The Caucasian. (Shreveport, La.) 1900-192?, 1913-03-25
The Tensas Land Fraud Case.


1t has been reported that Gov
ernor Hall is inclined j favor a plan
to compromise the TenSas lani
frauds, but Colonel Pleasant, Attor-
ney General, will not consent TO il
The Tensas land fraud case is {
scandal for which Governor Hall is
in no sense responsible, and there
fore as the executivSof the State
instead of fayOring a compromise
he should join the States Attorney
General in vigorous prosecution
of the officials who have connived al
or are guilty of these frauds.
Indeed, the Governor should de-
mand and he should insist on {
clean up and out of the frauds and
if possible to convict and have
placed in the pen the officials and
or, the individuals who have had
any connection whatever with these
frauds.
The Tensas Land Company have
for attorneys E. H. Farrar of New
Orleans and Henry Bernstein of
Monroe.
In its comments on the proposed
compromise the New Orleans States
refers to Attorney General Pleasant
in the words quoted:
Living up to his announcement
earlier in the day, Mr.. Pleasant,
when called into the conference, an
nounced tina tiff the subject under
consideration was the proposition to
compromise he would not partici-
pate.
Approximately $4,000 is said to
represent the difference between
the figure at which the Tensas Land
Company is willing to settle and the
amount Messrs. Gilbert and Pritch-
ard are holding out for on behalf of
the board.
Declaring that the outside value
placed On the lands at the time of
the transfer is $i50OOO, the attor-
neys for the Tensas Company con-
tend that having made the original
purchase for $4,000 it should not
now be held to pay more than the
difference between the money ac-
tually paid and the value alleged tol
be fixed by appraisement, plus rea-
sonable interest, which it is claimed
would not bring the amount due the
board on the deal to more than
$4,000, and at the outside $4,000.
''The Levee Board is holding out,
it is said, for 100000 as the amount
On which it will compromise.
''The failure of Attorney General
Pleasant to become party to a
compromise OF the charges of fraud
on which the litigation is founded
put temporary damper ON the sit
uation.
Colonel Pleasant inherited the
case from his predecessor in Office,
General Guion, who brought the
suit on the authority of a commits
sion from Governor Sanders. The
Governor at that time was acting on
the special legislative authority
vested in him by an act of the Leg
islature passed for the purpose of
allowing the Attorney General to
appear in the case. The petition is
based on an allegation of fraud in|
the sale and transfer of public lands ,
by the old Tensas board to the Ten
sas Delta Land Company" I,
The entire question resolving it ,
self around point of fraud, Colo
mel Pleasant told Messrs. Gilbert, /,
Farrar and Bernstein on ,
that he could not be a ,
party to any proposition to discuss 1
s9f
II was suggested on excellent au- !
lhority Saturday night that while :
here is nothing definite on that
score yet, it is within the power Of
he Levee Board to take the situa-|
ion out of the Attorney General 81
hands and to effect compromise
nut Of court.
IF the board and the company 3
IAN get together, it is said, Messrs. :
Gilbert and Pritchard can place. z
heir proposition before the board "
md seek confirmation. With thel =
Governors approval il will then bel :
ossible to have the chief executivel i
Colonel Pleasant to with =
raw the suit .
And this query may be imperti- J.
ent: Instead Of being whales, if thel :
'auds were chargeable TO the small J,
~, what would be the programmed =
/ the instance? Plain justice with :
great big ].