Martinsburg herald. [volume] (Martinsburg, W. Va.) 1881-1920, 1907-02-09
MANY LAND FRAUDS
MUCH CRITICISM HEAPED upnw
SECRETARY HITCHCOCK.
Issued Order in interest Of Those Vino
Seek Land Patents Honestly
Many indictments.

Special Correspondence
Washington. Feb G. Attacks. vit.
riolic in their intensity have been
made on the administration. particss-
larry on Secretary Hitchcock. Of the
interior department. because OF the ls-
suance OF an order requiring a pcr-
sonal Investigation BY officers Of the
government Of all public land entries
before a patent to the land Ii granf-
cd Naturally, these attacks have come
from representatives Of public.iand
states,
Senator Carter Of Montana Senator
Hepburn, Of Idaho, and Senator F-ulEon.
Of Oregon. an have fred broadsidess
AZ seciYtary Hitchcock although en-
riouslS>enongh the secretary was only
an instrument tn the Issuance of the
order whnh proved "a 81 50 obnoxious
President Roosevelt. himself. Directed
Secretary Hitchcock to iasue the or.
der, because Of the gross frauds which
have been developed against tho pub.
lie domain
Senator Carter declared that onIs
about six per cent Of he land entries
were tainted with fraud. yet all the
settlers were 70 be put 20 rodiouss on
pressive aud exasperatiug treatment
because Of this small amount Of fraud
The president holds that the issltarae1
Of the order was necessary to cliutn
ate the frand whether great or srnaha.
and that It's operation will NOT affecs
seriously the interests Of single hon
est settler
Az the general land Office II is Iearn
ed that the order put stop tenn
porariIy to the issuance of patents to i
tho public lands. because. under H.
an examination OF the lands will hase
10 be made by government officers
with view TO ascertaning Whether
the land is such that mnsg be patented
and whether thep patentee Is bona
tide settler This viii take time, but Il
l will not jeopardize the interests 81
real settlers.
In view of the attacks. some facts OK
record are particularly interesting In
Montana. ten indictments for public
timber stealing one for setting fire to-
! public timber. aud three for Illegal
fencing of public lands are pending
During the year ending last July. niItsa-
teen persons were convicted and scfds
fenced In the United states courts ffrS
unlawful fencing Of i3i.S22 acres nc
the public lands III Montana. and the
indictments pending cover an acreagoe
of 100.02S acres in that state. It's
Idaho. sixteen indictments for various
violations of the public land laws arr
pending and a number Of conyicfioua
have already been secured In Oregon
the situation Is far more serinusA
: Scores OF persons. including one unikr'
ed States senator, one member OF tnn
house OF representatives and severH8
] other important officials have been
convicted OF crimes against the land
laws. In fact, the record Of consic-
! tons In Oregon, alone, covers three
!. printed pages. In addition to the con-
victions, 121 indictments for yiolatius
!, Of the land laws were pending Last
: Jnly In Oregon and the end Is not yet
/, 1t is simply the determination Of thn
president to eliminate, If POSSIBLE. this
sort of fraud and 1t was to accomplish
!. that end that he directed Secretary
! Hitchcock to issue the order providing
! for an investigation of q land entries
before the patents were granted
Many Of the men whom the order WIFE
/ affect are powerful financially and inr
D fuential politically, but, in the view a
/ the president, that makes no dinex~
! ence. In fact. he has told some -
!. these men that their position In IL
J, communities In which they live makee
it all the more necessary for them ~
abide by the laws which have becn|
enacted by congress,