The Abbeville press and banner. [volume] (Abbeville, S.C.) 1869-1924, 1906-11-07
COLOSSAL LAND STEALS
Government Defrauded Out Of
Millions of Acres by Railroads.
Bic Sensation Promised in Commis-
sioner Prouty's Report on
Union Pacific Deals.

Washington, D. .C.-Something dis
tinctly out of the ordinary is expect
ed when Interstate Commerce Com
missioner Prouty produces his report
on the great land frauds along the
Union Pacific road, which he has re-
Gently investigated. 1t is strongly
Gntimated that he will prepare re-
port which will have to be written on
asbestos, and that he will give a.com.
plete outline of the whole scheme or
land frauds that has been for many
years inextricably tangled with the
processes of mining and transporting
coal in Wyoming, Colorado and Utah.
Sensational as they have been, the
revelations about affairs in Union Pa
ciflc territory are said to have only
scratched the surface. Other big
railroad and industrial companies are
said to present opportunities for Just
AZ remarkable developments, involv-
ing the looting of the most valuable
parts of the public domain. The
Denver ard Rio Grande in particular,
according to report. is likely to come
III LOT SOulS SSdl "AioS
will prove disappointing if it fails to
uncover a situation as bad, or worse,
than that in the Union Paclhcs
sphere of influence. The Santa Fe
and the Colorado Fuel and Iron Com
pany are also named as concerns
whose relations to Uncle Sans lands
WilE;not bear thorough investigation.
All these, it is said, are about as
deep in the muck as Union Pacific is
in the mire. &:
These phases of the situation are
understood to be slated for attention
later in connection with the Inter
state Commerce Commissions series
of investigations under the Tillman-
Gillespie resolution. Largely as a
result of these revelations the Presl-
dent has issued an order withdraw
ing coal lands Of the public domain
from entry. But 1t is pointed out
that much more drastic measures
than this are necessary. To set aside
the patents, fraudulently obtained,
for millions of acres of mineral tim
ber lands is one of the duties requir-
ing attention.
Every alternate section for twenty
miles on either side Of the Union Pa
cific belongs to that systems land
grant. This is as if the black square
on a checkerboard belonged to the
road and the red to the Government,
subject to entry. There are almost
no country roads through this region,
and the railroad company, being ex-
tremely unfriendly to private devel-
opment of mineral resources, easily
finds ways to prevent anybody else
getting access to the lands it does not
own. To get to them it is necessary
to trespass on the railroad lands, and
that sort of thing is promptly visited
with the heavy dlspleasure OF the cor
poration.
A deal of criticism has been aimed
in this connection against the De-
partment of the Interior for it's fail
ure to protect the public domain.
The department has various agents
through the public land country, but
they accomplish little, and the sue
cess of Commissioner Prouty on his
recent investigation was a revelation
to some of them. They are largely
amenable to local political influences
for their appointment, and these po-
litical influences are declared to trace
fairly up to the management of the
railroad. D. o. Clark, president OF
the Union Pacific Coal Company, is a
brother of Senator c. D. Clark, Sena-
tor from Wyoming since 1895, and
elected to serve until 1911. Commis-
sioner Richards, Of the General Land
Office, is former Governor Of Wyom.
ing.
Cyrus Beard, a Judge of the Su.
! preme Court Of Wyoming, on the
stand testified to using $4,000 of
money provided for him by the rail-
road company in entering lands
which he afterward relinquished to
the railroad interests, getting 5000
for his trouble. Others didn't get so
much; bartenGers and gamblers got
as low as SO and SIS for the use of
their names in entering property
which they afterward turned over to
!, these coal companies. BY these
methods the laws provision that a
company or association may not Sc
cure more than four >quarter-sections
has been nullified.