Arizona republican., 1903-08-25
RESULT OF INVESTIGATION
The Change in Chief Clerkship of the
 Surveyor Generals Office.

Thomas Armstrong of the surveyor generals office yesterday morning a>- sCmed the duties of acting chief clerk of the ciiice in accordance with in- structions received by telegraph from the departm mt on Saturday night at the same time that Chief Clerk W. F.. Murphy was relieVel by telegraph.
 The change is the result of un in vcstisation that was conducted several weeks ago by Special Inspector r. F.. Leonard. The investigation followed accusations that Mir. Murphy had been engaged in charging double fees for certain kinds of work that came through the office. II was alleged that in the matter of mineral patents for which the fee is SEQ. thirty dollars ad- ditiCnal was charged in the following manner: Upon the presentation of an application for patent. it is said that Mir. Murphy would explain to the ar- piicdnt that the office was behind in it's work and that it might be impossi- ble to reach that particular application during the present year. He further explained that the government did not allow sufficient heip but that ii the applicant Were willing to pay the clerks for extra tine the work might be ex- pedited. The applicant usually found il cheaper to do this than to Go as sessment work on a claim for another year and it is said that in most eases the additional charge was paid
 No complaint was made until last spring when representative of ex- United States Senator Pettigrew pre- sented applications for the patantine of twenty mining claims in the south Crn part of the territory The situa- ton Was explained to him. Senator PetGgreW is famous throughout the United States for being in an ill-humor all the time time. His temper was not improved when he heard of the proposition for him to employ the clerks oi the government to do the work for which he mad to pay a fee anyhow. He referred the matter to the department and the investigation fol- lowed. The accusation against Mr. Murphy was that he had been charging illegal and eXorbitant fees.
 When Inspector Leonard was here he said in regard to the claim by MT. Murphy that if the office was not pro- vided with sufficient help that there was in the mineral fund of the office $3S,0 which could be expended in en- ploying- such help as was necessary. There are two funds that may be drawn upon by the office; one is the mineral funi and the ether is the pub lie land fund.
 The former had been allowed to ac- cumulate while the latter had been Gs- pleted and upon that fact was based the plea of the chief clerk that there Were no funds for the employment of necessary help.
 Acting Chief Clerk Armstrong will discharge the duties of his CtTice until the return of Surveyor General Price from the coast where he went q week ago in i'll h5alth or until further advices from the department. He has been in Il 4 draught division of the office since lS99
 MT. Murphy has been connected with the office since 1895 and was almost immediately after his connection with it made chief clerk. He came to the office from Georgia during the admins tIation of the department by Hoke Smith. of whom he is a personal friend.