Washington standard. [volume] (Olympia, Wash. Territory) 1860-1921, 1907-03-01
Fal sites the Report.

time ago took occasion to decline
himself out of public office, has revised
determination of retiring to private
life and is again vigorously cnacting u
part to make himself solid" with
the direct primary. - He has taken
issue with the President on appoint
ment of land agents to protect ap-
preparation of the public lands by
such cormorants as the Weyerhauser
syndicate. He declared that it was
wholly unnecessary to establish Il
system of espionage. as he calls it.
over Western settlers. He said that
there had been nothing in the
record of these land offices to justify
the continuous cry of calumny that
has been set forth regarding land
frauds.
He admits that while there have
been isolated cases of fraud in land
deals. that there had likewise been
frauds in the grocery business, in
banking, and all avenues of trade.
But what does that signify? Be
cause Thompson or a Sloane escapes
the clutches of outraged law, is it
any reason why the spirit of the
law should not he invoked against
other offenders?
The fact is that about three de-
cades ago, when the timber lands
were thrown open to purchase by
actual settlers, under the most string
ent regulations to guard against their
falling into the hands of spectators,
the most open and outrageous frauds
Immediately began and have been
pcrpctrated, at intervals. ever since.
Those who awaited themselves of the
privileges with honest intent were
few indeed. The whole scramble
seemed to be made under an organ
lied system of cruising, and finding
men who would sell what was known
on the street as their ''timber-right"
for a specific sum-generally 500
the real purchaser putting up the
money for the land, payment for To-
cation and all expenses of entry.
The service the applicant performed
was to make affidavit that he had
entered the land for his own use ex-
cluSively; that there had been no
agreement whatsoever for it's trans
fer or disposal and that the affidavit
was made without collision or any
mental reservation whatsoever, and,
so calloused had the public mind be-
come from the prevalence of this
crime of perjury and subOrnation of
perjury, that the question was fire.
quently asked: Have you sold
your timber right?" and strange to
say, some noted church-members and
class-leaders made these deals. This
fact is mentioned to show that the
fraud permeated even what are re-
garded as the more respectable classes
of our citizenship and in its modifica-
tions subsequent well-known events
showed it to have extended to Ore
gOn and to have embraced in the
category of criminals, department
officers, members of Congress and o
Senator of the United States.
How could the land sydicates have
obtained such enormous holdings of
our immense timber tracts, except
by collision and purchase of indi-
vidual conscience to remove the safe
guards designed by beneficent gov
eminent to protect the rights of citi-
zenship?
1t may now be quite late to lock
the stable-door, but when the monop-
oily of timber enables a corner to be
made on fire-wood in this wooden"
country, as has been done the past
winter, we cannot regard with COM
placency the effort of a Congress-
man, who is supposed to represent
the people, to throw dust over past
transactions to enable him to repair
his partisan fences. He well knew,
when he posed as champion, that ali
we have stated is the truth, and that
there is still necessity to guard the
meager remnant of our timber and
other desirable lands, not from hon.
est men, but the thieves who have
worked this resource almost to hard
pan within the past generation.
WuAT trouble ovon 60 caarch;ror tho