The Evening statesman. [volume] (Walla Walla, Wash.) 1903-1910, 1903-07-31
st. Louis
A:::B'(C'
BEERS
The Highest Priced but
the Best Quality.
BachtOld Il Achermann.
BachtOld Il Alderman.
wholesale Dealers.

success. Several officials have been
dismissed; others are now in the
clutches of the law. And still others
are under investigation.
But there has been absolutely
nothing in the evidence that has come
before the department or it's repre-
sentatives to Indicate that any United
States senator is in any way involved
in these land frauds. | don't know
of any such case. and if l were told
positively that some senator was in
volved l would not have the slight
est idea who the guilty man was.
But, as | say. there has been nothing
before the department to implicate
any senator.
No OverhauIing.
Then, too, any statement that
there is to be a general overhaullng
of our local land officers is without
foundation. 1t is true there are some
register and some receivers that are
not regarded as the best available
men for their offices, and there may
be isolated instances where local
land officers will be shown to have
been implicated in land frauds, but We
nave no ISCOlu USlOIS US YET III
which to convict any local land Of
ficer There may be some changes
in this force, but there will not be
many out of the ordinary.
AS is we'll known. operators and
manipulatOrs have been able, under
the timber and stone act, and by skill
full maneuvers under the lieu land
law, to acquire control of large tracts
of timber land in Washington. Ore
gon and northern California. But to
great extent these persons have
kept tept technically within the law,
taking advantage of the liberatlity
Of the statutes to corral large sracus
of valuable timber land before it is
reserved, or entered by bona fide en-
erymen The investigations that
have been conducted during the last
year or more have shown that these
frauds, if such they be, are most diff
ficult to prove, and while many such
operations are frauds in effect, they
are technically within the law.
New Laws Needed.
Secretary Hitchcock recognizes
that the only way to put stop to the
government losing money on it's tim
Der lands is to repeal the timber and
stone act This law gives away for
about 81 an acre, land that would Of
ten bring in the market as high as
800. or even more. Yet congress
last winter refused TO consider the
secretary's recommendation, and con
sequently there is no way Of stopping
legitimate entries under the existing
statutes.
Another law that Secretary Hitch
cock wants repealed is the desert
land act. under which large areas are
annually falling into the hands OF
stock men, contrary to the spirit OF
the law, and yet within its provisions,
as strictly construed. Congress did
not see fit to interfere with this stat
ute. and this class Of entries must
continue. But these entries are for
the most part in the states Of the mid
die west, and beyond the Rocky noun
tains.
The Communication clause OF the
homestead law is a third statute un
der which spectators are enabled, in
a perfectly lawful manner, to corral
large tracts of the public domain. But
again congress declined to recognize
the appeal of the interior department,
and as a result, government lands IL
large tracts continue to become the
property of spectators.
No Recent Developments.
There have been no recent devel-
ments in the Investigations Of west
ern land frauds, wild reports to the
contrary Notwithstanding. There
have beon no sensational arrests nc
sweeping changes in the service, nc
remarkable disclosures of WrongdO-
| ing. The field officers of the depart
ment continue their Investigations
| which include local land offices and
Offices of United States commission
| ars, but the disclosures are much the
| same week after week. At any rate
up to the present time, the situation
| in Washington remains unchanged
| from what it was six months or a