The St. Louis Republic., 1903-10-24
Crooked Transactions Involve
Fifteen Million Dollars
and Persons in High
Places.
SURPRISES INDIAN SCANDAL
Secretary Hitchcock Has Been
Probing the Affair-Ten
States and Three Terri
tories Are Affected.
REPUBLIC SPECIAL

REFC BLlC SEEClALA
Washington. Oct. Z.-According 70 the
admissions Of officials Of the Department
Of the Interior. made for the first time to-
day. the investigation OF the public land
scandal. now going on in the States OF the
Pacific Coast. involves the most tremen-
dous OF all Government gratis and
causes the hot air" affair in the Post
Office Department TO pale into insignih-
cance.
Persistent inquiry has developed the IN
formation that the present investigation
has been going on over four months. Is en-
tirely independent OF the Indian land scan
dal. and Involves money-making transaa
Jions 10 the extent OF between $4,000 90
and so Oo0OO0 and collusion between organ
lied ''graftcrs' and State and Federal au-
thorities IN the matter Of land allotments
IN some fifty-four forest reserves. which
cover altogether sO.I75 T65 acres Of land.
Secretary Hitchcock alone knows the
full extent OF the frauds now under in
vestigatiOn. and he says that he will d.
vu'gs absolutely nothing until the whole
inquiry has been completed under his d.
reCtion.
This reticence maintained by the head
Of the department has made the spread
Of all sorts OF alarming rumors possible.
in which the names OF men in high public
places have already been mentioned here
and IN the States where the investiga-
tion Is going on
Rumors have come from the West that
five United States Senators have already
been reached by the Investigators. and
are seriously involved in the scandal In
fact, one story had It that official reports
already in the hands OF Secretary Hitch
cock had already named these Senator'S
The most positive denial, however. -
made at the Interior Department that any
Senator's are so far involved
Thomas Ryan. the First Assistant Sec
rotary stated to-day that no such report
had been received at the department, and
William A. Richards. Commissioner of the
General Land Office. made the same state
ment. Secretary Hitchcock was not A. the
department this afternoon. and It was an
nounced that he was confined to his resi-
dence by a slight illness
While It Is generally accepted that no
United States Senator Is being investgat-
ed. II Is not denied at the department that
some Western Representatives have al
ready been found to be suspiciously con-
nscted with these land scandals, and be-
fore the inquiry Is finished some railroads
and their connection with the great forest
reserves may receive unpleasant mention.
The States in which the reserves are To-
catad and in which Investigations are now
Going on are California. Colorado. Idaho.
Montana. Nebraska. Oregon. South Da-
kota. wyoming. Utah. Washington and
the Territories OF Arizona and New Mex
leo and Oklahoma
The method OF the graft has been very
simple and in large part consists Of ad-
vance information by means OF collusion
with Federal authorities in Washington
and the Land Offices in the States con-
cerned. II the investigation should dis
close that 100000 had been made out
Of the irregularities. II would not mean
that the Government had lost this sum.
but IL would mean that persons in and CUT
OF the Government service had made this
money through collusiOn and Illegal trans
actions.