Arizona republican., 1920-05-18
I. r. PARKER SAID
 ID HAVE WRITTE FAMOUS LEI TER
Fifth Open Hearing of Land
 Department Graft Probe Brings Out the Lie and
 Other Interesting Things

AAASO OGI S11O A~AA CHM
 Other Interesting Things
 The only actual development in the fifth open hearing of the land depart ment investigation last night covering a period of four hours, was the fact that the letter bearing the name of $. G. Barrows and which precipitated all the trouble. was written by A. F. Parker, as had been suspected. That was brought out by Miss Bessie Davis, houselSeeper of the Mansion House at Benson, who identified an Oliver type writer. No. 3. as one that belonged to the hoteis that was seldom used, and that so far as she knew was used by only two guests within six months. One of them was Parker who used the ma chine about March 13. which was about the date Of the letter.
 The evening was devoted largely to the troubles of Dr. E. B. Perrin with the land department. Dr. Perrin is the owner of 240000 acres of land in Vari- ous parts of the state, and during the administration of Land Commissioner Moeur had made futile efforts to add to his holdings by leases, until at last he acquired the impression that he was persona non grata in the office of the ] commissioner.
 Dr. Perrin was accompanied by his attorney, Robert F. Morrison of Pres colt. On his appearance there was a shifting of gears in the investigation. Messrs. Struckmeyer and Bullard who had been representing respectively the land board and the land commissioners, retired to the background, that is, they nominally retired, and MT. Morrison and Fen s. Hildreth, the latter repre- senting interests adverse to those of Dr. Perrin. took their places.
 pr. Perrin Appears
 MT Morrison made Q statement of { the complaint he would offer. He would show that the commissioner in his dealings with Dr. Perrin had vio- lated the law and the rules established in the department. He said that Dr. Perrin was the owner of a large mum Der of the odd-numbered sections of land lying west, northwest and north of the Baca' grant which was also owned by Dr. Perrin In 1915 he held under lease some 55 of the alternate and contiguous sections to the odd numbered sections.
 These leases would expire at vari- ous times, a few of them this year and some of them next year. Under the law as 1t stood in 1915. an applicant for renewal of a lease was required to make application not more than so days and not less than 30 days before its expiration And at the end of the five-year period the land was subject 10 re-appraisal Application was made in due time in behalf of Dr. Perrin and as late as February 9, 1919, Mr. Nor rlson said. accompanied by the doctor he called upon the land commissioner, was cordially received and was assured that before any disposition was made of the land on which the leases would expire hearing would be given. Rea- son, he said, was given them to be- lieVe that the leases would be renewed.
 Leases We're Cancelled
 But subsequently,, it was learned that the leases had been cancelled and the land had been transferred to the Hud- speth Sheep company-some 50 of the sections. In many cases these leases would run until d924. Thus the land had been transferred without re- appraisal, to the loss of the state
 The amendment to the land code had gone into effect before all of these transactions were completed, but said Adr- Morrison. the acts of the land com missioner were equally violative of the amended law and the rules.
 At the conclusion Of his statement Mr- Hildreth asked Mir. Morrison if this was to be trial of the equities or the case between Dr. Perrin and the sheep company then pending. Mr Morrison replied that it would not be; that the only matter to be looked into was not the rights of either of those Htlsants, but the acts of the commis- sloner under the law and the rules of the department
 MT. Moeur was then called to the stand. He answered in the negative most or the carefully prepared ques- tions of the attorney relative to the conversations the commissioner had had with Dr. Perrin and others, among Whom were Messrs. Loftus and Bark ley his agents. ell denied that he had refused pr. Perrin a hearing to Which Mir. Morrison replied that a hearing would have done no good after the harm had been done by the can eeHation of the leases and the transfer of the land to the sheep company.
 Declines to Bring Records
 Inquiry was made by the attorney concerning certain records and cor respondence relating to this transac- tion. The witness said that they would be forthcoming, and again mention was made of the affairs of the Burk- Leader Oil company which had figured in the previous hearing At this point Mir Struckmeyer, referring to an episode little earlier in which both Mir. Moeur and his chief deputy Mir. Clark had refused to submit without the con sent of MT. Bullard certain records and correspondence of a personal char acter, asked if the land board was helpless to compel the bringing in of this evidence.
 MT, Morrison replied that in his 30 years practice he had never advised a client to disobey a summons of tbe court or an order duces tecum The order, he said, he had always regarded as something to be obeyed But whether the evidence, once 1t was brought in, was to be admitted was another matter and it was there that he had always made his fight MT. Bullard, replying to this asked if client of his had ever been brought into court or made d defendant with out a complaint having been filed against him.
 In order to bring out the state of mind of the commissioner wifi, v-ear,oc+ to Dr. Perrin, NTr Morrison asked inc
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