The Coconino sun., 1920-10-15
THE DEFENSE OF THE LAND GANG


 Wiley Jones' attorney general from time immernor- a and candidate for another term member of the state fend the action of the land gang in tying up Hrzonas vast heritage in a few vast holdings
 Wiley starts out by saying that Governor Camp bell has been the presiding officer of the land board which consists of five members, and therefore responsible along with the rest for it's policy.
 bl Moeur, land commissioner, has. been the power in the state land department has run it to suit himself and Governor Campbell had fine chance with four such hghbnders against him to do anything until the gang fell out and Jones, Ross and Boyce wrote their famous letter to Moeur. That Governor Campbells oppor- tunity and he seized it. Jones and Ross wanted to fire Moeur without hearing, but Governor Campbell thought that it was high time to let the people of A- zona know what was going on in the state land depart mens ne & ,nauIy was ne,a put Slmms Jones and Ross state.
 Wiley Jones gives as his excuse for switching and recalling his letter of request for Moeurs resignation the JONES SAID NOTHING ABoUT THIS LETTER R''Is IN the request the numerous complaints which had been coming in for months about the administration of the state land which he said had become ntolerable and THE HEALTH of MIR. MOEUR, which he added had forced him to leave the administration of his office to his subordinates The fact was that the administration of ocras that Jones and Ross thought it was about time to unload. They then wrote their famous round robin It took only day for Elmer Coker to call off Ross, but Jones was longer in switching. When John Dunbar got into action, Jones also Topped and find him the chief defender of the land gang and making the lame cuSe the HllSSVe 70 MOeur was based forged letter Wiley admits that when pressure applied he and Ross stayed away from caed meeting of the land board while Moeurs friends tried to patch up the row.
 Jones arraigns Governor Campbell for not voting to fire Bill Moeur without hearing Announcement that the letter had been written by Jones' Ross and Boyce in the papers of the state brought to Governor Campbe desk hundreds of telegrams asking for complete nves hgaton based the Jones' -RossBoyce letter the best way to handle it. Had Governor Campbell voted tc fire Moeur Jones and his gang would have put oth member of the ring the job the whole affair would have been whitewashed and the crowd would have been running the land department in the old way
 Jones says that Governor Campbell was member of the land board for three years and has just raised his voice against the leasing system The practice of sodating dummy leases and granting the consolidated lease practically in perpetuy at nominal rate started until this summer after the land bill had become law Before that time Bill Moeur permitted the dum- my leasing system although was plainly in violation of law Governor Campbell says himself that he always be- ieved the old law was impractcabe and in his Flagstaff He says that he thought the land bill good law, but would not sign it because he believed it would be badly administered and in way which would deprive the peo7 pie of the state from any real benefit of the land which is just what has occurred Governor Campbell never op posed enlarged leasing He believes that the cattemen should have large enough body of land to make it worth while and he stated in the campaign two years ago and in his Flagstaff speech. What he does oppose giving enlarged leases in perpetuity and in consodat ing dummy leases so as to tie up practically forever lands which may become valuable for agricultural purposes the very thing which has happened northwest of Tucson in Pima county; in the Casa Grande valley in Marcopa county north of the Agua Fra in the northern counties and in many other places in the state.
 IOVefnOf in February to the cattemen "We have policies in the state land board that know of except those ommended by Mir. Moeur, the state land commissioner, and want the credit placed where it belongs" We do not know whether Governor Campbell said this but if he lid, he spoke the exact truth. MoEUR WAS THE STATE LAND DEPARTMENT and must be given the credit the blame for administering the state lands His principal defender is Wiley Jones, who on May 3rd him that the administration of the state land department under his direction had become ntolerabe and demanded his resignation.
 Jones has been telling his hearers that the state ands only worth three dollars acre because con- gress put that price them in 1911 in making the al for payment of bonded debt of counties Does Mr. Jones believe that these lands have not increased in value in nine years, when many of them are being brought under cultivation? In Tucson he told the people that the best lands of the state had been tied in the form with Carl Hayden who allowed Cato Sells to take half of Pima county for few nomadc Indians, the man. woman and child of the Papago tribe Jones says the lands are worth $500 acre. but he defends pol icy under which they are leased practically in perpetuy at cents per per cent on the investment which belongs to the people of Arizona.
 "We have passed law that any homesteader who wants additional land adjoining his homestead can have preference right to it" says Wiley Jones The law is all right but how is it administered by the land gang? What good does such law do the homesteader when he finds that the land adjoining his has already been selected and leased practically for all time to big land outfit for song? This has happened in many places in the state With the main portion of the land of the state tied by few big outfits, what chance have citizens, to build home, to farm from the desert? We would not have any Casa Grande valley today had this policy been pursued in the past.
 Every leaseholder, under the law has preference right to renewal says Mr. Jones' That is true and the way the law is administered, it gives him perpetual right and there is chance for the small homesteader acquire this land when it becomes valuable for agr- cultural purposes The land is not put up for bids when the lease expires as provided for by law There are hundreds of cattemen in Arizona who do not want to hold land for grazing when becomes valuable for ag- bo1so tho4fh hoSf fn hOId what