The Salt Lake tribune. [volume] (Salt Lake City, Utah) 1890-current, 1910-08-26
ILLICIT CLAIMS
Of PUBLIC LANDS
The Case of Belle Chamberlain,
One of IdahO's Land
Board.
HER CARD OF DENIAL
APPEARS NOT CANDID
The Record Shows Her Inter
ested i'm Claims in Various
Projects.
BY G. E. ARNEY.

d ", Il. kAftNhY Y,
Special 10 The Tribune.
BOISE, Ida. Aug 25.-One OF the un-
pleasant duties of writing IS TO call to
public notice the inefficiencies of men
whom the public have honored by elec
ton to office. Even more unpleasant
is the function which devolves on those
entrusted with publicity duty to expose
error In the official regime of woman,
II Is diabolcal for one who possesses
the privilege TO write for public print
10 abuse that privilege or use it to dis
tort facts. How much moro diabolical
is it for n woman public servant to as
sumo a position OF graft and then dis
/ tort the record of her operations in an
endeavor TO deceive her constituency!
This is either The odium which Miss
Chamberlain casts on the position with
which she has been twice honorcd, upon
the school system of this state and upon
the broad system OF equal suffrage, or
the writer of these lines is dense to
moral proprieticsi
IL was an apparent duty of n few
weeks ago TO call attention to the hold
ings OF $. Belle Chamberlain in Carey
act lands and in Carey act townsitcs.
and TO remind the public that In view
OF her candidacy for denomination and
for reelection. she should be defeated
in her ambitions.
II was my opinion that the investment
| by her in acreage and in town lots in
Carey act projects over which she WAS
one OF four to exercise supervision, con-
stiLutcd q scale OF morals unworthy OF
a public servant any time, anywhere
! That she was n candidate seeking the
suffrage OF the people, the duty to cX-
pose the record became apparent. That
she was n woman made no moral or no
logical difference to the situation.
The previous article detailed acreage
owned by Miss Chamberlain in the Good
Ing tract. In the Twin Falls tract. in the
Salmon tract. and lots In the townstes
OF Jerome. Gooding and Buhl. Later II
developed that she had two lots OF three
or four acres each in the Mcdbury pro-
ject.
In the public press OF the state today,
Miss Chamberlain Is giving current cir
way of denial OF these charges, and in an
entire spirit of fairness l quote her
answer In full:
Statement from Miss Chamberlain.
THE statements made by those eppos
ing my candidacy for the position OF
state superintendent OF public instruction
that I hold large tracts Of Carey land
under tho various projects. are not true
and are evidently made for political pur-
poses The only piece Of Carey act land
that / have taken since / assumed the
duties OF this office or that ] have any
interest In. directly or Indirectly. is l2O
acres four miles from GoodinT. under the
Idaho Irrigation company. / nled on that
last fall and made the payments the
same as would any other citizen of the
| stale. | nave also invested IN Il SfUall
fruit acreage OF decided land and three
town lots. on all Of which I have made
! the annual payments according 10 the
contracts. No other member Of my fam
| ily has taken or invested in any state
! land during my administration. With
out hcsitancy ] can say that | have
given all land board matters my care
| ful consideration and have voted all
| important questions conscentiousy and
| in accordance with my best Judgment.
! - have devoted my ume 20 the schools
of Idaho and have at all times endeav-
orcd TO raise the standard of the cdu
! cational system of the state, travelling
over $4,000 miles during the past eigh
teen months, visiting the various districts
voters to the present educational condi.
tions in asking for denomination.
''S. BELLE CHAMBERLAIN"
Her Other Claims,
submit TO the readers OF The Tribune
that Miss Chamberlain has of record
! land under the Salmon project which she
claims was taken for a friend Of hers.
II personal appointce I'm the land office
] of The state land board at this place.
/ | further submit that the records of
| the Medbury Carey act project show that
Miss $. Belle Chamberlain is the owner
| of contract 2053 10 lot No. in block No.
I -; that these records show "ConsldCra-
tlon. $102S33: allowed. Sl023 49,"
That also the records of this same con-
hcrlain's associate on the state land
board, TO he the holder of contract 2O0G
TO lot in block 20, and that these records
paid paid down. ,'',> I' Dated 90 Nov. To-
! ] submit further that the previous rec
ord that Miss Chamberlain had owned
| Carey act acreage at Twin Falls was
rect, and that this WAS acquired while
she was assistant or deputy state super
| lntcndcnt, to-wit: June %, 1901. when
she hlcd on the northeast quarter OF the
northeast quarter OF section 10. township
10 south. range II east, Boise meridian.
same tnotc this) adjoining the townsltc
of Twin Falls,
on March If. 1908. she sold TO Alex
andcr T. Ford thirty acres of the above
described property under 4 contract OF
! July 20 1909. she sold the remaining ten
acres OF her original forty or on that
date she executed a deed FOR same. 10
Adelia Il. Nichol. the consideration bein,;
, As matter Of fact. Miss Chamberlain
sold this tcn-acrc tract to Miss Nichol
! for $1idO. In other words. she received.
while state superintendent SiG60 for This
puircd while deputy state superIntemd
cnt.
In the ease of this transfer n Special
privilege, not usually accorded the ordi-
member of the state land board by the
/ Twin Falls Land q Water company, in
| that the time honorcd custom not TO re
/ lease water contracts to less than forty
! contract 10 thc ten acres sold to Miss
| Nichol by Miss Chamberlain IL n matter
| Of record in Twin Falls. the county scat
Of Twin Falls county state Of Idaho.
The People Not Gullible.
Arc the people Of Idaho so gulIible as
to conclude that Miss Chamberlain Just
/ happened 10 get this $1,000 bouquet ad-
| Joining the townsitc Of Twin Falls?
DO they think that any Of the adjoin-