The Imperial press., 1905-09-09
REGIsTER C8O0KsHANK RESIGNS

seven wears has llesd the position 0f R gister of the United States Land Office at Los Angeles, has tendered his resignation and it is understood that it will be accepted and his successor appointed iii a short time, probably by October I. In.his official capacity Mr. Crookshank has become well known to tle people Of Imperial Valley, as all the filings, proofs and other kinds of laod business from this Valley hascome before him. lie has MWays.taken a very kindly yintefest in the development oi tfis country and the welfare of it's people, aud while he has sometimes had to rule between opposing claimants ta lands in this Valley lk cannot be said that he has ever made a ruling otherwise than in accordance with tue law and the evidence.
 Parties engaged in the exploitation Of this country during She rlsh of settle ment and greatest activity in entering land have sought to create the impress sion tl.at they held the favor of the Land Office, but that this was a subter- fuge of unprincipled promoters is well known. Much of this kind of-talk was caused by the errors and miX-up in the land surveys. and the fact that different agents were selling water stock and locating settlers according to different surveys. In order to prevail upon settlers to buy from them and file accopiiug to their survey, in some cases the argument was made that their particular system of numbering land would be recognized by the Land Office and their settlers not be molested. This sort of thing was resorted to in this Valley much more than Mir. Crook shank ever heard of and it is much to his credit that through it all nothing has ever happened that even remotely appears to lis discredt. In fact, the Los Angeles Times, in its issue of Sep tember l, very correctly states the case when it states that During his in cum bency of the office, Mir. CrOokshank has made an excellent record: he has been commended on various occasions by government officials for the manner in which he has discharged his duties, and there never has been a complaint of any kind from private or official sources".
 We believe that, had the Special Agent of the Land office been sent into this Valley and made an investigation it would have been good thing, for it would have made some matters clear to the officials that they have no means of knowing, and at the same time the people would have learned of the falsity of the presentations that had been made to them. The past four years have been years of uncertainty to some of our most worthy settlers, the chief reason for which has been the errors in the surveys. But now that the con- tracts have been let for the completion of the last part of this work, we can hopefully look forward to the time in the near foture when all the tangles that have been brought about by this erroneous survey shall be strengthened out and the matter all adjusted.
 Considering all the difficulties that have beset this situation Mir. Crook shank is to be congratulated that he  was able to see his way clear and act with justice and discretion ill all matters connected with our Valley and involved in it's troublesome and errone- ous survey. It is stated that he will go into the banking business at Santa Ana and the PRESS wishes him success and prosperity.
 It is given out that Major Frank c. Prescott of Redlamds will be named as Mir. Crookshank's successor and that the change in officials will be made about October 1. Major Prescott is one of the best known men in his part of the State, having been prominent attorney of Redlands for a number of years He has taken very active part in the National Guard, having been successively Captain of his company in Redlands, and later Major in his Regi- ,,,ant Ha want t0 fLo DIillinniOaO ac