The Ogden standard. [volume] (Ogden City, Utah) 1902-1910, 1910-01-12
HENEY IN
POR t LAND
Prosecutors Openin g
Address in the Her
mann Case

Portland. Orc, Jan. 12.-With al
preliminGrIes brushed aside. the tria
Of BinGer Hermann. former congress
man charged I'm the federal court hero
with conspiracy 10 defraud the GOV
eminent Of part of the public domain
began In earnest today
The Hear ye- hear ye-" of the
baIllff had scarcely died away when
Francis j. Heney arose and began the
delivery OF his opening address. The
famous prosecutor hewed close to the
line throughout his brief statement
OF the governments case. He spoke
calmly. only now and then waxing
eloquent or indulging in his famed
inyective
The defcnso's position was outlined
by Colonel A. g, Worthington OF
Washington, d. C.. who denied az a
whole and serietim, the charges In tho
indictment. He went over the long
public career of Hermann. spoke OF the
eSteem In which he was held by those
who had had business dealings with
him. OF his scrupulous integrity in
business AFFAIRS and secuted the idea
that he had plotted with others 10 de-
fraud the government and the people
i'm whose interest he had spent life
OF labor
Francis ] Hcney. in opening the
prosecution OF Blnger Hermann, spoke
In part as follows:
Gentlemen OF the jury: We expect
to prove that in 1901 It was known
In Oregon that timber SPECTATORS
were taking advantage of the creation
Of forest reserves by securing ad-
g.l
would be included in the reserves.
and by thereupon procuring a largo
number OF persons to make applica-
tions for the school lands lying within
the reserve and convey the aforesaid
school lands to the spectators for
small sums.
"As early as July. 1901. tho time
at which Mr., Binger Hermann became
commissioner OF the general land of
fce at Washington, Oregon news
papers published sensational articles
explaining these frauds. In Septem-
ber Of 1901. the commissioner OF the
general land Office called attention to
these frauds in his report on the gen
cral land Office
I'm September, 1901. Binger Her
mann was In Portland, Ore. and there
entered into conspiracy with Frank
lin Mays. W. y. Jones and others 10
assist them In the creation OF a for
est reserve In southeastern Oregon
Meys and Hermann met In the Office /
Of Henry Meldrum, United States sur
yeyor general. and discussed the |
In the presence of Mel
drum
Washington. and Mays and Jones, In |
accordance with the suggestions made |
by Hermann, procured petitions for |
.he creation Of the reserve.
I'm March, 1902, Hermann officially !
directed Ormsby. superintendent of !
forest reserves in Oregon 10 invesd. /
gate and make report upon the mat
.er and send him the aforesaid petit
tons In the meantime MAYS and
Jones' had continued TO secure school
ands within the area OF the proposed
reserve. Mays furnished Ormsby
with map outlining the boundaries
)f tho desired reserve
"Ormsby recommended the creation
IF a reserve to include 1850 acres OF
school lands which had been secured
D. Mays and Jones. These lands
serc all secured by employing men
1t from nifty cents to S. apiece to
lign applications for state school lands
10 blank.
Each applicant for state school
ands was authorized to purchase 800
lcres and he was only required TO pay
70 the state 20 cents per acre as the
irst payment Consequently Mays
md Jones were only required to pay
he state about $4,000 10 secure con.
rol Of practically $4,000 acres Of the
best timber lands I'm the United
States. If the owners Of the school
ands wanted 10 sell them for eX-
.hnnee purposes thoy were worth at
that time about So per acre in the
open market Mays and Jones stood
10 make net profit of at least 81 per
acre. They had calculated on secur-
ng all OF the school lands within the
reserve amounting TO about
10000 acres and OF thus making net
profit OF about six hundred thousand
lollars.
Hermann aided and abetted in cv-
cry vay possible. He was at that
lime standing receptive candidate
Tor the position OF United States SEN
ator from Oregon and Mays was a
state senator. and Jones member Of
the assembly.
Mays and Jones have already been
convicted. Hermann would have been
-ried at the same time with Mays and
loneS but for the fact that he had
previously cxactcd promise from Mr..
Heney that he would not be tried In
Oregon until he was FIRST tried in
D. C.. under another In
1Ictment. in April. 1906. when the
San Francisco earthquake called Mr..
Heney home