The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-07-18
STATE LAND BOARD
is INVOLVED in CHARGE
HIRAM e. BOOTH,

selection when it was we'll known they
were coal lands.
The men were members of the state
land board during all or part of the time
in question are Ex-Governor Heber, M,
Wells, eX-Secretary of State James t
Hammond, Byron GroO, Wesley X. Wal
ton. Thomas d. ReeS, Isaac McFarlane,
Fisher Harris Herschel Bullen and James
A. Melville.
Perfect System in Operation.
The special agents of the government
found that a complete system existed by
panies was rushed through. Not only
were the wheels well creased in the state
land board, but in the federal land office
as well. No suspicion attaches 10 Reg
lister Frank D. Hobbs. In fact, his ac-
tivity in aiding the government special
agents to secure evidence is said TO be
the main cause for the determined effort
for his removal early this year. Mr..
Hobbs was retained as register by the
president on Secretary Hitchcock's recon-
mendatiOn, in the face of bitter opposition
by Senators SmOOt and Sutherland, be-
cause the secretary was convinced he was
honest and knew he was rendering as
sistance to the department.
In Washington, however, everything
was pie for the coal companies, especially
when the notorious Binger Hermann was
commissioner Of the land office. 1t has
been found that certain officials in the
land office rushed through the coal com
panies' applications. and allowed patents
promptly and without question.
The end of the criminal prosecutions
cannot be fOreseen, but it will be charged
in the civil bills that the government
was betrayed by it's own employees. The
court will be asked to set aside the pat
ents on the ground that they were OBJ
tanned by Illegal and fraudulent means.
New Legislation Proposed.
1t is given out in Washington that the
purpose of the government reaches far
beyond the recovery of these lands, which,
IT is declared, have already been secured
by illegal means. 1t is the intention to
frame some now legislation on coal en-
tries as a result of the conditions discov-
cred in Utah.
flclals at Washington. the Utah Fuel COM
pany and its subsidiary corporation, the
Pleasant Valley Coal company, both con-
trOled by George j. Gould and the Rio
Grande road, have maintained a practical
monopoly of the Utah coal industry With
the aid of the present Goa! laws. they
have been able to crush out all competi-
ton and prevent citizens from entering
che field against them, even in a small
way, except for the holdings of the Miner
estate, which are not being worked
Secretary Hitchcock especially is con
WINGED that the present laws should be
changed, as well as certain land office
rules In this he has secured the Coon
Grafton of the president. Senator r. NJ.
LaFollette of Wisconsin is among the
others who have become interested in the
Utah situation and the broad coal prob
lem. These men are now studying legis-
lation on the subject, and d bill eInbody-
ing their ideas probably will be submit
ted to the next congress.
The outlines OF the bill have not yet
been decided on but il is said that lease
of coal lands, with the payment of ton
mage royalty, to the government, is IA
VOred.