The Seattle post-intelligencer. [volume] (Seattle, Wash. Terr. [Wash.]) 1888-1914, 1898-09-14
lp[b-HlEDED CORRUPTION.
Dswscn City officials Make Much
Money on the Side.
Ma,
They Sit in the Gold Commissioner's
once All nay Long. Doing WORK
which VIII Yield Them Big Tips.
Instead OF Looking After the Du-
ties They Are Expected to Per-
form-Yukoa Mining Situation.

E. 3 w!shaa-. sha weii-gacwn newspa-
per man. who serves the Post-l1tsEs4ss1-
GER as special correspondent a. Dawson
and who returned 20 ;nis city On ;hs CITY
CT Kingston Moasay. having cerne Sowa
70 yletor.a on she Ga-oune. szys .hsra "a
70 dsua. that corruption o: TIRE worst nj
exists a. Dawson. Il is corruption o. tae
mes. notorious kind. Yesterday sir. Wish
sas SAID:
Fawcets May he Honest.
The situation IN official circles At Daw-
son when ~e left continued aboa: 80 cor
rups as IL was possible 20 De and Isgs'l-
r,areiy exist. The corruption Is open-hand-
eli and no attempt IS made 10 conceal II
TIE main Interest naturally eenters aTouRd
the office Of the gold commissioner ana the
conditions there must be understood IN or
der 10 fully appreciate the loss OF time ana
money and petty anacyarces 10 whica eF-
erybody Is subjected who has business TO
transac; under the n,al and rnalodorous ad-
ns.ristration o. that Office. Every man IL
81 necessity compelled % go 10 the gold
commissioner Office to &c. his miners GER
t!ffeate, to file on his claim or claims. re-
new leases ct same. settle disputes ovsr
boundary lines or water rights and nu1nef-
oas other minor questions that necessarily
arise in the holding ard working or trans
fer OF claim. bu, the state OF corruption
ard petty grating 20 which that ofsce has
descended is now so glazing that IL ots-
counts all political corruption ever heard
Of Mr.. Faweet-. the gold commissioner.
Is no doubt an honest man and means well
but ne Is either badly handicapped by the
49, L.. t. sat
and no. equal TO ggasping the situation.
He sits In MS back office and allows his
clerks 10 run their several departments and
those having no responsibilities openly
neglect public business and work ali day on
matters for which they take private fees.
The time was when person could get
look at the plats Of a creek and have point
ed out to him vacant ground. This infor-
nation is now sold to the highest bidder
and a man wishing 20 go up some creek to
stake can get from one Of these clerks a
pia; OF the creek by paying from $50 20 Sic.
He can then pick ou; on the plat the
claim he wants and by paying an extra sic
or IS he can have that claim reserved FOR
himse. until he either goes and stakes 1t
or stays away long enough TO cover the
time necessary for stalking: then he is
given certificate of ownership. The
gross fraud and injustice In this lies in the
fact that an innocent man may have taken
the tine and tramped over mountains. car
ryiHg a pack, in order 10 stake this claim
and after having 50 staked il and returned
10 Dawson he finds his time and energy
wasted when seeking TO record IL by be-
Ing curtiy Informed that that claim is
already recorded This rascality IS car
ried even further: II a man comes In and
reports a discovery on some new creek he
is told tina, he cannot have a certificate
then. but TO come back In two or three
In fr<ar ~k -.
ring look UP the new discovery. and IL
found rich. they seize IL. and when the
original d!scoverer returns he is told that
that whole creek or part OF IL had already
been reserved. and that, therefore. his dis
coyery is not discovery. ard the ring
laughing In their sleeves. divide the sew
erai claims among themselves while the
poor fellow who has spent weeks Of time
energy and provisions. has nothing ard
does not know where next to turn
The clerks issue all abstracts of title and
charge a side fee or s. to $40 for each 10
insure, seemingly, prompt attention; 9TH
erwise. you are kept waiting weeks and
months until driven into paying the extra
amount. This applies TO all papers neces-
sary 10 be issued from this Office and the
sums extracted from the victims range
from s. TO 500. as In the case OF a man
wanting TO leave the country ana secure
necessary papers for making a proper
transfer OF all his property Another sam
pie OF petty grating invented BY this
coteTie os sniar. clerks Is the one necessary
10 get Into the main Office OF the gold COM
missioner. II you are unsophls,!cata4I
when seeking admission you are told by the
doorkeeper. member of the mounted no.
Ice. that you can't get in and tha; you
must first register your name on daily
list he carries. which gives you a number
and entities you 20 enter the sanctum on
I CERTAIN A.,
later. However. II you pay s. you are sa-
r'itted az onca by q side door. and then
you can have you- business expedited ac-
oor9ing TO the length OF your purse These
are fair samples OF 4 few Of The WAYS
which those scheri1g Brltishers have OF
turning an honest penny. OF course. II
bars the doors 70 legitimate stalking ana
developing Of claims and is practically
driving hundreds Of ,nen cut CT tina, coun.
Try