The Socorro chieftain., 1906-05-19
IRREGULARITY ALLEGED
In the Sale Of Territorial Lands to
the Pennsylvania Develop
ment Co.
ALLEGATIONS ARE UNFOUNDED
All Purchases Have Been Made
Openly and in a Perfectly Reg
ular Manner

Commenting on recent sensa-
tional reports concerning alleged
irregularities on part of the Ter
ritorial land commissioners, the
Santa Fe New Mexican says:
"A special dispatch from
Washington under date of the
14th instant contains the news
that the Secretary of the Inter-
ior has called the attention of
Congress to an alleged evasion
of law on the part of the land
commissioners of New Mexico in
selling to the Pennsylvania De-
velopment Company, of which
Delegate w. II. Andrews is an
officer, 10000 acres of land in
Valencia county.
The law provides that lands
granted to the Territory of New
Mexico should not be sold in
greater areas than 100 acres to
any individual, firm or corpora
ton. But this law, Secretary
Hitchcock states, was evaded by
selling lands TO agents of the
Pennsylvania Company and lie
asks Congress to pass a law
abrogating the original grants,
thus invalidating deeds made by
the territorial land commission
to the purchasers.
Delegate Andrews says the
entire matter is old and was
brought to the attention OF the
Interior Department and closed
several years ago. He does not
anticipate that Congress will act
favorably upon Secretary Hitch
cocks request.
There has been no concealment
concerning these; every. transac-
tion was open and above board
and is fully recorded in the rec
ords of the territorial land COM
mission.
Similar cases under similar
conditions to the amount of
many thousands OF acres have
been made to the Alamogordo
Lumber Company in Otero COun-
ty, to the American Lumber
Company in Mckinley and Val
encia Counties and to other cor
porations by the territorial land
commission. Recently a special
agent of the Department of the
Interior, +. u. Holcombe, was in
New Mexico investigating the
records of the land commission,
found these transactions on the
records and reported them to the
Secretary of the Interior. The
letter of the Secretary to Con-
gress, recommending a repeal of
the acts granting certain public
lands to the Territory for the
maintenance and support of its
educational institutions, is based
upon the report of this agent,
the Secretary holding that Con-
gress alone has the power to act
in the premises.
The Albuquerque Citizen says
upon the same subject:
THE facts in the case OF this
company may thus be stated;
The Development company pnr-
chased their timber lands in the
regular. manner, under the rules
and regulations under which the
territory has sold all its timber
lands. The secretary of the in
terror holds that the New Mexi-
co legislature and the territorial
land board exceeded their au-
thority in leasing lands, giving
grazing permits, and selling
timber lands. These lands be,
long to territorial institutions
and the conflict is between the
territory and the department OF
the interior. AS far as individu
al purchasers are concerned
there is no irregularity of any
kind whatever.
The fact is that if the Secre
tary shall be successful III estab
fishing his contention, he will
place New Mexico in bad boz
indeed; since the territory viii
be required to refund large
amounts received and disburset
from lease and sale of the land
in question. Furthermore, tn,
public institutions for man,
years to come will be crippled, il
as much as no stockman will
lease and fence 640 acres, and nj
one wishing to engage in tn
lumber business will put up
mill on 100 acres"