The San Francisco call., 1909-03-09
Land Attorney Withdraws In
situations Against Webb
and Kingsbury
Writhes Under VitriOIic Denun-
Citations by Attorney Gen.
eraI Before Assembly
Thompson Bill to Break Up
Land Grabbing in State In
dOrsed by Committee
TseeeiaI Dapaleh o The "a

Special Dispatch 10 The CALI
CALL HEADQUARTERS CHAMBER
OF COMMERCE BUILDING, sACRA-
MENTO. March S-Writhing under
most vitriomc denunciation at the
hands OF Attorney General [. S. Webb
as being an associate with F. A Hyde
and J. A. Benson in land frauds, John
ID. Ackerman, the land attorney who
in q newspaper Interview implicated
the attorney generals Office and Sur
Veyor General William s kingsbury
with cOnspiring with Fred W. Lake
10 rob the state Of 10000 acres OF lieu
land, tonight asserted before the pub
lie lands and forestry committee OF the
assembly that Webb and Kingsbury
were two Of the most honorable men
Die knew. He fully vindscated every
one against whom he had made his
charges
The committee voted TO recommend
The passage OF Senator Thompson's BILL
which viii break up the land grabbing
ring by authorizing the surveyor gen.
ersl TO sell all base in reserves. As
semblyman W. B. Grifiths voted with
the other members Of the committee de-
spite his previous opposition 10 the bill.
LAKE BILL TURNED DOWN
The Lake bill. wh.ch was introduced
by Grove l. Johnson, to permit Lake
ty a legislative enactment. to exchange
for his clients" about 10000 acres OF
surveyed school land for unapprOpriated
government land was turned down by
The fun vote OF the committee. consist
ing Of Flint, Rech, Silver, ellis. Sackett
snd Grifhths.
Lake himself admitted early in the
evening that the bill was dead and had
that the bill had much good in it, but
that Lake had killed 1t by rushing in
his ll5 hlings. whereby he would ac-
cuire about 10000 acres for his clients"
Webbs scathing words for Acker-
man. Benson and Hyde plainly set be-
fore the committee the methods that
have been followed in the past by this
land ring TO control state land.
Shortly after Kingsbury went into
of1ice,' said Webb in giving the his
tory Of the Thompson bill. lit was a
matter OF common knowledge that the
school lands Of the state were con-
trolled by the land ring-by the land
thieves. II you please. ] found him
anxious TO prevent a continuance OF the
practices which had prevailed and told
Mr. Glenn OF my Office 10 prepare him
self so as to be able to combat the land
thieves Of the state. II was soon seen
that q change in the land laws OF the
state was necessary. and Thompson's
bil is the 0utgrowth OF that under
standing.
EXPLAINS THOMPSON BILL
Webb then went on the explain how
Lake had brought his bill to the office
and how certain changes had been
made in it, but he asserted that the
Thompson bill was the only one for
which the surveyor general and himself
stood.
.'rhe Thompson bill is to put the
land thieves. convicted and unconvict-
ed out OF business" said Webb. 1T
IS 10 be regretted that such a bin was
not enacted long ago. Hyde. Benson
and Ackerman get the first informa-
tion from Washington when a reserve
is about to be created, and are thus
able TO control all the land It recently
developed that the land ring had been
bribing clerks at Washington to gain
advance information"
Webb continued by telling how GER
tain land attorneys had filed on base
two or three times and thus had de-
frauded clients
Il return money where there is
prior fling" interrupted Ackerman-
III you DO you are superior to Ben
son and Hyde in that particular. but no
other" retorted Webb. IF the COM
mittee does not pass this bill. or one
on the same lines. then Hyde and Ben
son and Alderman viii gain the rest
of the school lands. These gentlemen
have been organized for years. What
chance has the individual against
them7"
ACKERMAN DENIES CHARGE
Il am stin fighting Benson and
Hyde" clustered Alderman in refuta-
ton Of the charge that he was closely
associated with the two convicted land
robbers. Webb doubted his remark.
and Ackerman admitted that he had
met Hyde frequently Of late.
i have fought land thieves too long
10 be bulldOzed by them" said Webb
rs he continued his denunciation Of
Benson. Hyde and Ackerman The last
named then AFFECTED himself and ad-
rlitted that he had made his charges
IN the newspapers because Kingsbury
rad given out interviews showing him
up in an unfavorable light
J cont accuse you people of being
knaves in any shape or form. A whittier
man never lived than you or Kings
bury said Ackerman as his crown
ing act in stultifying himself before
the committee
The frankness OF Lake in admitting
his scheme TO grab a vast amount OF
public land won for him a favorable
impression before the committee He
explained that he had conceived the
lAfa "a tAdhlHE lle surveyed school
lands in the reserves exchangeable for
outside land and had had his clients"
file applications on about $4,000 acres
WITHIN LEGAL RIGHTS
we are simply trying to do in
legal manner what has been done since
1872 in an illegal manner" said Lake.
We are within our legal and our
moral rights in applying for these
lands The sore spot Of the opposition
is that it hadn't the wit to see the
possibilities and file the patents on this
land before the other bunch did
Surveyor General Kingsburv took his
turn in denouncing the land grabbers
and asserted that Ackerman was lined
Up with Benson and Hyde in control
ling the base in this state. He insisted
that the Thompson bill had been pre-
pared with a view of taking the state
school lands out OF their hands He
denied being in favor OF the Lake bill
but admitted that he had looked II
over and had made some suggestions
as to changes. So had Assistant Attor-
ney General Malcolm Glenn. who as
serted that he had been against the bin
from the beginning. About this time
Assemblyman Griff7ths. who had been
taking an active interest in the two