The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1906-07-10
TO SET ASIDE
DEEDS TO LAND
Action Begun in Federal Court
Against a Leading Coal
Company.
HAS AN AIR OF
MYSTERY ABOUT 1T
Effort Made to Suppress Publ-
cation by Representatives
From Washington.

An action has been begun by the De-
partment of Justice in the Federal
court against one of the leading coal
companies In Utah to set aside deed
to a certain tract of coal land. 1t Is
In the form of a bill In equity, and IL
is said that this suit Is only precursor
Of numerous other similar actions that
Will soon be begun.
The representatives OF the Federal
Government. who came here direNt
from Washington, instructed the clerk
of the Federal court not to make pub
lie their action, claiming that It's pub
licatlon might defeat the ends of JUS
tice. Yet the attorney for the COM
pany has been served with a copy OF
the papers in the case.
Like the Ostrich
1t is stated that while other similar
suits VIII follow, that this particular
suit was begun because the statutes
OF limitation would soon be a bar to
the suit. If the officials desire secrecy
by notifying first the attorney for a
coal company, their tactics are about
as consistent and Will be just about
as effective in securing the desired re-
suits as the attempt OF an ostrich to
hide its body by sticking It's head into
the sand.
If Colluslon Exists.
II colluslon exists between land grab
bers. as 1t is alleged. the best and most
effective manner to spread information
among the gang would be to give notice
TO one of them that the war Is on. II
publicity would be a disadvantage they
have taken the best possible means to
secure that disadvantage. If, as 1t has
been mysteriously alleged, that great
frauds have been committed and pub
licity would give notice to the Violators
of the law and defeat justice by allow
Ing transfers to innocent purchasers
to be made. thereby adding TO the COM
pleXity OF the transactions, that notice
has been given to every coal land grab
Der In the State before the information
can be given TO them by the public
press. If publicity should be avoided
and there is a multiplicity of suits TO
be brought, the wisdom of bringing a
single suit under the pressure of time
and thus notifying all the interested
parties, is not apparent.
Busy Coming and Going.
There has been a busy coming and
going between Washington and Salt
Lake by a mysterious crowd Of public
functionaries for nearly two years in
connection with alleged land frauds,
Their work has been kept quiet in
Utah under the guise of unavoidable
red tape. yet In Secretary Hitchcock S
report of a year ago, the fact that such
Investigations were being made was
announced in the most public manner.
There have been representatives., In
spectors and detectives sufficient to
guard the entire coal regions of Utah.
and now that the long deferred prose-
cutlons are said to be begun the inItia-
tive is civil action against one of the
leading companies that are generally
reported 10 have been greedy In COB
bling land. and the property in ques-
ton is single act
How Situation Is Viewed.
The situation as it has developed
looks more like giving notice to the
violators than to the public, and the
notice Is such that it will inure to the
benefit OF those who should answer for
their msdeeds.