The Eureka sentinel. [volume] (Eureka, Nev.) 1902-current, 1906-12-08
LAND RAIDERS DOOMED
Powerful Friends of Corporations
Try In Vain to Avert
the Prosecution

A special to the Chicago Record
Herald from Salt Lake City says power.
full influence is being brought to bear at
Washington to prevent threatened
prosecutions of corporations and of in
| dividuals in connection with the land
/ frauds which have been disclosed by
the Interstate Commerce Commission.
These efforts. however, have been un.
availing, and the course which the
Government has mapped out will be
pursued unfslteringly.
| A glimpse into methods of obstruction
which are being resorted to by men
powerful at Washington has been given
in some of the testimony secured by
Attorney J. L. Marchand, who is con-
iucting the Governments case before
the commission. Details, however, were
uot given because it is not within the
purview of the resolution under which
the commission is proceeding. 1t has
become known in Salt Lake. however,
that one Of the United States Senators
whose name has appeared occasionally
during Investigations. has made an at
tempt, dramatically, to soften the
severity of the blow which the Govern
ment is aiming at the corporations in
volved in stealing public land.
Raiit0ay Attacks NeUada Miners
Recently the attention of the Govern
ment was directed to the efforts which
the Southern Pacific Railroad is making
to dispossess miners of gold lands along
its right of way in Nevada. As result
of the Governments investigation 1t
has been determined to intervene for
the purpose of assisting the miners in
retaining their claims.
This decision was made known. pre-
sumably by the railroad company, to a
western Senator, who Immediately
called upon both theAttorney General
and the Solicitor General of the United
States.
The Senator suavely told Mr.. Moody
and later Solicitor H. NJ. Hoyt that he
and his constituents were not in SYM
pathy with certain plans which the
Government had with respect to certain
corporations in the West. Asked why
he did not favor the Governments
position in the matter. he began to
talk about the railroads which he said.
were the pioneers in the development
Of tie West. 1t was this Senator's
opinion that where a railroad company
had made it possible by its pioneering
to develop vast section of country.
that such pioneering should be reward
that point should be stretched in the
roads favor and that it should be al
lowed to retain certain mineral lands.
irrespective of whether it could be done
within the law or not
Senator Is Cioen Rebuff
1t is understood that this Senator was
told plainly that the Government could
well have afforded to have built all of
the railroads across the western coun-
try, and more, rather than to have
given them the public lands which
they obtained through Government
land grants. Instructions were issued
following the visit of the Senator that
there should be no abatement in the
vigor Of the campaign against the al
legged guilty corporation.
1t appears that the railroad company
in question had held many grant in
Nevada. but did not file upon them. be-
cause by so doing it would be compelled
to pay taxes. After its grants were
made prospectors discovered gold, pre-
empted the lands. opened mines and
began conducting the mining business.
Four years after the discovery of gold
in this territory the railroad company
presented its certified lists and proceed
ed to oust these miners, notwithstand-
ing the fact that the land grants acts
specifically excepts mineral lands. 1t
was action in aid of the miners which
the Senator in questisn sought to pre-