The Salt Lake herald. [volume] (Salt Lake City [Utah]) 1870-1909, 1907-03-05
PASCOE REFUSES
TO GIVE ANSWERS
Declares He Feels They Might
Tend to Incriminate
Him.
TELLS ONLY NAME AND JOB
SENATE MAY HOLD HIM IN CON-
TEMPT.

Declaring he feared his answers might
tend 10 incriminate him, Archie Pascoe.
salesman for Gray Brothers, Salt Lake
refused TO answer questions before the
special senate committee inauiring into
the conduct of affairs of the state land
board yesterday. and may be held to an
swer for contempt by the senate.
fascoe : action was taken on the advice
OF his attorney. Frank j. Gustin who had
advised him to refuse to answer any and
All questions bearing on the homestead
entry that formed one of the subjects OF
INQUIRY. Besides admitting his name and
Occupatlon, Pascoe would say nothing in
reply 10 a long list of questions by SEN
at0r Benner Y. Smith. induisitor of the
committee. further than to repeat: II re-
russ 70 answer. on the ground that it
might tend to incriminate me"
At the close of Pascoe's examination
senator Smith asked whether the commits
Tee desired to submit the case of pascoe
10 the senate to decide whether the wit
ness should be punished for contempt.
Senator George n. Lawrence suggested
that the matter be considered in executive
session. Pascoe was instructed TO regard
notice
Early in the sitting T. W. Senior. attor-
ney for Harry Anderson. the land board
clerk under investigation admitted sew
eral facts the committee sought to bring
out through testimony by W. c. Hall of
SAT- Lake, former judge of the Third dis
that the Pascoe filing had been made by
tascoe az the instance of Anderson: that
the REIMBURSEMENT of that filing had been
made under the same circumstances, and
that Anderson had paid the fees Mr.
Senior would not admit that the filing had
been made for Andersons benefit. Spir-
tied passages between Senator Smith and
Mr.. Senior as TO the scope of the inquiry
and the prOpriety of some of the questions
/ enlivened the sitting.
Purchases by Members.
A list of men shown TO have purchased
state lands while members of the board
is in course of preparation in the office of
the board ana viii probably be submitted
70 the committee at its next sitting
the creation of the board TO the present
and will show the following names: Wes-
ley K. Walton. T. d. Rees. Fisher Harris.
James T. Hammond, Isaac Macfariane,
James Melville, II. Builen. ST.. w. H.
Thain. William Spry, w. D. CandIand. 1t
will also show names of several employees
of the board.
Some of the men whose names are on
this list contend there was nothing irregu-
lar or illegal in their acts. They take the
position that the fact of their service as
public officers did not imply surrender
of their privileges as citizens and that
they had a right to buy the lands. Sena-
tor Walton, probably the heaviest pur-
chaser in the list. bought about 2ooO acres
in the town of Woodruff. where his home
Is. He saws he he'd lived on the land
thirty years when he bought 1t. Other
purchasers say they bought lands with
which they are acquainted. Most of them
were fal,elers or stockmen.
Explanation of Harris.
Mr.. Harris said last night:
4 never bought an acre of land from
the state of Utah in my life, A long
time after l was member of the state
land board / made application TO buy a
piece of land located somewhere in Utah.
this moment | cannot recall AS / re-
member the circumstance now. this april
cation was rejected. This is evidently the
case to which reference is made
Members of the present land board ex-
pressed hope last night that the iegis-
iature would make some changes in the
present state land laws. with view
especially TO protect persons that make
bona fide applications for state lands.
Covered by U. S. Entry.
The testimony yesterday followed close
ly the lines of that at the previous sit
ting. Mr.. Hall was the first witness. He
said he went to the state land boards Of
flee as attorney for Ephraim earns early
last January TO try to secure a reduction
of the price of the land applied for by
earns The reduction was refused. he
continued. and he went TO the United
States land office. to find that Pascoe had
made a homestead entry on the same
land.
Mr. Senior interrupted the testimony at
this point to admit the facts referred to
above. connecting Anderson with the
Pascee homestead entry. Mr.. Senior made
the admission on the plea that he sought
to save the committees time. Following
his admissions he endeavored to end Mr.
Halls testimony at once. but the commits
tee would not agree to this. The members
explained that they hoped to make the
inquiry sufficiently broad to secure facts
on which TO base legislation that would
remedy any abuses that might be found to
exist