The Cairo bulletin. (Cairo, Ill.) 1???-1928, 1906-01-06
The LAND FRAUDS.

THE ANNOUNCEMENT OF THE
secretary oil the interior that he has
secured Goo indictments and 81 convic
Tons already in the land fraud ceases
viii be received with mingled salts.
fsction and chagrim BY the American
public. II is matter that touches
che pocket of every citizen of the
United States and it is work not yel
| fnished. that has been carried on
quietly and nostentaiously by the
secretary OF the interior for the past
three years. The announcement OF
indictments and convictions made
from time seems not to have carried
very much weight But the aggregate
IL startling. So also Is tie statement
that the work is only well begun and
that there. will be more indictments
ana unfortunately ffswer convictions
To follow.
Secretary Hitchcock may not Sc an
attractive personality. He is s.sh 10
he cold. blooded. He is nightly in
different eirhoF 10 popular praise Or
censure, But in this case he has pcr
formed great pubic service. He has
shown in legal terms ana sealed with
the punishment CT the penitentiary
what everyone who had anything to
do with II before him knew. that the
land businefs in such states as still
had public lands 10 dispose of, was
honeycombed with graft He has Sc
cured evidence that has sent some of
the gtnfters TO Jail and the only pity
is that he could not make the number
larger He has uncovered a system
.of graft he.ide which the postonice
scandals were as the productions CT
amateur. sneak thief and second story
work as compared with the achieve.
ments OF finished craftsmen and bank
.ooters.
The land frauds have so far been
exploited by the newspaper. in pro.
portion 70 the prominence OF the men
involved They have been referred
10 as the Oregon land Frauds" be.
caue Senator Mitchell and Binger
Hermann happened 10 be caught In the
not This Is unfortunate. II is shown
by the statement Of the interior depart
ment thai the frauds touched nearly
every state and territory having pub.
lie lands for sale. Louisiana. which
Is not associated in the public mind
with having any great amount of puh-
lie lands. ha been the leader in the
list Of Indictments and convictions.
The ,tealing has been in the domain OF
homestead entries mineral land. de-
sert laud and stGne act frauds. timber
cutting and in any ether line where
The public domain which should he the
cheap homestead Of the willing work.
or o.Gld be made 10 pay toll TO the
unprincipled CRATER and specuIator.
There is no way Of determining tho
money value OF the frauds. They can
be expressed in millions Of acres and
that is all The potential value OF tho
land 10 honest citizens can not be es.
timated. That is one pity Of It. Some
Of the felonies that have been com.
mitted arc beyond the reach of The
government. That is a pity too. But
the uncoyering of the scandals has AZ
least resulted in the drafting Of a set
Of new land laws which should be
passed by congress without amend
ment for they arc the work Of tho in.
terror department after three years
hard study on the problem Of how the
former law were eyaded. The newly
drafted law viii stop the stealing 50
far a law can stop tealinr. depend
ing chiefly On its honest enforcement
There will be many interests Ia ron.
gross opposed to the Law a. drafted
Representatives Of special interests
who viii want 10 conceal "jokers~ IN
Tao las before il is finally enacted.
But i VIII be a wholesome thing 70
pass the new land law as the inter
iof depsrtheA: has afash Il and stop