Omaha daily bee. (Omaha [Neb.]) 187?-1922, 1907-02-25

CONTINUED from First Page)
which, Of course, the officials of the pen
sion bureau must be guided. and an sppli-
cant being thus thrown out OF that court
so to speak. has recourse only through
congress. Hence the great flood OF So
called private pension bills.
OF the total number of pension bills Of
all classes and conditions introduced 1850
originated in the senate, all cxceut 1b9
being measures to benefit veterans Of the
civil war, the exceptions being for sol
diers having had service in Mexican. In
dian wars or the Spanish-American war.
In the house 1S,440 pension bills were
introduced where the claimants had served
during the civil war and $3.50 special bills
were introduced for soldiers either of the
regular army or Mexican, Indian. Spanish
American or other services.
Mineral Land Scandal.
Another possible mineral land scandal
is involved in the passage OF a resolution
of inquiry by the house of representatives
last week. It called upon the. secretary
of the interior to inform the house what
disposition, If any. had been made of the
lands In two townships in New Mexico.
comprising $4,000 acres of land. located
grant, now controlled by the Santa Fe.
Between the railroad company and num-
Der OF prospectors a controversy has been
raging for some years over the territory
described. and the latter assert that pat
ents have been wrongfully ISSUED to the
corporation for the lands.
A petition presented by Delegate And
rews of New Mexico sets up that for many
years these lands have been known to
contain large deposits of copper ore. and
that the terms of the act conveying the
grant excluded all mineral lands, should
any be found to exist, save those con-
tanning coal and iron. About fifteen years
ago the railroad company sold a large
tract of land in New Mexico and upon
an examination a Mr.. Spaulding. father
in-law of one of the Mitchell's refused
to advise his son-in-law to complete the
purchase of these two townships for the
reasons that they contained copper In such
quantities that they could not be held
under the grant. At that time no patent
had been Issued to the company, and about
the year 1900 a number of mining claims
were located upon the two townships and
mining has been going on ever since
Despite this, 1t is alleged patents were
issued to the railnoad company in 1902 for
the odd number sections of the townships
and in the last year two agents of the
Santa Fe have located forest lieu SCRIP
upon a number of the even numbered Sec
lions. 1t is further alleged that the rail
road agents deceived miners and pros
pectors as to their real mission, saying
they were going to locate timber land In
another section.
The secretary of the interior IS required
| to state whether or not other minerals
than coal and iron are found in the said
two townships; whether any mining oil
prospecting had been done there or loca.
tions filed prior to 1902, and whether oil
not lieu forest reserve land scrip has
been filed on said land by the Santa Pc
company, its agents or assignees, and II
! so, when and by whom.
Delegate Andrews says the lands II
question are situated about seventy-hv,
miles west of Albuquerque and are com
monty reported to be rich in copper Il
has been reported to him that the railroad
company officials have driven settlers and
| miners OF the ground