Aberdeen herald. [volume] (Aberdeen, Chehalis County, W.T.) 1886-1917, 1910-04-25
THOSE Land FRAUDS.
STATE SCHOOLS ROBBED OF MIL.
LlONSsOf DOLLARS.
Senator Poison Was Denounced as
rtuCkraker When He Proposed the
Investigating Committee That Tn.
earthed the Systematic Robbery
of the public Schools.

Convincing proof that State Land
Commissioner Il. W. Ross knew his
business when he opposed, with all
the arts of shrewd politician, the
appointment OF the investigating
committee at the 1903 session of the
legislature, is afforded by the recent
report revealing gross and systema-
tic frauds in the sale of state timber
lands.
In it's report to Governor Hay,
the committee finds that the state
has been looted of many millions of
dollars. Some of these great losses
have resulted from negligence in the
state land office, but probably the
bulk of them were brought about by
conspiracy between cruisers employ
ed by the state and intending pur-
chasers.
The fact that tWo of the four
members of the investigating COM
mittee Senator Allen and Represen-
tative Taylor, who united in the re-
cent report to the governor, had
vigorously opposed the investiga-
tion when the matter was pending
before the legislature, makes it's re-
port all the more significant and con-
vincing.
The details of one of many recent
deals as set out in the committees
report are fairly illustrative of the
method by which the state has been
robbed. Eighty acres of timber land
in COwlitZ county was bought by
Daniel Cummins for $1,000. When
Cummins applied to purchase this
land e. e. Huntington of Castle
Rock, was sent out to inspect 1t and
reported only 1O0,000 feet of fir tim
Der of value of 500. The investi-
eating committee sent F.. e. Spring
er to inspect the same land and his
report of March 8, 10, 1910, shows
that there had recently been cut
from this land 100000 feet of tim
Der, and that there is now standing
10000 feet on the land. "The
property at the date OF sale,' says
the report to the governor, was un-
questionably worth $1,000, whereas
the state received for the same only
$1,000 We feel that there is little
excuse for any such condition OF al
fairs if competent and honest cruis-
ers were employed. This sale is un-
doubtedly contrary to the laws of
1901 governing the sale of timber
lands"
Notwithstanding as the commit
tee points out, that "the time allot-
ted for making our researches has
proved entirely inadequate to make
such an investigation as we lind the
conditions demand,' the committee
was able in the brief time at its COM
mand to uncover an appalling array
of discriminating evidence.
The committee firmly expresses the
conviction that "the state has been
for years Systematically defrauded
and the people of the state have lost
millions of dollars by the sale OF
state timber lands for grossly and
ridicuously inadequate considera-
tion." The committee adds that these
losses to the state run into lncred-
ible figures" and as a result OF lts
findings recommends in the strong
est terms possible that the next legis-
lature appoint a committee to con-
tinue the work already begun by this
committee"
The frauds here revealed are so
audacious and the losses to the
state so stupendous as to make 1T the
solemn and pressing duty of Cover
nor Hay to institute criminal pro-
ceedings on the evidence already
gathered and to continue, with every
lawful means at his command, the IN
vestigation that was only falrly
started by the Legislative committee.
spokane Spokesman-Review. (rep)