The Corvallis times. (Corvallis, Or.) 1888-1909, 1903-10-24
WHERE IS THE MONEY.
Woes of Alsea SettIers-Lawed to a
Standstill, and Then Robbed.

Woes of Alsea Settlers s-Lawed to
1 Standstill, and Then Robbed.
Strange conditions are incidenta
to the settlers, who are finally Sc
curing long delayed titles to theil
homes in Alsea. Twice, they were
compelled to pay filing fees on thei,
homesteads, while no other home
steaders ever had to pay but once
Efforts to secure a refund of one o
the fees, though energetically made
have been fruitless. Whether it is
the fault Of land Office officials. Oh
of an otherwise bene6cent govern
ment that the settlers have been de-
i frauded. has not been ascertained
The veil of mystery that hangs
round the transaction is SO thick,
that the true inwardness of the un-
usual facts that lie behind it. can
not be discovered or understood.
The extra fee that each settler paid
in advance was $40, and with about
IS settlers, the aggregate that went
either into the Golfers of the gov
ernment or the pocket of some ir-
responsible official is about $500.
Most of the facts connected with
the troubles ofthe settlers are known
to TIMES readers. About Ie years
ago the persons involved settled on
homestead claims in the A1sea
country, There had been no sur
vey. and they held their lands un-
der squatter's rights. In 1892 there
was survey by the government,
followed at once by another by the
Oregon & California Railroad Com
pany. After the survey the settlers
proceeded to file homestead claims,
each paying $40 in fees at the time.
The railroad company at once con-
tested the claims on the ground that
the lands filed on were included in
the company's grant from the gov
ernment. The settlers were called
to the Roseburg laud Office forhear-
ings Of their contests. and after
some time decision was rendered
in their favor. In spite of the de-
cision, the railroad company sentan
attorney back to Washington where
claim was made for the lands. He
got there ahead of the papers from
the Roseburg land Office, and. be-
fore the latter arrived, was given
title to the lands. That was in the
days of Hoke Smith as secretary of
the interior, and when transcripts
from the Roseburg land Office ar
rived and disclosed that the settlers
had claims on the lands in Alsea,
he called the railroad company to
account. The latter had already
been given deeds to the lands, and
Mr.. Hoke Smith brought suit be-
fore Judge Bellinger in Portland.
to set the deeds aside. It took two
years to adjudicate the case, but
the settlers finally won in that court /!
But the matter did not end here.
The railroad company, through
its salaried attorney, appealed the
case to the supreme court Of the
United States. There it took an
other two years to reach decision.
When it finally came, it was an
other verdict for the settlers. A
ew months ago, the news of it
cached the Alsea men, and with it
Instructions from the department at
Washington to make another filing
IN their homesteads.
And it is in the process of this new
ling that queer conditions lie. The
settlers had filed before, away back
u 1892, and then each had paid the
customary fee. But when they
anne to file again, another filing
ee was required. No provision
whatever had been made by the,
government for them to have cred
for the original filing fee they had
,aid. Each Of them held receipt
n full for the fee paid originally.
'ut the officials at the Roseburg
and Office, or the general govern
nent had not left the record in such
hape that these receipts were avail
BILE for the amounts they repre-
en'ed as fling fees already paid.
30 the settlers had to pay again.
n order to get the privilege of max
ng new filings. In spite of the
ong delay of nearly 20 years in +,
'erfecting their titles, in spite of
be cost and worry and trouble to
Which each has been subjected,
hey paid the new fee. and in due
ime got ready for making final
root through which to secure title
0 their lands. Il
Last Friday. two of the remain ]