The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1907-03-18

crn machinery for the harvesting Of the
big trees that grew out there it was
an imperative necessity to get control
of many acres together. One man could
locate 100 acres as homestead. or he
could locate l60 acres under the timber
and stone act, or but 320 acres at a
nominal price under the desert land act,
but for numbering purposes such tracts
were insignificant and practically
valuclcss. On the contrary, If an indi-
Vidual could secure title to several thou
sand acres in body he had something
worth a fortune and readily salablo
at a fancy figure. Hence the entire oh"
ject of the land frauds was to enable
the conspirators TO so manipulate the
laws as to enable them to get posses
sion of lands in largo tracts.
To do this an ingenious device was
resorted to. IT consisted of n perver-
sion of what is known rs the Lieu
land law. - This law, when enacted,
was intended to eXemplify a high form
of benevolencc on the part of The Gov
law to anybody from Oregon now he
will instantly understand that You are
talking about the land frauds. This
law came into being in this way For
the benefit of posterity Congress passed
law permitting the President TO set
aside portions OF the public domain
as forest reserves. But it was pointed
out to Congress that many a settler
might be found located within the
boundaries of such reserves, and that
1T would work a grievous hardship on
him to be thus arbitrarily penned in
where he could never hope for neigh
bors, society or schools, So Congress
incorporated in the forest reserve law
a provision that If any man found his
property included in n reserve he could
take certificate for it from the Land
office, and with this certificate, known
as scrip. he could locate and take clear
title to any body of unoccupicd public
land of the same acreage anywhere
else In the United States
Problem Was Easy One.
This scrip was transferable. under
the law. and the simple problem before
the land fraud artists was, therefore,
to lind some way In which to come into
possession of plenty of scrip at a cheap
price. If that could be done there
would be no difficulty about securing
title TO immense tracts of the finest
Government timber lands from the sale
millions of dollars could be realized.
But how to get the scrip3 Nothing
easier, provided one had the right sort
OF connection with the General Land
office in Washington. Just get q tip
from Washington as to where forest
reserve is to be located and hasten
20. buy all the worthless lands in it.
Ihat was one way, and all it required
was to have competent spy in the
General Land Office TO send out the tip.
But there was another way, much more
certain TO bear fruit aud by which
scrip could be secured IN larger quaint
ties That was to have as a confed
crate IN the General Land Office the
official who designated the lands that
were to go into a forest reserve. Then
go to some section where worthless
ands abounded and buy them all and
nave the complalsant official designate
.hc whole caboodle as a forest reserve.
This is what it Is charged Binger Her
mann did for the men who have been
rled and mostly all convicted for par
lclpatlon in what is known as the
Glue Mountain steal in eastern Oregon
hermann was the official in the Gen
'ral Land office who recommended TO |
he Secretary Of the Interior what |
ands ought to be reserved, and it is |
harged that he and &c other Blue
Mountain operators thus secured title |
o 10000 acres of the finest timber
ands in Oregon.
Bad-smelling Phrase.
|
has phrase has bad smell in Oregon. |
The State of Oregon has vast duan- (
ity of school lands From some Of it |
he timber has been cut. And some
II 1t never dld have any timber, Under |
he State. law this all but worthless
and could be bought in any quantity
or $3.50 an acre. The charge is that
Fought this openly and in immense
Quantities and had it made into forest
eserves,, and then, under the lieu land
aw, took scrip for It and, with the
GRIP, located their $4,000 acres of fine
imber lands.
But while all but few of those who
re alleged to have conspircd with Her
mann IN the Blue Mountain steal have
'een convicted, the Government is hav-
ne real trouble in trying TO fix the
harge Of destroying public records on
termann. Hermann does not depy de.
troying the letter books He acknowl-
ages II IN court. But he says the
looks contained nothing but his pri-
ate correspondence, and that no let
ef relating to the public business or
o any forest reserve was in them. If
unity he is very bold man. AS
oon as ne was removed from the Gen.
raj Land office he went home 10 Ore.
.on and demanded vindication from his
ellow-cltizens,. and they gave it to him
n tns ciss FORM OF an election to Congress
Q M vacancy Just then existing in
he Oregon. delegation in the House,
WITH that he came back to Washing
on on and, in spite. of his indictment in
oregon and his Indictment here, took
rs place In the House and assumed
rs duties. as a legislator, with appar.
ntly no fear that the future held any
'rison stripes for him. His conduct has
zen IN marked contrast TO that of his
ellioow-Congrcssman from Oregon. Mr.
y llllamson, who was indicted with
fermann and who, like Hermann, has
lot vet been tried on the Oregon indict.
nent. Williamson has not been here
lnce he was indicted. and has moi
Tawn has mileage or other Congression
i emoluments.
Can Find No Documents.
The difficulty the Government finds
n making good its case against Her.
mann here lies in the absence Of a sin
'Ile bit of ineriminating paper. This,
4 hnl1 cl,