The daily sentinel., 1906-11-09
A STARTLING REPORT.

1t was not startling report that
came over the wires yesterday that,
William A. Richards, of Wyoming.
Commissioner of the general land of
flee. was to resign and that his bur
eau was the worst managed of the
government service.
1t will be recalled by the readers
of The Sentinel that We assailed the
administration of Richards, at the
time he shot off his mouth" on the
character of the lands in the Uintah
reservation. just previous to the open
ing of that Indian reservation. We
charged at that time that Richards
was making such a statement at the
behest of some interested parties,
who desired to create the impression
that the land of that reservation was
valueless for agricultural or horticul-
tural purposes.
The statement made by Richards
was the means of restraining thou
sands of homeseekers from taking
advantage of the government lands
and almost made that opening a iiz-
zle.
II will be remembered also that Mr..
Commissioner Richards was in a high
huff at what the Sentinel had said
and refused to come to this city dur
ing the period of the registration.
He laid every stone in the road of
our securing this city as a place of
registration and was only circumvent-
ed when the Chamber of Commerce
of this city sent their telegram direct
to the president regarding the mat
ter.
When we charged Richards with
having an object in view in making
the statement he did about these
lands. the Republican sheet here
rushed to his assistance and said
that we were hurting this city by
making such statements about such
high and mighty individual as
Richards. 1t nearly went into a H.
that we would commit such an act
OF les majestic as to criticise Richards
for his position upon the opening OF
the lands.
We made no specific charges of un.
o.Hcial conduct. but we believe that
tn" greatest frauds against the peo-
pile at large were committed at the
opening of that reservation. VIII
two companies should have been PRIV
ileged to enter that government res
crvation in advance OF the general
body of landseekers and select for
themselves all the valuable mineral
lands, which produced elaterite and
glsonite the base of asphaltum
worth more in their product almost
than gold mines, we never have
understood and there will yet be some
disclosures of fraud which will make
the people lost additional confidence
In their government, which seems tc
care for the rich alone, the rights
OF the common people. never enter
ing into their calculations.
We are glad that we took Timely
opportunity to haul Richards over thC
Goals. We also are glad to have oul
position vindicated, which at the time
the other sheet, which believes r .
publican can do no wrong, took op
porturity to belittle and create &
false impression.
Richards was tool of someone
or was in the employ of someone
whom, it Will be developed later
after the investigations now beina
made in his department are thorough
iy made and its mlsmanagement ex,
rosed.
In all likelihood the other sheei
will tell its few readers now. after
the Washington dispatch that there
must be a mistake somewhere.
If there was one man in the govern
ment service. more than another who
deserved decapitation, which his reg
istration practically amounts to, il
was William II. Richards, formerly
governor of Wyoming and late gener
al commissioner of the land office.