The Goldfield news. [volume] (Goldfield, Nev.) 1904-1911, 1906-12-22
'HSTvUAL EnD0N ISEVonSEnzEfSz
By JUDGE J. W. DEANE

the afidavit shall be ueiiNered 70 ND
agent" That frees the owner. he has
his contract which specifies that the re-
quirement shall be fulfilled. he has the
afidavit that the work has been done.
One hundred dollars actually spent In
labor" he has check and receipt. In
-four bad days four men perform the
work and swear to IL. $1,000 worth of
work and labor actually performed be-
tween the asst day of January n the
s1st day OF December.
The public lands have been public
piunder, under . system that has re-
wardsd the vicious and has robbed the
honest
The most priceless possession on this
earth. the public land OF tho United
States. what should have been fostered
for the heritage OF generations unborn.
has beer frittered away. permitted to
be stolen, often with Official connivauce.
and when there has not been c~onnivance
there has been imbecility that Is monu-
mental.
We have had secretaries unit TO do
the labor of scullions. commissioners
whose vanity has cbeen the key to the
inner vaults of the republic. Decisions
involving rights of vast public conse-
quence have been written by beardless
boys. passed up and signed by pompous
superiors, ~redounding with The Honor
able Commissioner" the Most Honor
able Secretary etc. etc. ad nauseam.
One brilliant cuss. commissioned, or
dered the land offices I'm view of the
fact that congress is about to convene
and will undoubtedly repeal the pre-
emption act. you are hereby instructed
not to take further presumption filings
Ye godsl
The record Of the land department has
been one of graft, theft, perjury, dis
honor, absurdity.
1t has been one long line of extortion
and robbery. Lawyers nave been power
less. The rights of their principals
ures. Exposures have meant the abey-
ance of privilege. a white-wash exam
nation. loss where loss would be vital
tc rights.
Suppose a register of land office init
mates that 800 will expedite the rendi-
ton of his decision in a contest case!
You are the attorney. You know your
client to be right. You know too that
the rascal of an official can complicate,
can delay. can render a decision that
will call for further hearing, can in fact
ruin your client and blast his hopes.
You can bite you fingers until they
bleed, but you will pay the money, and
when you "a paid it your lips are
sealed. You paid in cash and not by
check.
You get the straight tip from a sur
veyor general that il you will pay Eek
ira clerk hire" to the amount of a few
hundred dollars that your work will
be advanced in the course of patenting.
You know that not an extra clerk. not
an extra hour, will be employed. that
your matter will be taken from the bot
tom of the pile and put ahead of other
work. that the petty a~nnoyances that
are possible will not come up further.
The case is important. you posses
sion is threatened. the procurement of
he patent drives our harassers from
the field. Delay jeopardizes rights of
your honest principal, and what do you
do? The small thieves w known all
about the major stealings by their SUI
periors. They have known the graft
hidden in orders they have received, and
they have patterned.
NOW what shall this year annual labor
be-
If last year with fuel and all con-
veniences at hand, work could be per-
formed at the rate of s35 to $40 per day,
who not at the rate of 500 per day this
year when the sage brush is covered
with snow, when the charity coal is ex-
haatckaA urhon thu Dir &c Iann cnld
pneumonia laden?
Why perform II at all? Why not
swear that you would have but could
hire no men to face death at any price?
What a simple way to get school
buildings and to hire teachers YOU be
afforded if the hundred dollars went to
such goodl 1 have spent my life in the
courts of the land and in the land offices.
1 have helped enter tens of thousands
of acres of land. I have fought battles
that seemed interminable. hearing after
hearing, vexatious. unjust. merciless.
and have won after the ruin of clients.
after the values had gone from the thing
coveted, when it was no longer worth
having. We would think we were
through when wisdom at Washington
would find a new means for torture.
The land office at Washington killed
Bryant, Womack, Willetts. after robbing
them, having driven them insane, then
to death, and they founded Cripple
Creek.
The land Office is mixing Goldfeld
town affairs and hanging out false
hopes. 1t has driven one judge to the
performance of that which he knew to
- - In 49,
1 know the long and cruel fight that has
started, the uncertainties, the loss at
the end.