Imperial Valley press and the Imperial press., 1906-06-16
THE COMMISSIONERSHIP
At Imperial and How the Old C. D. Company
 Push Tried to Get It.

fore any United State Commissioner or Judge, or Clerk of the Court of the county in which the land is located. As it was clear that all the United States Commissioner would find to do would be in the exercise of his powers under Section 2294 of the Revised Statutes, the consent of the Register and Receiver of the United States Land Office was secured by Judge Wellborn before he made the appointment, and he also promised those gentlemen that he would not hold the office open ex- cept with their consent. It was under these conditions that the office of U. $. Commissioner at Imperial was created and we were appointed to the position. Shortly after entering upon the dis charge of our duties we were approach ed by F. c. Paulin and threatened with summary dismissal and disgrace if we ever did anything against his interests. He stated that he was personally very intimate with Judge Wellborn, and that the Judge had asked him how we were conducting our office. Therefore, his standing was such that he could have us dismissed with word. We knew he was trying to bluff us, for we were per fectly aware of the part he had taken ill behalf of McPherrin, Oakley, Howe, Banta, Dyke, ct al, and how he had tried to get the appointment for a henchmen of his own. So we paid no attention to his threats, and treated him with the contempt such people de- serve. After that episode, quite num- Der of propositions were made to us by parties connected with the c. D. com pany, or members of it's push whereby we were to do things that would lay us liable, but of course we knew what the object was in every case.
 The water shortage came on and the agitation for government ownership and the other questions such as the validity ofthe California Developments mpany's claim to the ownership of the Colorado river and the rights of the owners ofwat- CT company stock. Because we took a stand for the rights of the people in these matters and refused to be tool of the California Development company push we were all the more violently hated by those gentry. The push then gave up all hopes of controlling the of- flee of United States commissioner at Imperial and determined to have 1t abol- ished. In letter to D. D. Lawrence written from Washington i'll 1904 A. Il. Heber made the statement that we must be gotten rid of and added that he had large influence with the officials at Washington and would see that the of- flee of U. $. commissioner at Imperial was abolished. Some time after this Mir. E. B. Linnen the inspector of the general land office arrived in Los Angel es direct from Washington City. Colonel Owen, the clerk of Judge Wellborn's court, wrote us he was there and wanted to see us. So we went in to see the gentleman and find out what he wanted. We met in Judge Wellborn's private off, flee and there was present besides Judge Wellborn and ourself Mir. Linnen and MT. A. J. CroOkshank, the register, and MT. Arthur w. Kinney, the receiver of the United States land office. Mir. Lin nen proceeded to tell that he had heard we were charging illegal fees and Mir. Crookshank and Mir. Kinney both said they had heard the same report. We then stated just what fees we had been charging which was one dollar for each affidavit when we drew it up and 25 cents for taking the oath to it when it was made by others. This disposed of that matter and Judge Wellborn ex- pressed the opinion that there was noth- ing to these reports. Then Mir. Linnen stated that it was the policy of the land department to discourage the transaction of land office business before any officers other than the registers and receivers. That they had already suspended all proofs so made and would give them no standing until they were passed on by special agent and that this special agent