The Wenatchee daily world. [volume] (Wenatchee, Wash.) 1905-1971, 1906-07-10
BLOCK PLAN TO GET
HOLD OF SOAP LAKE
Properly Holders Discover What
Seems to be a Plot to De-
fraud Them of Lake
Shore Rights

What appears to be one OF the bigg.
est pieces of graft ever attempted in
light few days ago when some of the
property holders in the vicinity of
Soap Lake discovered, almost by acci-
dent, that State Land Commissioner
Snow was advertising for sale in one
tract, the state lands around Soap
Lake which include the entire shore
line. So manifestly unfair was the
prcposiiion and so detrimental to the
interests of property holders that it
was Immediately prepared to fight
The plan, if consumated, would place
the lake, which has become a health
resort ON account of its medicinal
properties, in the hands of one man or
set of men aud would. at the pleasure
of the lessees. exclude every one else
from the lake A new 50-loom hotel
has been recently opened and this
would be absolutely useless to the
owners without access to the lake,
which they no doubt would have to
secure, if they sscured it at all, at an
exoIbitant price Other property hold
ers were In the same boat.
The property holders in the vicinity
of che lake are indignant that such q
scheme should be attempted and are
Indignant at the way in which it was
attempted to push it. through One
of the proprietors of the hotel hap
| pened to be in the Office of Auditor
Wills of Douglas county, where he dis
covered underneath several other
notices, an offioi,l publication of the
faut that cha shore liue of Soap Lake
was being offered for lease in one tract
and that it would be disposed Of 20
the highest bidder on June 80. This
notice should have been posted in a
CONSPICUOUS place and others should
have been posted around the lake and
In such other places as the state land
commissioner might designate. He
. designated no other place and he
matter was left in the hands of Aud
itor Wills who Kept it from the pub
lilo as muon as possible.
AS soon as it was discovered that
such an evidently underhanded game
was being engineered, the Soap LAKE
property owners secured the services
Of Mr.. A. n. Corbin, of the firm of
Grass and Corbin, of this city and del
legated him to take the matter up
with the state land commissioner. He
suoc eeded IN reaching MIR. Snow on
the 30 and induced him to authorize
Auditor Wills of Douglas county to
lease the land in lots. MIR. Snow was
considerably averse to this proposition
and stated that he believed he was
working for the best interests of the
state in leasing the shore line all in
one piece and placing the lake practic-
ally in the hands of one man for q
period of thirty years.
The land was leased in lots, however
and this week the leases were turned
over to Mr.. Snow for his approval, 1t
was stated in the daily papers yesser'
day that Mr.. Snow had turned the
leases down, giving az reason that
he did not believe them to be to the
best interests Of the people of the
erate.
The Soap Lake people are determin-
ed tins they shall not be made the VIC
Tins of graft and are preparing to car
" the matter to the nigheet courts.
What the next move OF the men who
ae attempting to get possession Of the
lake will be, is guess work at present
but it il believed that they will let
the matter rest until the next session
Of the legislature when they will
attempt to secure legislation favorable
to their project. .-:'. Z