East Oregonian : E.O. (Pendleton, OR) 1888-current, 1907-03-27
SCHOOL LAND DEAL
SOMEWHAT SHADY
EX-STATE TREASURER MOORE
WANTED CERTIFICATES
Member of Land Board Offered to
Purchase School Land Certificates
Which Had Been Condemned by the
Grand Jury-Attorney for Ohio Peo-
pie Who Purchased School Land
Throw Light on the Situation.

A Salem correspondent gives the fol-
lowing account of state land board
transactions in which ex-State Treas
urer Moore played questionable part
while acting as a member of the
board
Jacob d. Holtzerman, of Minneapo-
lis attorney for the holders of IA
kelliher-Turner school land certifi-
Gates covering about $500 acres To-
Gated in southern Oregon, appeared
before the state land board at its spec
ial meeting this afternoon in the in
terest OF his clients, who want deeds
to the land, says the correspondent.
Most of them live at Dayton, o.
These certificates were among those
issued upon what is known as the
Kelliher-Turner applications, which
were alleged by ex-State land Agent
Oswald West to have been forgeries.
and upon being investigated by the
Marion county grand jury, during the
month of April, 1905, were so report
ed to the state land board.
The grand jury called the boards at
tention to the fraudulent nature of the
ed that before issuing deeds the board
investigate fully into the matter. The
board thereupon suspended all GER
tificates issued upon alleged bogus ap-
plications, pending investigation, and
later on cancelled nearly all those is
sued upon the Turner applications, and
among those cancelled were those pre-
sented today by Mr.. HoltZerman.
He produced two letters written to
him by ex-State Treasurer Moore Of
fering to purchase certain of these
certificates covering lands in klamath
county. The letters were written in
January of 1906, after the certificates
had ben reported as being tainted with
fraud by the Marion county grand
jury and after their suspension by the
state land board, of which Mr.. Moore
was a member.
After listening to Mr.. Holtzerman's
version of the case, the board decided
to take the matter under consideration,
although the governor expressed him
self as being against the issue of such
deeds by the board, as similar cases
had been turned down by them.
Therefore no action was taken In the
matter and probably will not be.
After the meeting, Mr.. Holtzerman
said: "It is very strange that men,
ber of the state land board should
write a letter offering to purchase
lands covered by certificates when he
had been apprised of their fraudulent
character. and I think 1t is still more
strange why he should later vote to
cancel on the grounds of fraud in the
same certificates when he had no more
evidence as to their fraudulent char
acter than he had upon the day he Of
fered to purchase the same. Mr.. Moore
told me he was sure the certificates
were genuine at the time he wrote the
letters, but that does not help me out
cry, and unless the land board issues
deeds for this land l hold certificates
for | will be out about $4,000"
Mr.. Moore said in explanation of
writing the letter that no particular
land was specified, that he desired to
acquire some adjoining his brothers
place, and thought the certificates
were all right.