The Wallace miner. [volume] (Wallace, Idaho) 1907-current, 1918-08-01
ADOPT LOTTERY SCHEME
SALE OF STATE LANDS
ANOTHER SCANDAL IN LAND
BOARD FOR DEMOCRATS
TO WHITEWASH. i.
tBoise Correspondence


The troubles of Governor Moses
Alexander and his democratic admin
istration continue to multiply. Last
week 1t was the Nom Partisan league.
This week he still has the league on
his back and another land board scan
dali as well. 1t Is said that the state
stands to lose $4,000 on account Of a
land sale recently held in Madison
county conducted by a land board Of
fetal.
On July 10 the state land board con-
Quoted land sale in Madison county.
There were 297 prospective buyers in
attendance. The law provides that all
land sales shall be by competitive bids.
This is what happened When the
hour of sale arrived, the prospective
buyers asked that the sale be adjourn
ed one hour. The adjournment was
taken and the prospective buyers i'm
mediatey proceeded to hold a lottery
in the room where the sale was being
conducted, for the go tracts contain
ing 1900 acres offered at the sale.
Each OF the 29S men wrote his name
on a slip OF paper and the names were
then put into a hat and "dra wing"
took place, right under Land Commits
sloner Shoots nose. 1t was a gentle
mans agreement. The first sixty
names drawn were to have the land at
the appraised vaMe, with no competi-
tive bidding, the first name drawn to
have first choice, and SO on down the
line. After each mans right was es-
tablshed by the lottery system, the
sale was permitted to proceed and the
so tracts We're knocked down to the
non competitive bidders at the APP
praised value of from $40 to s14 an
acre.
Buyers Make Big Profits.
That the land was appraised at a
ridiculously low figure Is shown by the
fact that after the sale a number of
the successful purchasers resold their
rights" at very advanced figure. One
purchaser is alleged to have resold his
tract at an advance of $2240; another
at $4,000 and others for less amounts.
1t Is alleged that banker from st.
Anthony was authorized by syndi-
gate to bid as high as SIS an acre for
1000 acres. A Logan, Utah, syndicate
was said to have had an agent on the
ground with instructions to go as high
as $50 an acre for 5000 acres. If the
sale Is contaminated, it is conserva-
lively estimated that the state school
funds will lose 100000 and some put
the amount as high as 100000.
Other Scandals Whitewashed.
This is not the first scandal OF this
kind that is charged against the DEM
ocratic administration. Some months
ago a sale took place in Jefferson
county in which the land commission
err is charged with ignoring competi-
tive bids and crying off the sale SO
fast that there was opportunity for
but one bid on each tract, namely, the
appraised price, while there We're COM
petitive bidders present willing to pay
more. There is not any doubt what
ever but that the state endowment
funds lost thousands of dollars in this
sale also; but the democratic state
land board whitewashed the transac-
ton.
Another illustration of the system
In vogue came to light in Teton coun-
ty. In that county some presumptious
individual insisted on his right to bid
for the land he wished to purchase, as
provided by law, and it is said he re-
ceived a severe calling down and that
the example of this man deferred 9TH
ers from making competitive bids
School Children Suffer.
How many hundreds of thousands
of dollars have been lost to the school
of this state by such methods |
will probably never be known; but the |
Madison county deal is so raw that 1t |
is doubtful IL 1t can be put over. How |
ever. in view of the whitewashing Civ |
en- the Jefferson county sale, the pro-
ceedings before the state land board |
will be watched with interest