Evening star. [volume] (Washington, D.C.) 1854-1972, 1913-09-14

Secretary of the Interior Lane Secretary
Lane is intent on establishing intimate
and harmonious relations between the
several Observation-Disclosures, Justice and
Agriculture-that have to do with public
land questions and also on securing the
same sort of cooperation and harmony
among the several bureaus of the De-
partment of the Interior. In this ne has
the hearty support of Commissioner Tall
man.
Now. Commissioner Tallman happens
to he a peculiar sort of man for a govern
ment official; he is excessively modest.
He has not yet been long enough in
Washington to realize that the chief of a
great bureau such as he heads by tradi-
ton is permitted to acquire some credit
for himself some publicity for his own
ideas and endeavors When one talks to
him about the work he has in hand one
finds the commissioner ready to explain
with great frankness just what is being
done but one also finds that the COM
missioner, out Of feeling of loyalty to
his official superior, the Secretary, IS
prone to pass the credit all on TO the
Secretary and to decline to permit himself
to be quoted in a newspaper interview.
This fact as much as any other, lndl-
Gates that Secretary Lane has secured
the inter-bureau harmony he desires, and
has established Il fine degree OF loyalty
among his bureau chiefs.
One innovation IN the administration Of
public la nds for which Commissioners
Tallman declines to take personal credit.
but which is largely his idea, is the
periodical conference OF those dealing
with the larger questions that come up.
Thus weekly meeting is held. attended
by the Secretary of the Interior. the
6rct ycio fan II,
the assistant attorney general for the
Department of the Interior, the commits
sioner of the general land office and the
director of the geological survey.
1t is a time-saving innovation. To IL
lustrate how Ii works.
A group of settlers under the desert
land act In western state want to COM
bine to establish an irrigation plant by
which to comply with the law and water
their land. They make application SO to
do The geological survey has to in
yestigate their water possibilities to See
If the plan is practicable. The general
land office has to investigate the bona
hdes of the applicants and their titles.
The law officers have to see that all the
features of the law are being complied
with
Working separately. the progress in
reaching combined decision is slow.
Now at the weekly conference, such
cases as these are taken up and thrashe /
out at a sitting. Each responsible head
finds out what the others think about it.
Speedy action is made easy.
In his own bureau Commissioner Tall
man has established another development
IF the same idea, in his board of law re-
view. This is sort of land court 1t
meets on three Fridays in the month. and
it Is a busy body.
This is because the whole character Of
the general land office has changed in
the last twenty years. Formerly the
office was merely selling agency. Now
il is a tribunal. In more less sum-
mary manner 1t adjudicates matters of
land titles involving hundreds Of thou
sands OF dollars Of property every month.
with no appeal save to the Secretary Of
the Interior. Few real courts have to
deal with property rights of the magni-
tude this court deals with.
The board Of law review is made up of
the skilled lawyers Of the office. the COM
missioner presiding. and its duty is to
pass on questions of law and practice
arising In the conduct of the office.
fact that has impressed itself upon
the commissioner is that the general pub
lie has small notion OF the extent to
which Uncle Sam is a landed proprietor.
The idea seems pretty generally abroad
that Uncle Sans good lands are all
gone; that what remains In the public
domain, unreserved and unappropriated,
is of no value.
Commissioner Tallman vigorously de-
clares that this is untrue. He points to