The Topeka state journal. [volume] (Topeka, Kansas) 1892-1980, 1908-07-18
State About to Move on the
Land Grabbers.
Thousands of Acres Secured by
Fraud 1t Is Charged.
WILL SUE FOR 1T,
Attorney General to Make At
tempt to Recover 1t.
May Also Result in Some Ar.
rests Being Made.

IHousdnuS OF acres or public SchOOI
lands which have been sold during re-
cent years is to be made by the state
of Kansas.
1t is claimed that evidence has been
secured of fraud, collusion and swind-
ling on the part of land spectators N
getting possession ot valuable school
lands at the minimum. price of s1.25 per
acre, or little more than that price.
There is some possibility that this
effort on the part of the state to sa, e
some or its once valuable school pro-
perty may involve sending a large
number Of school land svindlers INTO
the courts to answer Tor their irregu-
larities People who have conspired,
aided or abetted in placing a false ap-
praisement upon school lands may find
themselves in hot water.
1t is known that in making his school
land Investigations, the state ac-
countant, ]. c. Gaffo-G has unearthed
large amount of evidence showing
that crooked work has been going on
for years in the handling of the Kansas
school lands. The state will take this
1ence and force those who are ho.1-
school lands under crooked titles
- disgorge. 1t means lots of work for
the legal department of the state, but it
will probably result in turning back
into the state school fLEd thousa 1ds of
dollars worth of land which through
fraud and skulduggery. the Stase has
sold for a song.
Accountant Gafford makes his report
on school land Investigations, covering
half the counties in the state, Governor
Hoch will order the attorney general to
proceed to the immediate recovery of
land shown to have been secured from
the state by fraud. This report has
been expected for some time. II has
been in course of preparation for al
most a year. Its preparation has been
an immense labor, and has involved
checking over tons of old documents on
file in the state auditors office, and la
ter verifying the findings by going to
the county records of the various coun-
tics under investigation.
The way in which the state schoo,
lands of Kansas have been handled has
teen one of the state scandals, ignored
for a long time only because it was
Lvershadowed by other gratis and scan
dals, many OF which have of recent
years been wiped out. E. T. Fairchild,
state superintendent of education, and
one of the sta:e school fund conmis-
sioners, said recently:
THE princely heritage of the public
schools of Kansas has been wasted. We
have accumulated a fund of 0,000, 900
from the sale of school land; we might
just as well have had s100. 900, 900 in that
fund"
OF course the greater portion of this
school land has gone past recall or re-
covery. The discovery, however. that
fraud has entered into the transfer CT
some of the land may enable the state
to recover possession of much valuable
land
Governor Hoch was asked to make
a statement concerning the matter,
and said:
In my message to the 1905 legisla-
ture, 1 urged that body to either take
the remaining school lands off the
market, or else fix a price on it which
would be commensurate with the val
ue of neighboring land. AT that time
it was estimated that there were a
million acres of school land remaining.
The legislature did nothing. In 1907
I again urged the legislature to take
some prompt action. but informed
that body that there was not much
left to save. Still the legislature did
nothing.
action at both sessions was block
ed by western Kansas members, who
insisted that eastern Kansas school
land had been sold at low price, and
the country settled. and that western
Kansas lands should also be held at a
low price until sold, to encourage set
tlement I contended against this fall
lacous argument, but the legislature
did nothing.
"There is no doubt that peculations
of gigantic proportions have charac-
terized the handling of the state school
lands 1 have hope that we may yet
have some recourse. 1t is matter
which am expecting to take up at no
distant time, and until I am ready to
what will be done, as such a disclos-
ure of plans might interfere with the
work Of recovery"
How 1t Is Done.
letter was received a few days ago
from prominent business man in
western Kansas county where land
values have been advancing rapidly,
by one of the state officials. This let
ter tells of a state of affairs which is
characteristic of the way Kansas
school lands have been placed on the
slaughter block. Omitting the descrip-
ton of the properties involved, and
the name of the parties. the letter fol-
lows:
July IA, 1905.
''Mr -, Topeka, Kan.
Dear Sir: Here is a matter that one
always hates to call to the attention
of the proper officer. but / am a tax
payer and have children to support
and educate, and 1 intend to educate
them if possible. and do think that I
am entitled to all that is coming from
our school lands for that purpose.
ION June 5, tract of 800 acres, ly-
ing close to the townsite. was sold for
$4,000. and that with no improve
ments to speak of. On the 11th day
of June. an appraisement was made of
$50 acres of school land lying just one
mile distant. and 1t was appraised at
$3.50 per acre, and will be sold a that
price to four people who took posses
sion of it January 1. They hav. made
small improvements. Just enough to
comply with the law. This school
land. I am satisfied. can be easily and
readily sold for $40 per acre, on terms
governing the sale of school land. as
there land in that yicinitv that
can be had even for that figure. If
these lands were sold to the highest