The Fargo forum and daily republican., 1909-08-18

he alter his present, course in support
Of the Roosevelt policy OF conserva-
ton. According to statements made at
the Interior Department yesterday,
Secretary Baliinger will adhere to his
position that the 'loose construction"
Of the law that prompted the previous
administration to withdraw lands for
the purpose OF conservation shall give
law
One or Other Must Go.
The issue therefore is joined so far
as Ballinger and Pinchot are concern
ed, and 1t is inevitable, according to
offlcials here, that one or the other,
and possibly both viii be forced out
Of the government service.
That the Interior Department is alive
to the seriousness of the situation, was
Indicated in q statement made public
at the landoff1ce. 1t is intended as a
defense OF the administration of Sec
retary Ballinger. The statement en-
braces abstracts from the Forthcoming
annual report OF the commission Of
thC SGi1Idl .uCdIiHS uPOh
criminal cases, illegal entries, and
other trespasses. 1t follows:
THE annual report Of the general
landofffce upon field work on land
matters for the year ending June 80
is now ready for the printers. This
covers what is generally known as
land fraud investigation. The report
shows that during the year there was
an average OF 141 special agents en-
gagged in the Investigations, and that
the number on July 1 last was SS2.
During the year there was collect
ed in cash for coal and timber tres
passes and fines in criminal proceed
ings $430.000 upon cases reported by
special agents OF this, $4,000 was
in settlement for coal, trespass after
suit brought. Since June 80, and not
included in these totals, a further sum
of $73, 900 was so collected. There are
Cancelled for fraud and illegality,
-S,1Ss unpatented entries, having about
$4,000 acres; also Alaskan coal en-
tries were allowed to lapse in the face
Of special agents Investigations.
Patents Vacated.
''By proceedings IN court of settle
ment thereof an even hundred patents
were vacated and %, 727 acres addi-
tional restored to the public domain.
There were also verdicts secured in
101 timber tresrass suits and $77,677
paid upon Judgment therefor. In the
criminal cases there were convictions
nine for conspiracy, five for perjury,
thirty four for un'awful Enclosures,
and thirteen miscellaneous. DEGREES
were secured removing forty unlawful
Enclosures.
THE total fines collected were $32,-
s96 and twenty prison sentences
were imposed. The office received
1,441 adverse reports and ass favorable
reports upon entries from the forest
service, and 6,s0s adverse and TOO
favorable reports from its own agents.
On appeals to the department on de-
cisions canceling entries for fraud the
landoff1ce was sustained in ITO cases
and reversed in 18 cases. OF appealed
cases 2S8 were upon land Office cases
and 16 on forest cases, wherein the
office decided for the government, and
Is special agent cases and forest
cases decided for defendant. Without
suit and upon demand OF agents 1885,
341 acres unlawfully fenced were re-
stored. on July there remained 49,
600 cases awaiting, field investigation.
''The large number Of cases still In
the field includes all railroad sections
in mineral regions and all right-of-
way and power sites heretofore grant
ed and not yet reported upon by the
field agents. Statistics Of right-of-
way and power sites were not kept
prior to the quarter ended July 1 and
upon that date there were pending for
examination 721 such cases--practical-
ly all cases formally approved and
during that quarter reports were re-
ceived upon 81 such cases favorably
and 146 unfavorably or these 146
cases. eight have either been declared
forfeited or grantees have been called
upon to show cause. why rights should
not be cancelled by thes department
where the right Is mere permit and
where easements had been granted
the cases have been referred to the
Department OF Justice for suit to cam
eel such easements.
Cases in Alaska.
"Of the suspended coal cases re-
naming for action about TOO are in
Alaska, and investigation I'M nearly all
these are complete except for certain
land examinations in the territory
There remained in the department of
justice for suit on July /. 127 trespass
cases, SIG suits to recover lands, LIT
fencing cases. 425 criminal cases The.
suits to recover lands involve about
$20,000.000. The value OF some OF the
land reeoveries is indicated by one
case, wherein coal lands were return
ed by railroad company. The COM
pany and its alleged grantees had paid
about $7O.00U for the lands Since the
lands were recovered the geological
survey has fixed the selling price of
the same lands at more than s5,O00.000
and this on O. basis OF less than 4
cents ton for coal OF the total
moneys collected, about three fifths
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