Deseret evening news. [volume] (Great Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1867-1920, 1905-01-05
PRESIDENT AND
LAND FRAUDS.
They Constitute a Topic of Serious
Consideration at the White
House.
WILL GUARD AGAINST THEM.
Genera Land Office Seeks to Have
Special Agents Investigate Every
Case Before Passing to Entry.

Washington, Jan. 4.-Public land
frauds constituted a topic OF serious
consideration at the White House to-
day. The situation I'm oregon and the
developments in the last day or two
concerning the alleged frauds In Idaho
both were discussed. Secy. Hitchcock
was an early caller, remaining with the
president however, only short time.
While Il Is known that some phases of
the land cases were discussed the Sec
rotary did not care to say anything at
this time for publication.
Senator Fulton OF Oregon also had a
brief chat with the president about tho
oregon cases. He Is sincerely resentful
Of the action taken against his coll
league, Senator Mitchell
Senator Mitchell" said he. "is as in
nocent Of any base or criminal connec-
tion with the land frauds IN our state
as any man in oregon. Senator Mitch
ell has been identified with the great
interests OF our state for nearly a quar-
ter OF a century He has worked ably.
inslstently and honorably to advance
these interests. Today he Is a poor
man, living In a couple OF little rooms
on a side street | am quite positive
that his innocence Of the charges
against him will be demonstrated sat-
isfactorily 10 all the world"
Senator Hepburn OF Idaho talked TO
the president about the bin he has pre-
pared providing for the federal incor-
poration Of companies and concerns
doing an Interstate business lie
said, also, that he proposed to try 10
obtain consideration In the senate for
the pure food bill and, II possible,
would have it made the unfinished
business Of the senate
As Senator Hepburn left the White
House he was asked what he had to
say regarding the land fraud exposure
I'm his own state.
II always select my own battlefield"
he replied, Those Who challenge me
10 combat would better be pretty care
full what they do, The efforts made to
connect me with the frauds have no
basis whatever A year ago, I'm the
course OF a speech concerning the
Northern Pacific land grants, called
the senates attention to the land
frauds being committed I'm Idaho. I
stood ready then and stand ready now
TO assist the officers Of the government
in ferreting out the criminals and Sc
curing their punishment.
NO continued the senator I'm re-
Spouse to further inquiry. q never act
ed as attorney for any of the people
who are alleged to be connected with
the Idaho frauds. ] am no friend OF
theirs and they are no friends Of mine.
We VIII get 10 the bottom OF these
frauds II can bring about such n re-
suit"
TO GUARD AGAINST FRAUD.
Washington, Jan. d.--To provide an
additional safeguard against public
land frauds the general land ofiice ia
seeking as far as possible to have its
special agents investigate every land
entry case before Il passes 10 patent.
This policy which, already Is In full
practise, has borne good results. and
patents have been withheld wherever
the slightest ground for suspicion has
been found. The public land service
was not long ago divided into nine IN
apection districts. with an agent IN
charge Of each.
In connection with the recent land
fraud developments some interest at.
taches TO the Investigation OF alleged
fraudulent desert land entries In Mon
tana, on which special agents have
been engaged, Senator Gibson Of that
state, many months ago sent two let
ters to the commissioner Of the general
land office forwarding complaints OF
citizens that there were frauds In this
class OF entries.
The matter was taken up, and desert
land entries since then have been rigid
" investigated. The complaints were
that the lands entered We're not taken
In good faith. We're not irrigated and
were not entered for cultivation pur-
poses, as required by law. Il was said
at the general land Office today that tho
complaints were more general than
specific but that cases Of this sort have
been under investigation IN Montana
and elsewhere for some months
There We're no new developments
here TODAY IN the matter of the Oregon
land frauds