The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-05-04
PUBLIC OFFICE
SNAP Or TRUST.
Revelations Of Land Board
Scandal i'm Idaho That Give
Food for Thought.
HOW STATE OFFICIALS
HAVE ABASED POWER
Utter Disregard of the Rights
of Those Who Pay Shown
by the Record.
BY G. E. ARNEY.


Special 10 Tho Tribune
BOISE. Ida, May SIS a public Of
flee private snap or trust7 Do the
voters OF the state elect men to office
to give them an opportunity 10 gain
great riches. or to protect the ends oi
patriotic justice2 1t Is altogether agree
able that men of moderate circumstances
go into office To administer on largo af-
fairs OF sacred proportions to a deserv-
Ing people, and through a knowledge
of the people affairs from the inside
come out driving expensive touring cars
owners OF townsites, officers OF banks
and landed interests beyond the point OF
all reason of requirement through legitt-
mate channels.
DO these transformations look right
Are they square? Is this the aim OF
government Should the pure earth.
water and climate of Gods creation be
thus sordidly perverted?
In the rythmetic verse OF Rudyard
Kipling
IF drunk with powr we loose wild
tongues,
That have not Thee In awe;
Such bonstings as the 4entiles usa,
Or lesser breeds without the law.
Lord God OF Hosts be with us yet,
Lest we forget, lest we forget,
is IL not mete that we should pause in
our mao fuSn lOr place ana 1or power.
and glance back at the intentions, the
thoughts. the deeds Of earlier genera
tions, who made possible tho conditions
OF today?
What would a generation three-score
years ago said of the speculations Of
three state officers. revealed TO publicity
last week In the case OF secretary OF
state, an attorney general and state
school superintendent
Time for Thinking.
Come. let us reason together! Rule
Of the rules and regulations or The
state land board in relation TO the entry
of land under the provisions OF tho Carey
act, adopted by this present state board
of land ,commissioners on October 10 OF
last year begins as follows;
1T will be the duty OF tho board TO
guard well the interests OF the intend
Ing settler" Now, that sounds good; It
this D. c McDougall. S. Belle Cham
berlain and Robert Lsnsdon, as mem
bers OF the Idaho state land board. here
by adopt the policy OF guarding wen
especially as Robert Lansdon. S, Belle
and D. c. McGougall. all
and each OF whom propose TO act In the
dual capacity OF protector and protected.
one who feeds fat on high standards OF
moralsl
Rule of said regulations ends with
these words:
"When the application for entry is al
lowed, such certificate shall bear the ap
proval of tho board and one copy shall
be forwarded TO the applicant
Question: What "board?' Which 'aD-
plicant?"
Answer: A board" of which s. Belle
Chamberlain, u, c. McDouean and Rob
ert Lansdon. three high executive ofti-
GERS OF Idaho, form q. majority; each OF
the three having been an applicant
during his term and each applying several
times.
No wonder It suited the convenience
Of these board members 10 hold secret
I'm the unraveling OF this tangled
mess whereby incongruities OF these pro
portions could not be inquired Into and
the public Informed OF their specula-
tions.
Rule 4 opens up a new line OF thought
II says,
Before any application for entry will
be received copy of the form OF water
right and all deeds OF conveyance to be
used and OF all contracts 10 be entered
into between the ontryman and tho con-
struction company shall first be ap-
of deed. water right or contract SHAH be
used other than tho ones approved,
Here is a fair statement OF the case:
Some of the Existing Facts
A board consisting OF ID. c. McDou
gall s. Belle Chamberlain and Robert
Lansdou shall sit in judgment on the con.
tract. deed or waller right OF "entrNman'
IiODeTl lI6nSHpl. I's - Ah'I'pu6lil -
Belle Chamberlain in which the other
party TO the contract is one Joe Peterson,
m assistant attorney general 10 General
who is not only m9moer oi
The board" but AN "cntryman' whose
contract with his own assistant must be
approved by himself and three others
equally interested personally, though re-
moved Il few degrees from the "construc-
appears as a third owner
How does this look 60 public spirited
voter who battles with his hands, his
team his shovel, out on tho soft sands of
a rich but unattractivc desert? Is he
light sure that an altogether high moral
atmosphere pcryaded the board meeting
lt Boise when the price OF his water was
fixed: when this contract was made by
an Interested board with three parties.
one of whom was n trusi=l assistant
,r one OF the members of this determin-
ng board? What perverted system ot
government
Rule states: THE land will be
thrown open to entry from time 10 time
rs construction OF the work proceeds
ion may. when deemed advisable. be dc.
,erred until the board is satisfied that
water Is actually available for the irri-
CATION OF land sought 10 be entered"
How much OF impartia1ity this rule sug-
sosts 20 fair mind. Here IS the dis
power OF the board Of land
Of prime Importance 10 the
settler under any Carey act project.
W haI SnaIHe tual Ntlese luIce, persons
.rc both board and settler" They
lake the cake and eat IL too!
Rule rs is interesting, II says:
Shedding More Light.
THE rights OF enirymen shall be sub
lcct to forfeiture 10 the state in the fol-
lowing cases" then follows four psr;lc-
Ilar things which cutrymen must do or
must not DO. else they VIII lose their
and.
Question: Who determines the rights
1f cntrymcn 20 retain or be deprived OF
he lands entered under q Carey act9
Answer. The state land board. con- |
slstins in part OF S. Belle Chamberlain. |
b,f,. aYI 4 Ni.I