The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-08-02
SAYS LAND BOARD
IS GUILTLESS
Fisher Harris, Former Member,
Replies to CHARGES Made by
Federal Government.
MAKES AN EXPLANATION
TAKES ISSUE WITH UNITED
STATES ATTORNEY GENERAL.
MAKES AN EXPLANATION

Fisher Harris. former member of the
state land board, yesterday replied to the
charges made against the board by the
federal government.
In two of the bills filed in the United
States circuit court last week against
the Utah Fuel company and the Pleasant
Valley Coal company Attorney General
W. II. Moody for the United States
charges that the state, through the fail
ure of certain OF its Officers and agents
active party TO a gross fraud. The off
GERS and agents referred 10, IL is eX-
planned. are the members of the state
land board. 1t is alleged that the board
did not investigate the character of lands
as required by law, and falsely certified
known coal land to the federal land Of
flee as non-mineral land, thereby aiding
the companies to secure possession ille-
gally and fraudulently at a low figure.
There are other charges in the bills.
which have been told at length in The
Herald
Mr.. Harris maintains that the board
was right in all ii did. His written state
ment in full is as follows:
THE amount of miSinformatiOn con-
corning the methods of the state land
board that has recently been turned loose
on the public is something appalling. A
man reading what has been written in
this connection would naturally conclude
/ that the commissioners had not only been
grossly careless in the administration Of
their duties, but had played fast and
loose with the important interests con-
fided to their care
THE easily ascertained facts in the
case however, prove cOnclusively that
| the board followed the law, both state
and national, with the most ScrupulOus
care and watched the interests of the
state of Utah with intelligence and fl
deity. In fact the record of the land
board is one Of which every citizen should
be justly proud
Under the terms of the enabling act by
which Utah became a state. she received
from the general government an immense
| ly generous grant of lands for the use and
benefit of the various public institutions.
1t was the duty of the board which the
| legislature had wisely made bipartisan.
to see that this grant was utilized to the
best advantage of the state with due re-
CARDS for the rights and privileges of all
/ concerned.
Tine task confronting the old board, as
/ | now recall ii, was a tremendous one. 1t
/ had to literally bring order out of what
/ was chaos; to interpret and put into prac-
/ tice a new and practically untried law
| to make rules, for its guidance. in con-
/ fOTmity with that law; to prepare plats;
| TO fnaugurate system or Office Work; 30
/ select appraise segregate and sell. many
/ million acres of land and to do nnumeT-
/ able other things. i'm order that the state
/ should reap the proper benefit from the
/ governments generosity. The records
show beyond the question of an honest
/ doubt that all this work was well and
/ faithfully executed.
Praise for Groo.
! Governor Wells, ex-officio chairman Of
/ the board, has been criticised for ap-
! pointing Mr.. Byron Groo. secretary. Gov
ernOr Wells did not appoint Mr.. GrOO
| secretary. Mr.. GrOo was made secretary
t by the unanimous vote of the board. a
majority of whose members were Repub-
/ leans not because he was a Democrat
/ but because of his exceptional qualifica-
/ lions for the position. He has served with
| marked ability as register of the United
/ States land office in this city and the
/ board laying aside whatever partisan
/ bias it may have had and being anxious
/ to secure the best service possible for the
people made him its secretary.
/ The executive officers Of the board
have been criticised for the manner in
| which they made application to the gov
/ eminent for the selection of lands in part
satisfaction of the grants, with particular
| reference to the non-mlneral affidavit ac-
| cOmpanying such applications. AS a mat
! ter of fact this form of application had
been prepared for the use of the board
/ by the attorney general of the state by
and with the advice and consent of the
| United States land officials, and was then
/ and is now in use by the government. TO
say that these officials did not know and
| approve of this method of obtaining land
/ from the government is a grossly insult
| ing Impeachment of their intelligence The
/ executive officers of the state board had
/ back of them the official instructions OF
| that board, the opinion of the attorney
Continued on page 2.