The labor world. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1896-current, 1907-01-05
HITCHCOCK ENEMY OF
PUBLIC LAND THIEVES
Only Man Who Dared to Attack
Public Land Thieves Is
to Be Retired. @'
Went After Rich Law Breakers
= Who Have Been Looting
Public Domain.

WASHINGTON, D. c.. Jan. g.
The retirement of Ethan Allen
Hitchcock, secretary of the interior,
from the presidents cabinet, March
4, is public calamity.
There have been secretaries and
secretaries, but none like Mr.. Hitch
cock. Others have shown in society
at the capital and done nothing.
This man held office to do work in
1t. In the past the public land of
the United States has been stolen
and former secretaries of the inter-
ior have never lifted finger to
stop the thefts. IL spite of great
opposition this man not only tried
to stop thievery, but instituted
prosecution of the thieves. He Sc
cured the Indictment of one United
States senator, two members of con-
gress, one federal district attorney,
and 486 other persons of more or
less distinction. OF this number
e1ghty-nine were convicted and 4O1
indictments are still pending. One
OF those convicted was a clergyman.
The Colossal Conspiracy. -
The enormity of the conspiracy he
attacked is beyond all records. Some
years ago the people thought so we'll
or benjamin H. Bristow for prose-
cutting the whiskey thieves that
many wanted to make him presf-
dent. The whiskey ring however,
was nothing compared to the land
steals. In old days the public be-
lieved the Star Route thief was a
grave matter, but all were infantile
compared to this
The swindling contracts of the
opanlsh-Amer1can war amazed, but
tn1s scandal and all the money
stolen from the government in that
war would not be a circumstance to
the most incalculable loot of this
conspiracy.
one man has fenced in 5000 900
acres and another seized a territory
1Vo miles in circumference. An
other took possession of more land
tnan that comprised in the state of
New Jersey. One hundred men have
stolen 100000 acres. There has
oeen stolen from the government
more land than all the New Eng
land states comprise. The audacity
persistency: and. extent of these rob-:
berries has probab w never bean
equaled in the annals of merican
histor ana aa1iak nsrf iszs, 81 '1ls,,. ~
the aw .1issssssI 1,sxs
|tnrned to ana ent IN <,f,se,.ss
the thieves in tho lIiey,ting -
Big Capital With the Thieves.
IL requ1ref no ordinary courage
to attack this : vast structure of
fraud. Such: pressureaas was brought
to bear upon Secretary Hitchcock
mas hardly been withstood by any
other cabinet member at any time
since the formation of that body
NOT only were senators and mem
bers of congress involved, but great
business interests of the country
stood by the thieves.
Banks were their defense and
campaign subscribers asked leniency
In their behalf. In the letter Of
Governor Higgins to President
Roosevelt one can see how far these
pulls extended. Governor Higgins
was a friend of the president and ha
wrote as a friend, 1mploring consid-
GRAFTON: He asked for consideration
OF gentlemen that had the backing
OF the Standard Oil trust.
None Of these influences prevailed
upon Secretary Hitchcock. Then
Theodore Roosevelt spoke the ssgood
word and Secretary Hitchcock's re-
t1rement was announced. What
more could the president do for the
Rockefellers and Ryans?
Thus at the beginning of one Of
the most important criminal prose-
cutions started in this country, the
prosecutor that unearthed the crimes
Is retired" James r.. Garfield will
succeed him. You have heard of
him before. He is the protege of
Mark Hanna and the man who
undertook to whitewash the beef
trust.