The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-02-28

appreciate that Il involves one VINO owes
MS office To political preferment and who
will be backed and defended BY his no
Htic2l associates. Yet If the charges are
true and can be sustained by competent
evidence ! would be recreant TO nv duty
as member Of this body and a citizen II
did not place them before YOU as VIII
not surrender the conclusions that these
facts indicate to personal or political in
terest. and under the circumstances this
body would lose its influence ard respect
n there be any foundation for the-s
charges and an investigation is not mao
/, to determine their truth or falsity, and IL
true. to suggest remedy
Rights of Citizens.
Congress has ~ the enabling act
granted TO this state for certain ptirucss.s
thousands Of acres of public land 10 b.
disposed of by the state as may be pro-
vided by law. subject TO certain restric-
tons. Former leeislattres have provided
by law for the sale and disposition of
these lands to citizens of the state under
certain regulations one regulation being
that any citizen who first applies TO pur-
chase state lands shall have the prior
right to have the state select the sam.
This IS a valuable right and should not
be fraudulentiy interfered with
1T has been charged. and 7 understand
that competent evidence exists TO sustain
the charges, that an employee of the state
board of land commissioners has on at
east Two different occasions during the
year 1896. having in his Official capacity
obtained knowledge Of the intention OF a
citizen to select state lands frauduIentIy
and IN order 70 obtain an advantage and
pecuniary profit. interfered with the law
ful rights of citizens seeking to acquire
such lands and prevented the acquisition
of the same.
The Circumstances.
The circu Instances as charged are a.
follows; That III July. 1896. an emplOye az
me state land; board. in his official capa-
city learned that "A citizen was about 10
make application to purchase certain
state lands. and that said employee i'm
parted that information to relative ard
caused the relative to file an application
Tor the selection of the same lands, the
application of the relative being filed
prior 10 the application of the citizen
either through the information received
from the emDioye OF the land department.
or by his fT3Hi1llently filing the SANE
ahead of the bona 6de applicant This
was done Tor the purpose Of preventing
the bona ff1e applicant from acquiring
the state lands and for the purpose Of
obtaining a pecuniary profit and advan-
tage for the emplOye by said entry
1t IS further charged that during ghe
year 1906 another citizen made a bona
Tide application for selection of lands by
the state for the purpose of purchase and
filed the same IN the office of the land
department. and that the same employee
with the intent to deprive said applicant
OF his right to purchase said lands and to
obtain a pecuniary benefit for himself
attempted in his own name To homestead
United States. but upon his application
for a homestead being refused. he there
upon caused a friend and acquaintance to
file a homestead entry in the United
States land office covering the same land
and that he furnished the costs and fees
therefor, and that the said entry was
made for the pecuniary profit and benefit
OF said employee and with the intention OF
depriving the said bona fide applicant
from acquiring said lands through said
selection. and that the filing Of said
homestead entry did in fact prevent said
bona fide applicant from acquiring said
lands.
Known by Land Board.
81 am informed and believe that both
of these instances came to the knowledge
of certain members of the state land
board short time after the occurrence
and five or six months ago. and that
within the last month both of these mat
tiers were called 20 the attention Of the
state land board and that no action has
been taken to correct these abuses and
am extremely doubtful that the board
intends bona fide TO take any action in
reference to the same.
1T is my opinion that an investigation
should be had to determine the truth or
falsity of these charges. and If they are
sustained legislative action should be
taken to correct and prevent any further
abuses in the administration of the af-
fairs of the state in the state land office