The San Francisco call. [volume] (San Francisco [Calif.]) 1895-1913, 1899-05-16
HUN TING TONS WORK
IN WASH|NCT ON
Dark Ways of Aiding
Railroads.
Special Dispatch to The Call.
Call Headquarters. Wellington Hotel.
Wa shin srtnn- NAV 15.

ingtons lobbyists in Washington in
terceded at the Treasury Depart
ment for the reinstatement OF Ben
Meredith as Inspector and Chief or the
Chinese Bureau at San Francisco, in or
der to continue the protection of the dis
| honest Chinese passenger traffic OF the
Pacific Mail. This calls to mind prac-
! tees of Mr.. Huntington's agents mere pc
| fore the United States Land Office Inc
story has been printed before, but addl-
tional facts and details are herewith pre-
scented.
AS is well known the California people
| have, almost single-handed and alone
| fought against the extension of the Pa
citic Railroad debts to the Government
| This was but natural, for in that state
the Southern Pacific Railroad has an eX-
elusive monopoly of transcontinental
fares and freight charges and is enabled
to eXtort from the producers and snip
| pers its own price for transportation.
| The California people objected to an eX-
tension of the debt. for Mr.. Huntington
would thereby continue to derive from the
people money with w.4lch TO meet the pc
riodical payments of principal and inter
est to the Government, required by the
funding bin"
Besides they hoped that the Govern
ment would foreclose on the railroad by
reason of the companys default in meet
ing its just obligations, just as one cred
itor in ordinary business transaction
may foreclose on a debtor. But Mr.. Hunt
ington, through the employment of a
powerful lobby in Washington, has al
ways been able to defeat the will of the
people. Always. save one time, when the
honest members of the House defeated
the extension bill. But in the last Con-
gress the persevering and indomttable
Huntingtc.4, caused to be reported from
the House Committee on Pacific Railroads
and passed a bill providing for a com
/ IL. llIt Of hn
road. This was what he had been striV
ing for for years The commission was
empowered to extend the debts for an
other period OF ten years, II IN It's dls-
erection this was considered wise This
bill pleased Huntington, of course, for he
realized that it is easier to control com
mission composed of but few members
than 1t is to purchase majority OF the
House of Representatives.
And in this connection there is no man
ner of doubt that Huntington has used
money lavishly in Washington TO accom-
plish his ends. According to his own con-
fession he spent money freely in having
matters explained" to members of Con-
gress by his agents. But this is not all;
He has not only employed eX-memberS OF
Congress (who have access to the floor
of the House, to lobby for him, but he has
sent money in the departments to prevent
the cancellation of land patents to his
railroad.
ana. but who was appointed from Mis-.
souri, to be chief of one of the divisions of
the General Land Office while yet clerk
in that office was employed by one or
Huntingtons agents TO resign his place
and correct" some land entries made by
the railroad in previous years The Pa
cific roads were granted alternate sec
tons of land along the lines of their rail-
road and it was further provided that
where a settler had already settled upon
or entered at the Land Office any quarter
section which was included within that
grant made to the railroad and which
therefore conflicted with it, the settler
IA
| but the railroad was given the privilege
of selecting another piece of land or quar-
ter section situated elsewhere as an in
demnlty for the piece lost to them by
reason of the settlers entry or occupation.
These We're called indemnify grants
The Southern and Central Pacific rail-
roads as well as other land grant roads
immediat ely selected great numbers of
quarter sections in lieu of and in indemni-
ty for those lost through the settlers.
| They failed to specify them, tract for
! tract, and this gave rise to no end OF con-.
fusion in the Land Office. The Secretary
of the Interior was DESTROYS that the
company should file in the Land Office en-
tries in detail, as, for instance, The
Southern Pacific selects the following
named quarter section as indemnity for
that quarter section within the original
grant to the railroad, but which was lost
by reason of the occupation of John
Smith" Instead of thus specifying their
indemnity selections tract for tract they
continued to ignore the requirements of
the Land Office and merely punched"
their selections.
Finally Secretary of the Interior Noble
issued a peremptory notice to the rail
roads that unless they met the require
ments their indemnity selections would
Land Office proceeded. This threw the
railroad people into panic. The vice
president and general attorney of the
Southern Pacific Railroad entered into
correspondence with Francis NJ. Gideon,
then a clerk in the railroad division of
the Land Office. through an intermediary,
no. 4 { Thay1 hny. m iG in
! lar employ of Huntington here, and the
result was that Gideon made trip to the
Mills building, New York. where after an
interview with the railroad officials, he
was induced to resign his employment in
the Land Office and work for the rail-
road in making these corrections 1T was
suspected that Gideon, who performed
the work in an outside office on + street,
had been allowed by Commissioner of the
Land Office the papers and books which
properly belong there, and that Gideon,
by reason of this favOritism, was enabled
to rapidly complete his labors, for Gid
con was one day observed at work on
leaves which had been taken from Land
Office records.
ployed clerks in the Land Office to help
him, and that this was done with the
knowledge of Commissioner Stone. One
clerk named Nevin acknowledged that
he had been paid by Gideon to assist him,
but complained because he had not re-
ceived the full amount promised him.
offered employment and received money
from Gideon. But he, too, complained
that he had not received as his reward
the whole amount promised him by Gid
con, and he was foolish enough to COM
plain in public, thereby duplicating his
father, Commissioner Stone. 1t was OBJ
vious that young Stone had been en-
ployed by Gideon merely for the purpose
of gaining the good will if not the active
aid of Commissioner Stone himself.
Certain it is that Huntington was we'll
pleased with the work performed by the
Land Office in approving hundreds of
thousands of indemnity selections and is
suing patents therefor to his railroad,
for he called on Commissioner Stone in
person and thanked him for his industry.
Commissioner Stone was, ii seems, heaV-
lily involved financially at that time. Mr..
Huntington not only thanked Commits
sioner Stone, but inquired: Governor,
what are your necessities" and thereup-
on promised to hand and did thereafter
cause to be handed to Commissioner
Stone some $780, But the Commissioner
had been promised $500 by Mr. Hunting
ton, not as a bride, of courSe-for Gov
ernor Stones character had always been
unimpeachable-but merely ito relieve
his necessities" But, according to young
Stone, his father never received the total
amount of $500. He was only handed
$500.
These facts are susceptible of proof,
and this proof can be furnished il neces
sary. The above is related merely to
chou IJ1lnfippton' methods in Washing