Albuquerque citizen. [volume] (Albuquerque, N.M.) 1907-1909, 1909-01-13
INDICATES He WILL
PRESS HIS DEMAND
Would Like to Know Whether
Bondpdrte Has Obeved Con
1reSS and if Not, What
Has Caused the
Delay.

Washington, Jan. 13.-Just before
going into the Senate chamber today
senator Tillman called Attorney Cen
eral Bonaparte on the telephone and
asked whether he had brought suit
against the Southern Oregon COM
pany, which holds land grants for mil
itary roads from Roseburg to Coos
bay. This is land comprising 2,00O,-
600 acres of which Tillman at one
time contemplated purchasing about
1O,4OO at $3.50 an acre for himself
the members of his family and others.
The attorney general was not able
to answer off hand whether suit had
been brought or not and Tillman asked
If he could not at once call up some
clerk and ascertain what had been
done. After some delay Bonaparte
told Tillman that he would send him
u note on the subject. Tillman insist
ed that he would like to have an an
swer at the earliest possible moment.
Bonaparte's Statement.
In a statement issued last night At
torney General Bonaparte says the
following in answer to Tillman's
charge that suit had not been brought:
There are two passages in the re-
marks of Senator Tillman published in
tOday's congressional record, which
demand notice from me. He says: 1T
might be well to inquire whether or
not the attorney general has obeyed
the order of Congress passed last
April which 1 will call the Tillman-
Bonaparte law-ordering suit to be in
stituted for recovery of the lands. My
culpability is of such enormity and
magnitude in contemplating the pur-
chase Of 1,440 acres of land at $50 an
acre in the eyes of this stickler for
official rectitude in others that it may
be found that he is determined to
block my so-called "nefarious trans
action"
The man who announces to Con-
gress that he, Theodore Roosevelt, as
sumed the right to permit the Steel
trust to absorb its greatest rival con-
trary to law would doubtless not hesi-
tate to help his dear friend Hartman
in holding 100000 acres of the pub
lie domain simply because Ben Till
man contemplated and wanted TO buy
LAO acres
"On September IA, 1908, suit was
brought by the United States in the
circuit court of the United States for
the district Of Oregon against the
Oregon and California Railroad COM
pany. the Southern Pacific company.
the Union Trust company, individually
and as trustees, stephen T. Gage, in
dividually and as trustee, and a large
number of individual defendants.
The purpose Of this suit in sub
stance is to declare and enforce a for
teiture Of the public lands claimed by
the railroads under Mr. Harriman's
control by virtue of the original grant
TO the Oregon and California railroad
1t has been brought in accordance
with the directions of the joint reso-
tuition to which Senator Tillman refers
Tillman Wants TO Know.
After reading Bonaparte's statement
last night Senator Tillman also issued
a statement. saying in part:
The attorney general is the open
ing part of his statement gives the list
OF parties and corporations against
whom suit has been brought, but |
tail to see anything about any suit
being instituted to recover the land
granted These lands were the ones
In which | was interested and they
were incorporated both in the reso-
luton which he drew and In the joint
resolution which became a law.
HAS or has not the attorney gem
eral obeyed the act OF Congress, as I
inquired in my speech of Monday, and
II not why not?