Daily capital journal. (Salem, Oregon) 1903-1919, 1904-02-18
STATE
LAND
FRAUDS
AleXander'S COnfeS-
sion DiSClOSeS ,
Practice
Lucrative Business In Land
Rights" Carried on at
Salem and Else
where

(Salem Special to the Oregnoian.)
The confession of d. Alexander, in
the land fraud investigation at Wash.
ington, makes certain the existence
of a practice which has long been sus-
pected Alexander was a notary pub
lie in Portland, and, according to his
own statement, he affixed his notarial
seal to the applications for the pur
chase of school land certifying that
the applicant swore to the application
before him, though he never saw the
applicants and did not know whether
they ever existed. The records in the
state land office show the. transactions
to which Alexander was a party, and
these records are such as to arouse in
the mind Of any person suspicion
that there was deception and fraud.
AS has been shown many times in the
discussion of state land matters, ap-
pliCatiohs for state lands are made
under such circumstances as to indi.
cate an effort to evade the law.
It is no uncommon thing to find in
the records a bunch of applications,
made by 10 to 20 persons, all prepared
in the same handwriting, signed by
different persons, all sworn to before
one notary public on the same day,
and all filed at the state land office at
one time, after which all the certifi.
Gates of sale issued by the clerk as
assigned to one man, who thereby ac-
quires title to the land. In a large
number of instances the men and wo-
men who make these applications are
persons who have no money to invest
in land, and necessarily must have had
the initial payment made by others.
Though they swear in their afHdavits
that they want the land for their own
use and benefit, and have made no
agreement to convey 1t, they make
the transfer within a few days after
the certificate Of sale has been issued.
In great many instances it is certain
that the assignment is signed at the
same time as the application, SO that
the nominal purchaser transfers some.
thing which he has not secured.
The manner in which state school
lands have been brought up has given
rise to the charge that in many in.
stances signatures TO applications
were forged and that the persons who
are known as purchasers OF state land
have no existence in fact. No one has
felt an enough interest in the matter
to push an investigation, and see
whether the names we're genuine or
fictitious. No doubt can exist II an in.
vestigation were prosecuted with dill.
gence II could be shown that d. Alex.
ander and J. II. Schneider were not
the only persons aided in fraudulent
land grabbing.
Just about a year ago the depart
ment Of the interior sent Special In.
, spector Pugh to Oregon to investigate
transactions which looked suspicious.
He came to Salem and went through
the records, which were published in
; detail by the Oregonian as long as
1900. In those records he found the
evidences of wrongful transactions, to
. which Alexander has confessed, and
which are the basis Of the inquiry now
in progresss in Washington, d. C.
Whether Inspector Pugh carried his
examination further than the grab,
bing Of the Cascade reserve base, is
not known, but If he did It may be
expected that the official inquiry at
Washington is far from complete
The boldness OF some OF the land
operations is almost beyond belief.
Representatives Of sWdicates have
approached scores Of people in Salem
with the offer TO purchase their "state
land rights"
Il did not know | had a state land
right" said one young lady.
Eyes, you are entitled TO 800 acres
of school land" she was informed 81
will give you IS for your right You
haven't money enough to use your
right yourself. and you might as well
make something out OF IT,"
What must / do?"
Just sign your name twice. and I'll
give you the S."
Last year there was great activity
in the business Of buying "land
rights" and particular effort was
made among students and clerks
who knew but little Of the worlds az
fairs and absolutely nothing about
land laws.
In the transaction now under In
vestigation at Washington the state
was the loser because the land. n not