The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1905-08-20

the uniformed, to the cry of his poll
teal plottings against the I.indsays.
This is the first time since the cele-
DRAFTED land fraud cases came before
the public that the exact truth -coreern-
ing their origin has benn made public.
The starting point. as have related
was the falling out of Robert Lindsay
and his lieutenant. Whybark and not
any desire on the part OF Secretary
Schurz to punish his political adver-
saries, IN the Republican party
10 raise the cry of political perse-
cuIion, however, was to put forward
the strongest available defense.
James Lindsay came forward with a
newspaper interview in defense OF his
son and in condemnation of the federal
authorities. Carroll r. Peck in the
Ironton paper owned by him. charged
me with having involved the govern
ment in an expense of $4,000 TO satisfy
the political enmities of my superiors
As matter of fact about 81 900 had
been spent up to that time. The
strongest political forces in the state
were being pushed to their utmost cap
aeity to bring about the release of
Lindsay, especially. and the bitterest
of feuds were fOmented
After the 18th of Septemb Der. 1881.
when the word flashed across the land
that the shot fired by Guiteau on the
railway platform at Washington had
official said TO me:
Now that Garfield is dead there is
ilttle. chance of convicting the hand
leaguers."
This statement. was made on the as
sumption that President Arthur was
friendly TO the Grant element: but this
turned out to be an erroneous surmiSe.
In answer to it I said:
me Republican party cannot afford
10 stand sponsor for these men,
I 1,11f
the poilucal movement in favor of the
criminals, | was scarcely prepared for
the sudden turn which affairs took
me cases had been brought in the
United States court. Suddenly it be-
came whispered about that the federal
law governing land patents had been
construed in such a way as to release
the conspirators. This construction
was TO the following effect: That a
land patent once issued was valid, so
lar as the government was concerned
without reference to the manner in
which it had been obtained-in Other.
words, If the fraud was not discovered
before the patent was issued il couId
not be used to nullify the patent nor
punish the guilty.
Here was pretty how d'ye-do. After
a years hard work had revealed a
crime involving the clear theft of from
SIX TO eight millions of acres of vaIu-
able land from the government and
thousands OF individuals had been rob
bed. the promoters of the plat were to
De restored TO liberty and their former
places in society because a iudee
claimed to have discovered a possible
construction of the federal law that
would attain this result There was
no claim that the land leaguers had nor
committed the acts with which they
stood charged but their friends
ciaimed-and unfortunately they found
ready support among government Of
ticials-that the discovery of this
technically justified the dismissal of the
cases.
My position was that merely of the
officer who had been largely Instrument
tai in planning and carrying out the in
Vestigation a the orders of my super
iors- But I was determined that the
criminals should not escape if it was in
my power 10 prevent. had seen all
the august power of government ar