Los Angeles herald., 1910-02-20
BALLINGER ORDERS
LAND LINE BROKEN
SECRETARY REFUSES TO REC
OGNlZE POLICE NUMBERS
Homeseekers Organize and Appeal to
President Taft and Senator Flint
to Aid Them in Retaining
Their Positions
Continued from Page one)


simultaneous and directions will be
of right between conflicting applicants.
Give all possible publicity to this order.
"BALLINGER, Secretary"
The committee of three to be ap-
pointed to call on the land Office Of
ficiais Monday morning with Captain
Dixon will endeaVor to have matters
so arranged that every man and wo-
man in the line must deposit $500 as
proof Of his or her good faith, and in
this way 1t is thought to weed out
those persons who are believed to be
in the line merely for the purpose OF
selling their places to the highest bid
der.
In fact petition was drawn up sew
eral hours before the arrival of the
Ballinger telegram and was being cir
culated down the line. requesting the
chief of police to prevent speculating
among holders of places.
Suspicion has been directed in a
number of places where the alleged
dark horse syndicate" has operated
but as yet no action will be taken by
organization.
The line, women as well as men,
passed last night in the cold, dark
vacant store which is their headquar-
ters. Smoky oil lamps were utilized
to illuminate the place
A. A. Spieth of Jeffersonville, Ind,
who held ninth place in the line and
who came west for the express pur-
pose of making the claim, said that he
had spent fully 5000 on the project He
has been in Yuma since December /,
and his family is now living there.
c. c. Clark of Sacramento, who held
seventh place in the line, recently made
a trip to Yuma to look over the land.
The trip cost him about $100. Trusting
that he would be successful In draw
ing a desirable piece, of land, he had
moved his family to Yuma.
After the telegram was received from
Secretary Ballinger No. $50 made an
effort to sell his ticket for 81. Failing
to find buyer at this price, he made
a reduction of so cents. "I'll take $150
for this-1 cent a number" No one
offered to make the purchase.
A. E. Swindler, the eleventh man in
line, had paid $100 cash for his place.
The tickets which were distributed to
those in line by the police bore the
following inscription: Police number
Yuma land distribution No. -. Good
only when presented with facsimile
signature. A. Galloway, Chief" On
the back were the signatures of the
holder of the ticket and of Chief Gal
loway.
The rumor was spread yesterday that
certain real estate men who wished to
get a chance at the rich Yuma land
and had no chance with the line so
suddenly formed had telegraphed the
officials at Washington that the line
was composed of spectators Such
kilograms were thought by many of the
men in line to have been responsible
for the issuance of the order to the
local land office from Secretary Bal
linger.
Old Man in Despair
Wearied with days of patient waiting
in the Yuma home seekers line, an old
man, white of head and beard, pain
fully gathered up his belongings and
trudged under the burden to the dark
hall on Second street where many
sprier and younger men already had
preceded him. The news that Secretary
Ballinger had, by q word, swept his
long vigil into nothingness, staggered
him.