The San Juan islander. [volume] (Friday Harbor, Wash.) 1898-1914, 1906-10-13
What Land Office
Records Show

Continued From Page One of Supplement
action was morally reprehenSible,
though not necessarily illegal. If
they first secured for the state all the
best of the vacant lands that could be
taken under preference rights or. lieu
land claims, they can hardly be
blamed for filing upon poorer sur
plus lands for themselves and giving
friends an opportunity to do SO, unless
the law and their oaths of Office for
babe them from taking advantage Of
or inparting to private individuals in
formation relative to timber or other
lands gained by them in their official
capacity.
l will appreciate any information
bearing upon the matter that it may
be proper for you to give out officially
Respectfully,
o. H. CULVER,
Editor Islander and Secretary and
Treasurer Republican County Com
mittee.
In reply Commissioner Ross says
that he thinks it would hardly be
proper for him to give out any state
ment about the matter officially. He
does not say word in defense of the
men accused of wrongdoing and refers
THE ISLANDER to the records of the
state and United Stat, land offices for
the facts. These recoros have been
carefully investigated and this is what
they show:
Township 33 north, in range east
contains timber claims taken by the
former employees of the state office of
the commissioner of public lands at a
time when the state was thousands of
acres behind its lieu land selections.
The survey of this township was
filed April 20, 1898, and the land was
Immediately opened for entry The
state made a large number of selec-
tiors, principally for the scientific
school. These selections were APPROX
ed May 20, 1898. This was under the
administration of Robert Bridges.
In January, 1901, Mr. Bridges was
succeeded as commissioner of public
lands by S. A. Calvert, of Whatcom
county. Mr.. Callverts administra~
ton, among other things, discovered
that Over-selections had been made.
The course open under such circum-
stances is for the commissioner to file
new list at once, claiming the lands
for some other grant. At that time
lieu land claims could have been filed,
as the state was behind on lieu land
selections. BY tracing through the
transactions it is easy to see what was
done
What the Records Show.
What the records of the United
States land office show is this:
The east half of section Is, the west
half of section IT, and the southwest
quarter Of section 7, all in said town
ship 33 north, range east, together
with other tracts, were selected by
the state in May, 1898. The selec-
tons were approved May %, 1898. On
January II, 1902, one year after Mr..
Callvert's administration began, the
state filed its REIMBURSEMENT to the
lands described above. On the pre-
else date on which these relinquish-
ments were filed, January II, 1902,
Mr.. John l.. Murray, Mr.. Calvert's
chief clerk, filed his timber applica-
ton covering the southwest quarter
of section IL. Mr.. Murray proved up
on this land July Is, 1902. On the
same date, January II, 1902, M. H.
Greenbank, another clerk in the office;
F. W. De Lorimer and W. F. Calvert,
also employees of the Office of the COM
missioner of public lands, filed their
applications All proved up on the
same date, July Is, 1902.
Part of the lands relinquished on
January IL, 1902, were filed on imme-
diately as lieu lands. In this manner
the state got all of section 6 three