The Donaldsonville chief. [volume] (Donaldsonville, La.) 1871-current, 1907-02-02
DoNALDsoNyILLE La, SATURDAY, FEBRUARY 2,
PUBLIC LAND FRAUDS.
President Roosevelt Takes steps to Stop
the PractIce-Act Providing for SUM
mary Destruction of Unlawful En-
closures to be Rigidly Enforced
Altar Anril i. 1907.

lawful acquisition of public lands by
individuals and corporations and with
| this end in view has directed that
hereafter no final certificate or patent
shall be issued under the public land
| laws until an actual examination of
the ground shall have been made by
an authorized Office. of the govern
nent The presidents order is in the
form of letter to Secretary OF the
Interior Hitchcock, as follows:
THE WHITE HOUSE,
Washington, Jannary Is, 1907.
The Secretary of the Interior:
Sir-To prevent the. fraud now
practiced in the acquisition of public
lands of the United States, have to
direct that hereafter no final certifi.
cate, patent or other evidence of title
shall be issued under the public land
laws until an actual examination has
been made on the ground by an au-
thorized officer of the government; but
the following shall be excepted from
the force of this order:
IL All claims which have hereto
fore been examined on the ground by
an authorized officer of the govern
ment whose report is found satisfac-
tory.
~ All claims where heretofore an
officer of the government other than
officers authorized to take final proof
shall have been present at the taking
of final proof to cross-examine claim
ant and witnesses, if such proof is
found satisfactory.
t3) All claims where claimants
| compliance with law has been estab-
lished by contest or other regular
adverse proceedings.
~ Entries which may have been
confirmed by virtue of any act of
congress.
(5) Selections and entries in which
no residence or Improvement is re-
quired by law, when the lands en-
braced therein are strictly speaking
in agricultural districts, or when their
character has been fixed by investiga-
tion and classification made in ac-
cordance with law.
(6} Cases of reissuance of patents
because. of some clerical error occur.
ring in the patent heretofore issued.
| ~ All Indian allotments which
have been regularly approved in ac-
cord ance with instructions of the sec
retary of the interior.
You will issue all necessary in
structions to carry this order into
effect.
This order is in lieu of my order OF
December 13, 1906,
THEODORE ROOSEVELT.
In this connection, w alter L. Cohen,
register of the United States land Office
at New Orleans, requests The Chief to
! publish the following as matter of
general Information:
DEPARTMENT OF THE INFERIoR,
sECRETARY's OFFICE,
Washington, D. e., January s. 1907.
| The Commissioner of the General Land Office: :
Sir-Referring to the circular Of
instructions to special agents of your
Office, approved by me on January
29, 1904, relative to their duties under
the act of February 25, 1885, (23 Stat,
321l, entitled ian act to prevent un-
lawful occupancy OF the public lands, !"
you are advised that said circular is
hereby amended and modified as fol-
| lows:
Strike out from said circular para
graphs and s, and insert in lieu
thereof the following:
1t shall be the duty of = the special
agent on receipt of any charge or
complaint or upon information being
acquired by him from any source.
| that an unlawful inclosure is being
maintained by any person or persons,
association, or corporation, to at
once proceed TO secure sufficient data,
including q description of the lands
| inclosed, with reasonable certainty,
not necessa arily by metes and bounds,
nor by governmental subdivisions Of
surveyed land, but only so that the
inclosure may be identified and the
person or persons guilty OF the viola
ktion, as nearly as may be, and by
description If the name cannot, on
reasonable inquiry, be ascertained,
and to at once submit such case, with
the data thus obtained, to the United
States attorney for prosecution.
It shall be the duty OF the special
agent, and he shall be so Instructed, to
be alert and vigilant to detect the ex-
istence of unlawful Enclosures in his
district and to proceed in accord ance
| Herewith as hereinabove directed,
and that he is not to construe his
duties as requiring that, before pro-
ceeding in the matter of an unlawful
inclosure, there must first be fled
with him formal<complaint by some
person or persons acquainted with the
facts, but it shall be his duty, as here
inabove stated, to take the initiative
himself.
Il In this connection you are further
instructed, by direction Of the presi-
dent, to at once notify all of tbs spe-
cial agents and receivers and registers
B of local land Offices throughout the