Polk County observer. (Monmouth, Polk County, Or.) 1888-1927, 1910-03-25
fraud, SAYS McCOURT
UNITED STATES ATTORNEY srNns
WARNING TO SETTLERS
'"ss solicitation of Homeseekers e.
ri'e on Railroad Lands Is
Quasi-Bunco Game.

government officers are inva.+,o..
e iiethods OF certain ATTORNEYS wb,
accepting fees to locate prosnao+
I'VE settlers on the Oregon &, Colifoa
ma railroad land grants now in l,tioa
tioii IN the federal courts. saws a.
portland Journal. That II is ~
ior the Wholesale defrauding of IN
cautious investors is the opinion Of ~
onited States district attorney and tho
oincers OF the local land Office
thousands of circulars bo,,o -.
sent TO eastern people. 1t is said tbat
one circular out of every 100 has
Dtousht response. Fees have been
assessed in amounts from SIS to s1oo
AZ thls rate, it is said, the business hos
, D,u lair to become immensely profit
apie, while to the same proportion dis
iiiusiohed investors have been nutting
olack eye on legitimate ADVERTISE
iiieilts Oh oregon opportunities.
TITS Fraud" Says McCourt
concerning the practice, United
states District Attorney McCourt said
yesterday: N'''0
1t is fraud pure and simnla b,,+
just INSIDE the law. Showing the pro-
porton reached by the practice 7 will
say that 1 have answered more than
lVoo persons who asked if the schere
was all right. To each INQUIRER sold
as vigorously as I could, No The gov
erhment has not finished with the in
LII Portland, several persons have
oeen engaged in the business of getting
locators for the Iitigated lands Tho
wording of one of their circulars ex-
plains, briefly, the plan:
$3.50 Per Acre.
over Az years ago the government
granted to the Oregon Railroad com
oahy' later reorganized under the
lame OF the Oregon & California Rail-
oad company, the odd numbered seq
ions OF land for 20 miles on each
lde OF its lines, to aid in the building
II lts railroad from Portland, Oregon.
o san francisco, California.
conditions embodied in this large
rant from the government demanded
nat the grantee, or its assigns, should
ell these lands to actual settlers for
ESQ per acre, and not to exceed one
uarter section (160 acres) to any one
ersoh' AS there were about 100000 ]
cres granted, it would produce about
lo,0OO,OOO at the price named As the
me (hoW operated by the Southern
'acitic railroad) runs through the fer
lie valley of the Willamette river, the
rant included fine agricultural lands
nd heavy timber
For many years the railroad COM
any complied with the agreement and
DID lands by the quarter section, but
$ the adjacent territory was settled
nd developed, the demands to buy in '
reased and values raised so that the {
abroad began to advance it's prices to t
and upwards as high as $40 per '
ere, and also to sell in large tracts to +
and investors, thus le- :
ally violating the contract with the
overnment, which it had ratified and a
ocepted. S
Government Started Suit.
Thus the government holds the :
Lilroad has forfeited at least the -
100000 acres remaining unsold (and I
hich for 10 years past they have re- a
sed to sell at any price, and that a
ese unsold lands must be sold by s
em or by a receiver at the grant d
ice of $3.50 an acre, and only 100 "
res to any person, and suit was be-
IN last year by the government to
force this in the United States cir
lit court in Portland, Oregon.
ut is also clearly established that q
'plicants who have properly filed :,
cir applications through attorneys, !,
ID demanded deeds from the railroad
mpany at the stipulated price and U
ndered money in payment therefor,
ust be decided the lands they have
piled for, if the government inter-
is, which are also the public inter- n
Is, prevail in this suit. :,
THE application fee which includes =,
e attorneys services and attention to y
cording all things in Oregon is $75 II
onnlioofion Soma nf tho q