The Savannah morning news., 1904-10-03

interior hitchcock Tonight gave out
statement in answer to certain
charges regarding the method of con-
Quoting the investigation into land
frauds on the Pacific coast and regard
ing steps taken by him to bring the
guilty parties TO justice. He says:
Charges are being made and freely
circulated by the oppontnts of the add
ministration to the effect that the in
Interior Department is not being Sc
riously and diligently conducted; that
criminal prosecutions connected with
the investigation are not being pressed
with such vigor as to manifest a de-
termination to bring the guilty par
ties to speedy justice; and that an air
of secrecy pervades the department,
making it difficult to obtain informa-
ton as to the progress and present
status of the work.
These charges are utterly without
foundation in fact. The investigation
has been in the hands of competent Of
ticers of the government from the be-
ginning and has been conducted, under
the direction of the Secretary of the
Interior, with the utmost possible
speed consistent with thoroughness;
the prosecutions, where indictments
have been found. have been and are
being vigorously pressed; and at no
time has there been any attempt to
deprive the public of the fullest infor-
nation as to the progress or status of
such prosecutions. or as to any natter
in connection Herewith.
The leading spirits in the fraudu-
lent transactions brought to light are
mostly men. who have occupied posi-
tions of influence and high standing,
both socially and politically, and many
of them are men of large wealth. They
have thrown many obstacles In the
way. which have required time, pa
thence, constant effort. determine ton
and courage on the part of those hav-
ing charge of the investigation, to
overcome. They have diligently sought,
in season and out of season, to thwart
the purpose of the investigation, and
to control its results favorably to
themselves.
These difiiculties have been success
fully met and overcome, and the
tactics resorted to by the parties GRIM
inally involved and by their friends,
have been circumvented and defeated
at all points. The determination of
the secretary Of the interior has been
from the beginning that the investiga-
ton should be thorough and complete,
and nothing has been left undone to
accomplish such result. The fraudu-
lent operations have been carried on
chiefly in the states of California. and
Oregon, but have not been confined to
those states. In many instances the
conspirators have reached out into
other states. Their schemes were
broadly and deeply laid. and the task
of unearthing them has been one OF
great difficulty.
while only about eighteen months
have elapsed since the investigation
was commenced the practical results
thus far attained are both gratifying
and encouraging. They may be sum
med IN as follows:
1.-THE indictment, in February
1903, in the District of Columbia, VI
Frederick A. Hyde, John A. Benson
and Henry p. Dimond, of San Francis
co. Cal, and Joost H. Schneider, OF
Tucson, Ariz., under section $40, OF
the Revised Statutes, for conspiracy Ia
defraud the United States Of large
indictment, In December, 1902, in the
District of Columbia, OF John A. Ben
son for bribery of public officials in
connection with such conspiracy. The
leading spirits in this conspiracy are
Hyde and Benson, and their scheme
to defraud the government was OF
gigantic proportions. 1t involved an
attempt to secure titles to hundreds
of thousands of acres of the public
10, ~ "a 10, h.
Gus public land states and in the ter
ritories of Arizona and New Mexico,
under the provisions OF the Act OF
Congress, approved June e. 1897, in ex-
change for state school lands lying
within the limits of United States
forest reserves, established In the states
of California and Oregon. The titles to
these school lands were acquired by
and on behalf of Hyde and Benson, In
violation Of the laws of the states re-
lating to the disposal of school lands
and in grossly illegal and fraudulent
manner, by means Of false and forged
applications, affidavits and other docu-
ments required by the laws of those
states to be executed and filed in con-
nection with the purchases of school
lands thereby rendering such titles
false fraudulent and worthless, and
by making and securing to be made
ldiSc anu lOiBcus Itii14ulSnHlenlS 10
the United States of such false, fraud
ulent and worthless titles, and by Sc
lecting other lands belonging to the
United States outside of forest reserves
in exchange for the titles thus fraudu-
lently obtained and relinquished to the
United States.
1.-The act referred TO provides, among
other things, that the owner of lands
within a forest reserve may relinquish
the same to the United States and Sc
lect other lands In lieu thereof out
side OF forest reserve. Briefly stated
the object OF the conspiracy was TO
obtain good titles from the United
States for its public lands outside OF
forest reserves, In exchange for false,
fraudulent and worthless titles TO
school lands secured by the conspira-
tors from said states within forest re-
serves.
while hundreds OF thousands OF
acres of the public lands were involv-
ed In the scheme, only a small por-
ton thereof-less than 10000 acres
had been patented at the time Of the
discovery Of the fraud by the Secret
tary Of the interior. BY the Secre-
tary's direction the further issuing OF
patents upon the selections and en-
tries involved was Immediately
stopped, and all such selections and
entries we're suspended, which suspen-
sion still remains In force. The gov
ernment Is, therefore, In no danger OF
further loss of It's public lands through
the said scheme. The fraudulent bust
ness OF he conspirators has been COM
pletely broken up. and their nefarlous
practices are now at an end.