Evening times-Republican. [volume] (Marshalltown, Iowa) 1890-1923, 1903-12-14
WILL PUNISH FRAUDS
secretary Hitchcock Says Land
Grabbers Will Be Pursued
and Severely Dealt With
THREE INDICTMENTS in OREGON
Suits Have Been Brought in the Fed
eraI Court in Many Instances to Va
cate Patents and to Restore the Pub
lie Domain-Report of Secretary of
Interior.

Washington. Dec. 1.-THE most sig
nificant feature of the annual report OF
he secretary of the interior is the dis
eussion of the land frauds. The es-
Inmates of the interior department for
the expenses OF protecting the public
for s250,000, large increase over the
amount asked for and appropriated by
the congress last year.
1T is the purpose of the department:
to pursue with unflagging zeal" says
Secretary Hitchcock in his report, "un-
I'll justice is melted out, all persons
shown to have committed frauds
against the government by unlawfully
acquiring any portion of the public do
MAN,
A United States commissioner "a
woman) and three others have been in-
dicted.in Oregon on charges Of fraud.
Suits have been brought" says the
secretary. "in number of instances
in the federal courts to vacate patents
and to restore to the public domain the
lands acquired by alleged fictitious en-
trymen. 1t is believed that the out
come of the matter will go far toward
putting an end to the fraudulent prac-
tees that heretofore seem to have been
much in vogue in securing title to
public lands"
So widespread has been the cons
chi ,ht 10 70 1np n G
in violation of law that there are now
10000 entries suspended on charges of
fraud. The secretary says 1t Is the In
tention to probe the matter TO the bot
tom. despite the apparently influential
character of some of the men involved
Deweys Criticised.
Under the heading of "Unlawful
Fencing of Public Lands" the report
says:
'.One OF the most celebrated cases
was that of the West End ranch, in
Cheyenne county, Kansas, owned by
the Dewey Cattle company. Within
the past three years sixty-two miles of
fence have been erected by said COM
pany, which, connecting with eighteen
miles of fence owned by others, makes
tOtsI iCHSlil VI CAShtS lis
fence Enclosed an area, all told. Of ST.
o40 acres, of which 3,24O acres are state
lands, 1900 are embraced In eight
homestead >entries, and 7.440 acres are
vacant public lands subject to entry
under public land laws.
Resulted in a Killing.
The Enclosure of homesteads by the
fences of that company was
the primary cause OF the trouble which
resulted in the killing on or about June
5 las. by Chauncey Dewey and his en-
rloyes of three members of the Berry
family at the home of Alphsus Berry,
near the Dewey ranch.
1T appears to have been the policy
OF Dewey and his agents and employees
to gain complete and exclusive control
of all the lands inclosed by their fences.
and to adopt whatever measures were
found necessary to accomplish that
purpose. sparing neither life nor PROP
erty. Their attitude toward settlers
and homesteaders without, as we'll as
within, their Enclosure Is shown by re-
ports OF agents OF this department. ana
by individual complaints to have been
extremely hostile and oppressive.
Not only have the crops OF these
bona fiie >-home steaders and settlers
been destroyed by this compaf1y's cat
tie. hut the people themselves harassed
and intimtdated by threats OF violence
made by Its agents and employees. their
fences cut and dwellings deliberately
moved off their homesteads, ana a
of them have been compelled
by fms outlawry 10 abandon their en-
tries and seek residence elsewhere"
Good progress has been made In the
administration of the national recla-
nation act of 1902. In connection with
this work Mr.. Hitchcock says:
in the development of many OF thu
projects 81 reclamation considerable
portion of the land to he irrigated Is
found to be in private ownership. A
study of>the existing conditions shows
that very few of the available projects
will involve public land only, and the
problem OF dealing with number OF
private owners has received much con-
To Protect indians.
The interior department is engaged
in perpetual struggle to protect the
Indians from being fleeced by unscru-
pulous persons in connection with the
sale OF lands allotted to the native
tribes. The method OF sealed bids was
several months ago. ana
has had the effect of obtaining much
larger sums for these lands for the
benefit OF the Indians than was for
merry the case.
Secretary Hitchcock recommend.
that the pension laws he amended so
as to provide for the admission OF evi-
dence to prove marriages for pension
able purposes by standard that shall
be uniform in different parts OF the
United States. Mr. Hitchcock quotes
the commissioner. of pensions, saying
1.-The present method of examining
applicants for pensions Is uncertain,
and unsatisfactory In its re-
suits, the personnel OF the various
medical boards being liable TO outside
control and political dictation."