The San Francisco call., 1909-03-08
Surveyor General Puts Quietus
on Clever Scheme to Sc
cure 10000 Acres
Joker in JOhnson's Bill Provides
for an Exchange" for
Clients"
Hyde Promptly Demands IRON
Former Understudy a Di-
vision in Deal
Especial Dispatch TO The Call

BER OF COMMERCE. BUILD
- ING, SACRAMENTO. March T.
A clever scheme to secure about
10000 acres of state school land
through a special act or the legisla-
ture has been frustrated by Surveyor
General William S. Kingsbury. Grove
L. Johnson. an attorney of this city.
who is also a member of the assem-
bly,. has in the lower house bill
which he introduced for Fred W.
Lake, the land attorney, whereby
Lake would acquire an immense acre
age of public lands in exchange for
surveyed school land OF little or no
value on which he mas had clients
file applications. Tae bill is in the
committee on public lands and for
ests despite Johnson's efforts to have
it reported back to the assembly
Would Be Lieu Land King
IF this bill goes through it viii
make Lake the lieu land king OF
California, and poor old Hyde will be
relegated to the background" as
serted Surveyor General Kingsbury
today in discussing the measure.
Lake evolved novel plan to make
rich haul at the expense OF the
state. He set out to so change the
land laws of the state that persons
perfecting the title TO surveyed school
lands in forest reserves could ex-
change them for unapportioned non
mineral government lands. Having
worked out his system. he had eli
ents"' file on surveyed school lands.
which have been spurned by claim
ants heretofore chiefly because OF
their lack of value.
The law as it now exists does not
permit the exchange of surveyed
school lands in reserves for other
lands. and that explains how Lake
has found no dificuIty in finding land
for his clients" to file on.
Lakes clients have filed applica-
tions on more than 10000 acres with
in the last 30 days. He has presented
the applications of about 115 'cli-
ents." With each one claiming the
limit of $40 acres, this would bring
the total for lis applicants to 7s.-
500 acres.
John D. Ackerman. one of the
prominent land attorneys Of the state.
says he learned of Lakes scheme
when the latter first began fling his
claims. He spoke TO Lake about it at
the time and he says Lake asked him
why he did not get in on the propo-
sition- Alderman says he told him
he did not care for such tactics.
Hyde Demands Division
Lake told our committee last week
that F. A Hyde had made demands on
him for a division of this land. or he
would kill the Lake bill" said Chair
man W. r. Flint of the public lands
and forest committee today. He ad-
mitted that it was his purpose to make
a profit in the deal, but held that the
state would be benefited as IT was pro-
posed to exchange the base for land
in the desert. where it was proposed
to bring in water"
Lake. according to one of those who
is following the land bills before the
legislature. was formerly satisfied to
take what was left after F. A HYDE,
John A Benson and one or two other
land attorneys had claimed public land,
but Hyde and Benson have been so
busy the last few years lighting for
their liberty that Lake has begun to
operate on much larger scale.
Now that he has launched his scheme
to get at least 10000 acres for his
clients" he says that Hyde is demand
ing division.
Aimed at Monopoly
Hyde was in this city last week di-
recting opposition to Senator Thomp-
sons bill. which has gone through the
upper house and is now before the as
sembly committee on public lands and
forests This bill proposes to break up
the fine monopoly that few land at
torneys have had whereby they have
been able to acquire state school land
base in forest reserves for their
Clients by fling claims as soon as the
government has withdrawn public
lands. their agents at Washington hav-
ing advised them as soon as the lands
were withdrawn
Both bills will be considered at a
meeting of the committee tomorrow
night. 1t is expected that Ackerman.
Hyde. Lake. Johnson and others will
be present in an effort TO influence the
action of the committee
There is also desire on the part OF
the committee to let the Lake bill die.
Notwithstanding Grove l. Johnson's in