The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1906-10-19
Reflection on Land Office.

AScorQiHS 10 Assistant Commissioner of
PuDllc Lands Pollock, agents of the land
office long ago hunted up the original en-
trymen or these very coal lands who
made affidaVitS that their entries were in
Sood falth and not for the benefit of or
with the intention of transferring them
10 any other person or corpora ton and
these affidavits are regarded as final and
conclusive In fact. the investigation by
commissioner Prouty bringing TO light
evidence of corruption in connection with
the coal lands is plainly regarded as an
impertinence. That the department long
ago proved to its own satisfaction that
these lands were secured by the Union
Pacific and it's subsidiary corporations-
the Union Pacific Coal company and the
Superior Coal company-in legitimate
fashion, and ii manifests small sympathy
for any investigation that now threatens
to bring its conclusions into question
and besides this. il was explained there
IS nothing now to be gained by pursuing
the matter. because these lands have been
patented more than six years. and patents
outstanding that long cannot be assailed-
Statute of Limitations.
The situation was explained by Chief
Clerk Lewis, in charge of special agents.
The law of March 8. 1901. Mr.. Lewis ex-
planned. provides that any patent which
has been in force six years may not there
after be set aside. 1t was passed in or
der to put an end TO troubles over titles.
The Union Pacific coal lands have been
patented much longer than six years so
there is no possibility of getting the pat
ents vacated no matter what showing
might be made. Mr.. Lewis said that the
law of limitation protected many thou
sands of other patents which otherwise
might be attacked. OF course he eX-
planned. prosecution under criminal stat
utes can be pressed for frauds perpetrateJ
in getting lands. but these would not help
restore the lands to the public domain.
Assistant Commissioner Pollock insist
ed that the land office had been done in
justice in some of the reports of things
transpiring through the Prouty investi-
CATION. 1.-The situation as to these very
coal lands was investigated long ago by
this department" explained Mr.. Pollock.
"Our special agents went out and hunted
up men who entered many of the claims.
They all made affidavits that the lands
were entered by them for their own use
and benefit and not for anybody else
Poor Work or Worse.
But" was suggested to Mr.. Pollock.
''sOme of these same entrymen appeared
before the interstate commission inVeSti-
gators and swOre that they were given
money with which to make payments for
the lands by the railroad company, and
they swOre they were paid 50 TO 81 each
for signing papers and afterward relin-
gushing to railroad interests. Wouldn't
those things go TO prove original bad
faith?'
Eyes. but our people didn't get that evil
dence They got affidavits, and there
to defraud. so far as we know"
Then il would appear that the COM
missions investigators were able to get
some important evidence that your spe-
cial agents failed to get?
Mr. Pollock was still unable to see that
it was particularly significant. 1t is re-
garded by some other people as signifi-
cant and there is wide interest in the
further course of the president in the
premises
Service Reorganized.
The special agent service of the land
office has lately been reorganized. For
merly each agent worked independently
and reported directly 10 the department.
Now an agent in charge is located at each
of dozen important points in the west
ern public land region, with agents work
ing under him. who report to him. ne in
turn making reports to Washington.
There are about seventy special agents
now in the department.
Concerning the Investigations that are
now in progress throughout the land re-
eions the department is not disposed to
be communicative. on the ground that
it would flush the game" Cases in
yolving fencing lands in Colorado and
wyoming are pending. A great number
of individual patents are under inveSti-
CATION. L. c. Wheeler. special agent of
the department of justice, is working on
the matter of getting evidence in Ne
braska to be used in pending trials in
that state The land office merely knows
that a great number of homestead entries
are being examined.