Of
fictals of the department that the opinion
had been formally drawn up and signed
is stated to have been when ex-Secre-
tary Carlisle, retained as Associate Coun-
sci for the scrip side, came down to the
department on the afternoon of the day
that Secretary Bliss took the oath of of
flee and asked that the opinion be pro-
mulgated. The department absolyes
Mr.. Carlisle from wrong connection with
the case, saying he probably acted I'M
willingly and did not come down until
after he had relinquished his duties as
Secretary, but his request, it is assert
ed, was complete surprise. The
Secretary had the matter examined into
and found the opinion unrecorded, lying
in the private safe, though it had been
promulgated to the counsel 1t is also
explained that Secretary Francis, got
wind of the fact that the commissioner
was about to decide the matter and so
issued his postponing order, but did not
know Of a written opinion. 1t is alleged
also that the opinion used by the com
"missiGner was substantially the same
in terms and words as furnished by At
torney Michener, of counsel for the scrip
i0Qaf0