Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1907-01-30
ATTACKED BY CARTER
Secretary Of the Interior Sc
vereIy Criticised.
MONTANA SENATOR'S VIEW
Claims That Settlers Have Been I'm
justly Arraigned.
SMALL EXTENT OF THE FRAUD
Amount Of Dishonest Entry Of Land,
He Alleges, Has Been Great
1y Exaggerated.
SMALL EXTENT OF THE FRAU

ly Exaggerated.
Severe criticism Of Secretary Hitchcock
was made in the Senate today by Senator
Carter of Montana. The criticism was
based on the order Of the Secretary OF last
December which prohibits the issuance of a
patent to land under any of the land laws
until after examination on the ground by q
special agent. Senator Carter some time
ago presented a resolution which denies the
right of any executive officer to prevent
the granting of a patent when the law I'M
der which 1t is claimed has been carried
out.
Mr.. Carter began by asserting that the
order referred to expressed the final esti-
mate of the Secretary as to the truth and
yeracity, the honor and integrity and the
good faith of all the settlers on the public
domain of the United States. TT likewise
arraigns" he added, call other persons
seeking title to public land under existing
laws.
"The order is without precedent in the
history of the government. 1t Is without
parallel in the history of any government,
save as applied to provisions. classes or in
dividuals suspected of reasonable designs.
1t is the elimination of a policy unWar-
ranted in fact and founded only on base
less SUSPICION The public records DEM
onstrate that the order Is not only need
less, but harsh, cruel and oppressive.
Departmental Assertions.
sF'or the last six years sensational re-
ports of evil doings in the public land
states have been emanating from the In
terror Department from day to day, so
sweeping in their scope as to create the
impression In other sections that the entire
western population is and has been en-
gagged in vertable Saturnalia OF criminal
| conspiracy, fraud and perjury over the
whole broad surface of the public domain.
Since 1901 insidious interviews and bolster
Gus proclamatiOns have passed from the
Interior Department to the public press
rejecting upon all those seeking title to
| public lands The words .grafters, land
erabbers 'conspirators, hooters OF the
public domain and like terms have become
q part Of the vernacular OF the Secretary
office In referring to public land entrymen
OF all kinds. The routine work OF the Land
for publication rejecting on individuals and
communities. The slightest irregularity
savering Of scandal or possible sensation
has been diligently exploited before, during
and after investigation. Every one was
indicted and no acqufttals were ever
recorded In these scandalous reports The
exploitation Of evil reports mas Deen con.
spicuous feature Of the present Secretary
administration.
'The fact that every fraudulent transac-
ton complained Of was initiated and con-
summated under the administration OF the
| present Secretary was not given publicity
| Few have stopped to consider the slender
| basis Of the charges made Unfortunately
against fifteen millions of people tnhabit-
ing fourteen states and three territories.
Effect on the President.
IT fully realize that even the President Of
the United States has been deceived and
alarmed by the current, oft-repeated and
mcontradicted reports Of the Secretary.
The President has not been able to go
through the records and into the details
of the Interior Department and its opera
TONS Burdened with more work than any
of his predecessors have undertaken, the
President must accept the statement OF his
subordinates as true. He cannot cheek and
counter-check them all. He has relied on
the reports of the Secretary OF the In
terror, as have the people generally outside
the states to which his accusations apply.
The President and all others mfsled by
the crusade Of Misrepresentation are clear
ly free from responsibility, except to near
the truth as told by the government rec
ords and then to do justice to an outraged
people.
more than 30O, 600 countrymen on the pub
lie domain. in the name of the families de-
pendent upon them and of their discredited
neighbors. who may be witnesses In their
behalf. aggregating substantially two mil
lions of people accused and injured, ask
for hearing from the Senate, the Presi-
dent and the country on the cold and silent
facts as disclosed by the government rec
ords.'
Mr.. Carter went into an elaborate descrip-
ton of the detailed workings Of the home
stead and other laws. and gave court de-
cisions as to their Interpretation in har-
80 ,fz o1frtt
He defended the character for veracity and
other honorable qualities of the settlers
on the public lands. Honor, he exclaim-
ed, is not confined to cabinets; nor do spe-
cial agents appointed at Washington mo-
nopolize that sentiment" He added:
Measuring my words with care, 1 say
that the order Of the honorable Secretary
of December Is last Is both unjust and
that the records of the Interior Depart
nent do not furnish justification Tor the
order; but. on the contrary, those records
demonstrate that the order 10 not only I'M
justified. but clearly indefensible as to
homestead settlers.
Percentage Of Fraud.
Mr.. Carter presented and analysed the
records of entries and patents issued un-
der the various land laws which he summed
UP by saying:
cit viii appear from a critical analysis
of the figures and the facts that not to ex-
coed one-half Of 1 per cent Of the final
homestead entries less than 1 per cent Of
the final desert land entries. less than one
half Of 1 per cent Of the final timber and
stone entries. and less than l per cent OF
the final coal entries are found to be fradu-
lent and the percentage of mineral entries
tainted with fraud is small indeed. Taking
| the whole aggregate OF percentage together
and figuring out from these percentages the
average, we will find that less than one
ANAL entry Of public land out Of every hum
dred has been found in all the years to be
subject to cancellation on account Of fraud,
default or delinquency Of any kind. AS to
| the homestead settlers. there IL but one de-
| linauent substantially In every 800 fnaa
entrymen-"
Settlers Driven to Canada.
Az to the effect of this policy Mr.. Carter
had this to say:
Suspected at every turn in the road Of
evil design, harassed by special agents and
exasperating requirements Of the Interior
Department, 1t Is not surprising that two
honest homeseekers left the United States
TO locate in Canada during the year 1905 to
one that filed homestead entry on the
public domain Of the United States. While
we are pinching. suspecting and harassing