Albuquerque evening citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1905-1907, 1906-05-16
Developement Company Charge of Fraud
Without Foundation Secretary Of
Interior Gets New Mexico Into
VERY SERIOUS CONDITION
OF AFFAIRS BY HIS RULE
IN LAND MATTERS HERE

Under big scare lines setting forth:
Andrews Must Explain Fraud! Con
gressional Delegate from New Mex
leo is Named as Abettor of Illegal
Land Scheme! Pennsylvania Devel-
opment Company, of Which Andrews
is the Head, Charged with Obtaining
10 ,000 Acres of Land from Terri
torial Board at SO an Acre!" the Den
yer News publishes the following:
Special to the News.
Washington, D. c., May 1.-THE
secretary of the interior today trans
mitted a letter to congress touching
on some land frauds in New Mexico,
which is very interesting in view of
the names of the parties connected
with the alleged illegal doings that
have been uncovered. The main ac-
tor who has been designated bad by
the secretary of the interior, who has
had his agent, E. p. Holcombe, in
New Mexico for some time, is no
less a person that William H. An
drews, at present congressional dele
gate from New Mexico. A letter con-
tanning the full findings of Agent HoI-
combe is transmitted to congress.
Set forth therein is the statement
that w. H. Andrews, acting through
his agent, w. S. Hopewell, who ap-
parently is one of the heads of the
Pennsylvania Development company
and the New Mexico Fuel and Iron
company, sought to obtain from the
territorial land board of New Mexico
some 10000 acnes of timber land in
Valencia county, at a price of SO per
acre. The negotiations began late in
1901, and extended over a period OF
two years, during which time various
persons were marshaled before the
territorial land board and presented
with deeds to 100 acres of land each
Company Paid for Lands.
These lands were openly paid fol
by the Pennsylvania Development
company, of which Andrews is this
head. The lands in question formerly
belonged to one of the famous New
Mexico grants, and they were turned
over by congress to the territorial
government with the express Stipula
ton that not more than $50 acre:
should be sold to any one person o.
corporation, and that not more THAI
$40 acres should be so leased.
The territorial land board seems t.
have erred as well as Mr. Andrew
and his associates. Agent Holcomb
set forth in his letter that the lam
board even gave deeds to the land
on credit, the Pennsylvania Develop
ment companys note for $4,000 be
ing one of the documents passed Il
lieu of money when some forty-fou
deeds aggTegating nearly 1000 acre
We're recorded as passing to the con
pany.
Although the department of the in
terror has investigated the irregular
ties concerning these New MeXic
grants, that department is powerles
to carry on prosecutions.
Congress to Apply Remedy.
When congress turned the land
over to the territorial government
that body became responsible for tn
administration of its decree, and noy
that the territorial land board has dis
obeyed the order restricting tn
amount of land that should go t
each person, it is up to congress Il
apply corrective measures, in so ia
as persons who obtained the land ar
concerned.
The officials of the land board, hay
it is hard to see why the interior dc
partment should not take action Il
the case The letter of the invest
eating agent of the interior depart
ment will no doubt be referred to tn
committee on territories for action
william H. Andrews of New Mexico
is himself a member of that commit
tee.
Commenting on the foregoing Tn
Citizen would say a few things, tn
first of which is that a great metrOpo
Titan paper, such as the News uI
deniably is, ought to have a cores
pondent whose information would nc
allow him to send out incorrect state
ments, and whose honesty would nc
permit his sending out falsehoOds. TIL
special correspondent of the News
one A, c. Johnson, whosoeyer he ma
be, violates one or the other of thes
fundamental canOns of CORES pond
ence.
In the first place, there have bee
no frauds in the matters mentiOne
by this correspondent; w. H. An
drews is not the head of the Penn
sylvania eyelopment company nor di
this company seek to obtain land,
etc. neither were any persons pre-
sented" with deeds, the lands did nc
belong to any famous New MeXic
grants" deeds were not given o
credit, the company did not give il
note" in lieu of money no deeds wer
recorded as passing TO the compan!
the officials of the land board wer
not appointed by the president bu
were named by the law-the goyerno
Of the territory, the surveyor genera
and the attorney general-and man
minor untruths TOO numerous to men
zion. But 10 the facts in the case, {
which the News correspondent seem
10 be as ignorant as a babe unborn:
June p. 1898. the bill passed u
the congress of the United State
known as the FERGUSON bill, was an
proved. giving TO the territory ot Ne
+, Mexico a large appropriation OF pun
lie lands for certain named purpose
Certain named portions of these land
were reserved from sale but mad
subject to lease and the remaindl
Of the lands thus granted We're mad