The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-01-21
PROBING DEALS
IN GILS0NITI
Senator Smoot and less
Knight Concerned in Story.
APPEAL TO THE GOVERNMENT
ATTORNEY GENERAL ASKED 7
INVESTIGATE.
APPEAL TO THE GOVERNMENT.

Provo bought up "A mum brr OF gilsonI
claims in the reservatiou. A half II
terest in these claims was transferred i
Senator SmCot for a nominal sum. Thl
transfer il is said was msue after co
sress had declared title To- these ciainI
invalid and after AIR. SmOOI had bed
elected To the senate
The next fact OF Importance, accord
ing To those Interested ls the trausf Il
of the holdings of both Senator Snnod
and Jesse Knight in gilsouite lands
q. O. Baxter. president Of me Gils9n Al
phaltum company. Tor $4,000. Half
this amount was paid to Senator SmOOl
. the other half to Mr.. knight Thci
transfers are properly recorded in II
office Of the recorder IN Ututah county
Knight Before Grand Jury.
Following this comes the iuformatic
that Jesse knight was up before
I federal grand jury in this city a eel
weeks ago where he was subj eCted
I a rigid examination In relation TO thef
+ giisouite deals. At-that Ilne it was col
sidered unWise to make public anythili
/ IN relations to the matter, as the rel
eral officials We're securing additional 4
formation to lay before Attorney Generl
/ another niece of information bearfj
+ directly on the case is the report thI
/ g O. Baxter was preparing, on beha
/ OF the asphalt trust. Of which institt
/ ton he Is the active Representatives
! the west, to bring suit against Senat
! SmOct and Mr. Knight for the recOvei
[ of the $4,000 on the ground that the
/ tie 10 the land purchased was contest
( FOR which he paid
/ On the heels OF all this comes the Il
/ formation that United States District Il
( tOruey Lippmau has reported the emit
( matter 70 Attorney General Moody, "
the request that a searching inve<LlgH
] ton be MADE Here so far as the pa
{ lie is informed. the matter rests FOR Z
! present, although it is known that &
federal officers here ara diligently G
( Letting all the information bearing dire
y or Indirectly on the matter
Mr.. Knights Position.
Jesse Knight, who IS one of the pro-
iuent mining men of the state and
| man of wealth, does not admit any 4
prOpriety in these SilsOnite Jransactio1N
/ The passage of the Indian aDpTOpTi2Iif
| bill by congress, early IN the spring
( 1903. placed him in an awkward pos1C
| with reference 10 his holdlngs- The
I preparation Dill validated ali The Origin
Locations OF gilsOniJe lands IN the form
/ Incompahgre Indian reservation pi
( Nided the locations were properly
corded i'm TIntah county. Utah. prior
Z 1871 The act carried WIyhrit the inva
dation OF ali locations made subseque'
I Cni.f5StrrtuuateIy f9FaT. XII tbs. qlai
purchased by ann represe.l y -.
made after Isyl, 50 tnat ms ttt5e v
terest to Reed SmOOt was made I'D
the latter was elected 10 the DnitI
States senate and after it was NAL
clear to Mr.. Knight that his title
the land was not sound In view of Il
fact, the federal authorities are maxi
4
! tere5t was transferred TO Senator sind
for a nominal sum. and whether the.
was any subsequent action in " aShin|
ton that would Indicate a suggestion
J senatorial interest in having the II
validated by the general land Office
the secretary OF the interior.
The fact. as shown by the records
/ TinUah county. that these giiSOntte LAM
were transferred by Senator SmOOt "A
Mr. Knight to the asphalt trust, repTl
scented by g o. Baxter Is taken
proof that the titles could not be mal
good in this way This inference
strengthened by the proposed suit of Bal
ter 60 recover the $1,000 paid for the Il
sonite lands in question
! Senator SmOOt received his pay for i
interest in the land in two drafts, 81
/ for $3.50 and one for $3.50 II ne IA
payment was made April D. 1898 y
5000 represents the amount NE recelF
from G o Baxter Tor the and ne 4
/ CeiVed from Jesse Knight The recori
! do not show how much he paid Anlgl
for the half interest. but the undd
/ standing is that the payment was merd
/ nominal
An Unjust Monopoly
/ Outside of the transactions betweI
I Jesse Knight, Senator Reed Smoor al
! g. O. Baxter. there IS much connect
with the gobbling up Of the glisonil
! asphaItum and elaterite lands in ess
I erD Utah denounced and resented by q
[ people of the state The monopoly s
/ cured by the ellison AsphalIum conpdl
! Is considered one OF the most un1ll
Z and valuable in the country At p
4 same time there seems 10 De no
/ course, as the monopoly has been S
{ cured without in any way violating Al
I of the acts of congress
/ In the first place all the best Ian
the lands containing the largest ana nc
est deposits of gllSonlte, were IocdLeo
/ the trust or its agents prior 10 ISL
I has since purchased all that esca Elsc
I the first place Then ii had power
} congress TO validate all the lOcatiO
| made prior to 1891. and AT the same Il1
{ made IT impossible Tor any one 70 pNi
up competing company by purchasll
locations made after the date named
{ fact. all the gilsonlre land lert was
I vided into blocks by the government, al
/ only the alternate blocks are % De g
! at the pleasure of the president NO
: of this land has been sold since II
! law was enacted in March. 1905 The
/ past two years nut Jney nave ut
| value The asphalt trust has purchas
! locations mace Slhc5 - 70 ASSp "a
! out Of the hands or people VINO mig
/ build up a competing company II a I
! ture law or ruIuS OF the Oepaf tine
| would give value TO me Lalnua.
/ The operation of the law OF Marx
| 1905 was confined to the gilsonite Ian
! in Ufntah county Part Of the Uncol
] Dahpre Indian reservation was in W
( saith county. and there are valuable z
SOnite deposits IN Jh2I county as :"
! as in UnJah county Inc law IhaI va
I dated the locations OF Slis0nlte lands
/ ITintah county did not validate the
| cations of similar iandS in Wasat
county. This leaves the title 20
]
/ making the title to the Uintah Coun
| lands absolute This was considered q
just and in the interest Of the asph
! trust
Senator Harden Bennion INTRODUCED
/ resolution 81 the state senate two yes
! ago calling attention to this cOnditit
| and calling on the president to treat Nv
{ I satch county the same as Eintah-
| Since then the ellison AEphaltum CO.
( many has constructed a railroad frs
. 1 Mack. Colo, into the asphalt beds q
/ is prepared TO do "A wholesale bl1sinC
in shipping the produt TO all parts
the world This railroad is to be
! / tended and branches are TO be run Z
! different parts OF Ulntah county.
Florence COInpany's c.
Another matter IN connects
| development of eastern Ut
attracting wide attention.
to an investigation %
/ thorities This is IL
/ given the Florence n
= der the bill prOvidin
] | the Uintah reServai
The Florence Mini
Henry G. Payne. IN
| b. b OdeIl. then w
| and Congressman
, | Utica, N Y, III
! ! dian appropriate
; / house Of repres M \.
(Contir