Albuquerque daily citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1895-1903, 1901-08-30
WHY NE SHOULD Be RETIRED.

of July %. 1896. the survey OF allot-
ments made under the Las Vegas
| grant was resumed by II. II.
| Rice and work continued till Novem.
Der 2S. 1896. then discontinued upon
instructions from the commissioner.
Rice filed four books, field notes and
skotcho plat of surveys Of allotments
in Las Vegas valley. four books of
field notes. five sheet surveys of allot.
ments i'm the Sapello river valley.
The said returns. together
! with the protest of +. A. Manzanares Of
Las Vegas, against the said surveys rs
executed by Rice In the Las Vegas
valley. have been transmitted to your
Office for consideration and action. !
am advised by your letter of January
SO. 1897. that the entire matter in con
troversy is now pending In the SUI
prcme court OF the United States on
appeal by the government from the
action of the court Of appeals OF the
district of Colorado. affirming the is
suance of an injunction involving the
Las Vegas survey matters on the pc
tition of JEFF Reynolds. ct al. and that
until the supreme court shall have
rendered its opinion I'm the matter If
the pending appeal no action will be
taken on the protest of T.. A. Man.
zanares. or any other questions involv.
ed I'm the surveys. resuryeys. exam.
nations or allotments executed by
Rice under department authorize.
ton. Estimates: Survey of public
lands, $4,000; private claims. 5000;
salary surveyor general. $4,000;
clerks. $4,000: contingent, sl,320;
total. 500 1920.
Contract No. 81, June I. 1896. ID. NJ.
White, liability. $500: forty.four pri.
vatc land grants acted upon by court,
involving 1,S55,2i3 acres; confirmed
2Oi.l93. rejected l.G51,0 $50. Quinby
Vance on June 30. 1898. deposited So.
10 for survey Of seventy-one mining
claims; amended two mining claims
and reports on ffty-two mining
claims. Major portion of mineral
monuments are upon unsurveyed
ground and mining claims are con.
nocted with said monuments. The
court of private land claims passed
uron many claims. some confirmed,
some were rejected. The work of this
office in connection with the survey
of these grants will create a large
! and increasing amount of labor: nine
private land claims have been sur
| veycd under DEGREES of court and con.
irmed about 10000 acres; three cor
rccted surveys ordered: one survey
notes not filed; one new decree, new
| survey have to he made. During the
fiscal yea no work has been executed
on the Las Vegas grant, the same hav.
ing been heretofore pending In the SUI
prome court of the United States on
appeals. The survey of allotments I'm
said grant. heretofore executed by n.
u. Rice. were reported by my prede.
cessOr as being in a very unsatisfac.
tary condition and said surveys not
executed on the ground or the field
notes written in conformity with the
manner Of surveys, instructions, or
his special instructions. There will
also be an increased amount of public
surveys on account of the selection Of
donations of public lands to educa.
tional and benevolent institutions of
the territory, AS per act of June 90.
1898, and | therefore estimate that
The appropriation of $4,000 will fully
hC required for the survey of public
lands and small holdings claims. The
contingent fund limited to 81 900 is in.
sufficient and ! request IL be increased
to Sl,50O. The surveyor generals
salary should be allowed at the rate
Of $1,000; vacan lands are being rap.
idly settled upon and conditions of all
branches of industry prosperous. Dur
Ing the year let twelve contracts, Nos.
ga and 325, both inclusive; nine pri
waite land claims surveyed, four or
dcred corrected; rejected surveys If
II. 7. Brown, rclet; G. q. Coleman;
Howell failed to return within time.
Estimates: Surveys of public lands.
$4,000; private land claims, s25, 1000;
surveyor general, 50 900; clerks, 3d.
Gee; contingent, sl,7O0; total, SOS, 300.
Now the high officials having the
matter In charge say that most OF the
surveyor generals quickly let con
tracts for full amount apportioned TO
them and then report more applica.
tions for surveys and beg for more
money and generally get IL. With
these facts in view, with Vance on.
cially saying over his own name that
$4,000 was absolutely necessary for
public land surveys for 1898, with full
power in his " hands, with $4,000
apportioned and almost sure TO get
more II he asks for II. lets contracts , n
1898 for s5,472.l6; rejects contracts Of
II I. Brown and c. q. Coleman; NJ.
Howell failed to return his in time
and at the end of the fiscal year. OF
nine contracts official records show
81 ,OO6.li was paid out: the balance
went back into the treasury and the
poor starving surveyors will have Ia
wait one two or more years for their
balance Of Si,i66. In private land
claims IL was still worse. Vance az.
firms over his own name that S25, 000
was absolutely necessary; $4,000 vas
apportioned, with Vance knowing that
he could let contracts for that amount
and ask for more; let contracts In
1898 for only ~si,709.60; and at the
end of the year most all OF the Sl5..
600 was turned back into the treas,
ury and again the poor, suffering con
tractors have to wait one, two or
more years for their hard earned pay.
Does or does not this show a way
OF obtaining goods under false pre-.
lenses? Pretending that s25, 900 was
needed and then let contracts for
one-ffth or one-sixth that amount.
TAX OF brass and cheek in claiming
undue credit, The Sampson chley
contest rs not In il, Easley In his re-
port OF 1897, given above, says:
There are 1926 mining districts;
tw~enty.threc have been plated. lO3
are unplatted."
Now Vance starts in to claim credit.
and not only claims as though Easley
had made no mining plats at all and
claims credit for making all, but
also claims credit for two successive
years for g n year would not de.
serve the attention by the interior de-
partment. In his report OF June 30,
1898, To the commissioner, Vance
says; u had the matter Of plating
said mining districts taken up and
a full set Of mining district plats
made for this territory, the same mum
boring 1873 which are now practically
completed for the soyenty-seyen min.
ing districts In this territory" Can Il
be that Easlcy misreprcsented the
facts when he reported that he had
made tWpntythrpe Mats ~ 1OC min.