The Black Hills union and western stock review. [volume] (Rapid City, S.D.) 1904-19??, 1905-12-29
LAND THIEVES GIT OFF FREE
GOVERNMENT CAN'T CONVICT
LAND GRAFTERs
CAUSE LAID TO PUBLIC OPINION
Public Looks Upon Land Grab
bing as a Huge Joke and
Blocks Prosecution.

The annual report of the Secre
tary of the Interior contains some
extraordinary information in regard
to frauds committed against the
government in connection with the
public lands. We have. read a good
dea! about them in the newspapers.
and have seen an entire congress
sional delegation-wilh one excep-
tion-convicLed and sentenced to
lmprisonment for such crimes.
And anyone who is familiar with
the development of the far West
knows that it is not considred sinful
to steal the public domain or the
public timber or rob the govern
ment or the Indians in that way.
1t is almost impossible TO convict
anybody for snch offenscs west of.
the Mississippi river. Not only
Jurors but judges are sympathetic,
ana when man gets caught rob-
o'ng the government his neighbors
come to his defense and assistance.
and either acquit him of the indict-
ment or impose SO light sentence
that it is no penalty at all, and has
no effect in preven ting others from
committing the same crimes. There
was a remarkable illustration of
this fact in Nebraska only few
weeks ago. The Secretary Of the
Interior alludes to it with italics
and double exclamation POINTS in
his report. He says:
After some years of effort and
an expenditure of several thousand
dollars Bartlett Richards and Will
lam G. Comstock, who, through the
Nebraska Land and Feeding Com
pany-it is alleged-maintained an
unlawful inclosure of more than q
quarter of million acres of public
land, we're indicted and brought be-
fore the courts recently for trial.
They pleaded guilty, and after con
slderation of the matter the court
imposed fine in each case of SO,
and sentenced the defendants to the
custody of the marshal for six hours.
This extraordinary record is due
to public opinion, which makes it
impossible, in most cases, to convict
or punish anyone for helping him
self to,the public timber or public
lands. Very seldom can jury be
found with sufficient sense OF justice
or moral courage to convict a neigh
Dor of robbing the government
and that means the public at large.
1t is not difficult to get evidence of
the crimes. In olmost every case
the offense is committed openly;
the robberies do not occur in the
night. Every citizen in the locality
knows that John Doe is cutting tim
Der on government land, and that
Richard Roe has fenced in large
tract OF pasture for his cattle. Nor
do they see any objection to it. No
body but the government owns the
property; and nobody but the
public has any interest at all in
it. Why, therefore, should it lie
idle when John Doe and Richard Roe
need it in their business? That is
the logic Of the situation, and when
rich men IKE Bartlett Richards and
and William G. Comstock want pub
lie property they have no difficulty
in finding plenty of people willing
to help him get 1t.
The indictments in the prairie
states are for the inclosure Of public
domain; the indictments In the
mountain states, the gulf and pa
chic states are chiefly for stealing
timber and fraudulent entriA of
timber lands. There is no ldIS :
prohibit anyone from pasturi5t
cattle or sheep on the pubic d
providing he does not preven
people from enioying the sam