St. Tammany farmer., 1910-03-19

The comparison covers moneys col
lected in public land cases, investiga-
tions for fraudulent patents, Cancelled
unpatented entries, prosecutions and
convictions, as well as the amount of
land recovered and the present status
of land administration. The. vigor with
which public land cases have been
pressed in recent years by the de-
partments of justice and the interior
is disclosed by the amount Of money
collected annually in such cases.
These figures show the following re-
suits: 1905, $52,5o497; 1906, $57, ,055.-
80; 1907, $2s4,470.O3; 1908, sss,6ss.31;
1909, $403, ,444.26, of which over $780,
900 was collected since March 4,
1909. July /, 1909. to January 1, 1910,
the sum Of s247.S2177 was collected.
At the close of business of the last
calendar year there were pending be-
fore the proper tribunal 246 timber
trespass civil cases.
Until recentayear investigation for
fraud in cases where lands have been
patented were few. Not until 1907
did the annual reports of the general
land Office set forth these figures
That year 116 suits to cancel patents
to land were recommended. In 1908
326 cancellations were recommended,
but in neither of the above years do
the annual reports show the cancella-
tions which were finally made. Dur
ing the fiscal year, 1909, 1877 such
suits were recommended because of
fraud or irregularities. 140 Of which
were concluded. OF this number the
government won 100 cases and can
celed the patents to 25,729.67 acres.
During the last six months of the
last calendar year, suits to cancel 213
patents were recommended and under
them 6,73360 acres were restored to
the government during that time.
This record Is admittedly incomplete
for the last two months, at least. On
the first day Of this year there were
548 suits of this character on the files
Of the general land Office, upon which
no final action had been had.
The records Of the general land
Office show the following unpatented
entries Cancelled after investigation by
special agents during the last FIVE
years; 1906. 1919; 1906, 2,070; 1907,
2,439: 1908, 1855; 1909. 3.114; six
months ended December l, 1909, L.
7S9.
The annual reports issued by the
general land office do not show the
results of criminal prosecution prior
to the last few years. The report for
1905 shows 40 prosecutions recon-
mended; 1906, 63 recommended, convic-
tions not given At the close of the
fiscal year, 1907. the criminal statis-
tics had been compiled and 1t was
found that there had been during that
year, 1873 convictions, 70 acquittals,
and 293 cases remained for trial. In
1908 there were 63 convictions, 60 ac-
ouittals, and at close of year, 234 GRIM
inal cases remained for trial. In 1909
there were ia convictions, 1888 acquit-
tails and dismissals and 269 indict-
ments returned. The large number
,. acuuittals were old cases, principal
ly minor timber and turpentine
Tespass cases, in the southern juris-
dictions. During the six months end
ed December 81, 1909, there were "a
convictions and 67 acquittals, and De-
cember 81 there remained 872 Grimm
al cases pending in the United States
courts.
Final adverse reports from agents
have been received during the past
IL months upon cases involving over
10000 acres of land within the Uni
ted States. Much of this Is coal land.
It appears from these reports that dur
ing the past eight years coal lands
within the United States have been
obtained by fraud to the extent of
over $4,000 acres. These are usually
the very best Of the coal, and are to-
day worth easily $10.0Oo,000. II mined
on royalty sufficiently low to allow
Independent operators to- compete
with existing coal combinations, the
returns to the government would
reach over $1O0. 1000. 900. All Of these
patents are from FIVE to eight years
old. Indications are that the fiscal
year ending June, 1910, will show 50.-
600 acres of patented land recovered
and that the cash collections win ap-