The Lewiston teller. (Lewiston, Idaho) 1900-1905, 1903-10-02
NORMAN JACKSON SAYS
IDAHO WILL PROFIT
Newspapers Will Lose by State Selections oil
Land But Being Good Fellows They Won't
Care. and Mr harbaush is a Naughty Man
and a Democrat.

Care, ana mr. narbaugh Is Naughty Man
and Democrat.
Norman Jackson, chief clerk of the state
land board, has sent the following signed
letter to the republican press. The letter
Is addressed to the republican press be-
cause the democratic organs have not
shown disposition to be fair in the dis
cnssion OF question originating in a
state ffice under a republican admins
tration. The fault found in certain dem
ocratic quarters that as it is a state gues.
tion the letter should have been addressed
to the people of the state, solicits a rebut-
tai of the attacks of the democratic press,
when i'll fact nothing has been presented
that should be dignifed by an answer
A plain statement TO the ones by the law
OF politics responsible in a sense for the
acts of the party administration seems
all that is called for by the facts. The
letter follows:
To the Republican Editors of Idaho
Gentlemen:
Considerable gossip is going the rounds
Just now concerning an alleged" scandal"
in connection with certain land selec-
tions made in Idaho county. and as it is
being manufactured into democratic
Campaign thunder, feel it my duty to
give you, first hand. the exact facts in
the case. The task of fighting the bat
ties of the party always falls upon the
newspaper men. and they are entitled to
know the facts about any matter they
are obliged to discuss.
Some time last spring the State Land
Department was informed by the U. S.
land officers at Lewiston, that certain
townships in Idaho county, had been
surveyed at the request of the state and
that the state would have prior right TO
the land over everyone excepting actual
settlers who were on the land before
the date of withdraw august IS, 1900 J
III my capacity as chief clerk l was in
structed by the Board to ascertain
whether or not any of the land was worth
selecting. went to Whitebird by stage
and requested Mr.. Jones, the liveryman
at that place, to provide me with sad
die horse and guide. He had no man
that he could spare and after inquiring at
the hotel and elsewhere for someone who
could go, finally introduced me TO Mr..
Harbaugh, life insurance agent whom
he stated was we'll acquainted with the
Joseph Plains country. Harbaugh acted
as my guide for three days. gave him
check for $3.50 for three days service
as guide at $2.5o per day. This is the
only money Mr.. Harbaugh ever drew
from the state and the nearest he ever
came to being in its employ.
found the land OH Joseph Plains,
townships 28 and 29. range west. ex-
ceedingly satisfactory, but was told that
the other townships lying south, 26 and
l27, range west, and 26, east. were
practically worthless. My report to the
Board was that between 5000 and 60 O
acres could be selected on Joseph Plains
and that il would take a,.ont ten days to
do the work.
A short time before the states time ex.
pired, was authorized to have the
lselections made. The men detailed 10
do the work were M l.. Goldsmith of
iSpalding, N.z Perce county. and A. F.
Hit of Weiser, both men who have the
highest regulations for integrity and
liability in their respective counties. They
lwere t,tal strangers TO each other at the
thine of their arrival at Whitebird to do
1.-THE work. Neither had even heard of
Mr.. Harbaugh until after the selection
lists were filed / had met Mr.. Gold
smith (who made the filiugs) but once,
and that but for short time one evening
at the home of County Treasurer Hastings
at Lewiston. Inever saw Harbaugh from
the time he acte as my guide until after
1.-THE selections had been made, and had
been sent to determine who were actual
Isettlers. mention these facts to show
1.-THE improbability of collusion between
any of the parties. all practically being
lstrangers to each other.
Mr.. Goldsmith, it transpired, was quite
familiar with that vicinity and knew that
There was also much valuable land ir
townships as, ranges east and west
With but FIVE or six days at his disposal
he realized the futility of attempting
to run the survey lines in the
manner consistent with a jndiciou.
selection. By the usual method, on &C
lcount of the roughness of the country
he would haze had time to secure som,
900 or 1000 acres. He was, in popu
liar parlance, ''up against it," but rathei
than lose to the state some $4,000 of lane
easily worth $To an acre, he decided L
make blanket filing. The necessity TO
this was explained fully through th'
newspapers and by letters at the time