The Cairo bulletin., 1906-11-10
GOVERNMENT OFFICIALS QUIT
BECAUSE OF REVELATIONS
IN UNION PACIFIC.
TO SIFT ALL CHARGES
Is Determination Of President Roose.
velt-lndicatons Point t. Clear
ing Out of All Who
Knew of Deals.


retirement of Secretary Hitchcock as
head of the Department of the Inter
ior, and with him Of w A. Richards.
former governor of Wyoming, as com
missioner OF the general land office, is
believed to have direct relation 10 HE
revelations lately made in connaction
with the gigantic series of land frauds
along the Union Pacific railroad.
| The Interstate Commerce Ccmmis-
sion in its recent investigation deyel,
| oped startling facts about the fraudu-
lent methods by which the Hartman
road and its subsidiary corporations
secured control of the coal lands OF
! Wyoming The officials of the Depart
ment of the Interior were wroth about
that there was an effort on the part of
one western land office toprevent the
one western land office to prevent the
| tiyes from getting at record informa'
/ ton in the office. This is understood
ito have been at Denver AS a result
/ protest was made to Secretary Hitch
cock. who is said to have given as.
Isurance that all possible assistance
would thereafter be given the com,
mission and orders were issued that
records be placed at its disposal
sneered at the Inquiry.
In this land investigation by the
commission the officials of the land
office had no sympathy they were dis
ops that for about three years the de-
partment has had information in great
detail concerning these frauds, on
which it has failed 10 act. Almost a
year ago a lengthy protest concerning
these conditions was filed with Com
missioner Richards who failed TO take
any action on 1t.
| When tho Interstate Commerce
! Commission began its investigation,
| Assistant Commissioner Pollock Of the
general land office declared that all
| the matters developed by the commits
sion had been fully looked into by the
land office and nothing was found, to
occasion criticism.
1t is known that the president Is de-
t4ermined to have these land frauds
| Thoroughly sifted. II is also certain
that the land office has heretofore been
unwilling TO give any more assistance
| than il could avoid to investigators,
and that it has refused attention TO
protests, some of them Of the most
specific character
The general situation in the Depart.
ment Of the Interior Is considered by
senator's. congressman and almost
everybody in Washington to be very
Ibad. There have been repeated charg,
es that oil and coal and other lands
/ of the government were being fritter'
ed away and getting into the hands Of
railroad companies or the big oil in
terests without due consideration OF
the governments interests and rights
/ These seem at last to have come 10
La head, with theresult that there Is Ia
4 be a change
Garfield For the Work.
Mr.. Garfield Is the presidents stand
by for investigation work, and investi
cation Is expected now 10 be the order
Of the day al the Interior Office. That
there will be a very general cleaning
out of the old clique Of officials who
have had TO do with the handling oI
public lands is generally accep ed.
Meantime the Interstate CommercC
/ Commission is going right ahead find
ing more trouble. It's recent inquiries
in Utah have proved that there vii
be even more sensational evidence
4 against the Denver & Rio Grande and
the Rio Grande g. Western roads than
was produced against the Union Pa
cifc. The Rio Grande & Western
controls the Utah Fuel Company
whose methods Of getting hold Of the
coal fields in Utah are declared tC
havo ben A rcelsing scandal
The commission will shortly holf
hearings in Denver and salt Lake
when there matters will be gone int,
In detail and in public. u is believe'
tha in the Utah cases the proof vi,
reach up TO high officials.
The intimate that ex-President o
the Illinois Central Is going 10 tel
I President Roosevelt what he kroW
Iof the Union Pacific frauds. in order d
revenge himself against Hartman
has caused another sensation here.