Montana labor news., 1945-04-19

naugh.' When this testimony was cit 4
ed to MI. Cavanaugh he answered on
oath as follows: Il am not, sir, never
was in Lincoln guloh in my life, until
after I left the commission" !
The testimony Of other witnesses Z
proved c~onclusively that the land for
which patent was contested contained
buildings, mining shafts, cuts, tunnels
tarings, dumps ana an arastra-a mill
for working gold ore-and that men were
mining the disputed land, both for
quartz and placer mineral, at the very
time the mineral classification was al
legged to have been made. It was also
clearly proven that the land had been
located and worked as mineral land for
many years previous to that date. YET
it was classified as non-mineral. There
is only one explanation to account for
such a classification. In the language
Of one witness, the land was heavily
timbered." The railway company has a
great liking for land heavily timbered"
It is extremely valuable.
Under the instructions Of the Secre-
tary Of the interior and the federal law
providing for this mineral classification,
the commissioners were instructed to go
upon and carefully examine each forty
acre tract of land in the railway grant.
/. The testimony adduced in the Rowand
case e~onclusively demonstrates that the
a commissioners ignored the law and in
n structions and classified many sections
Q as a whole, without such examination
/ and investigation.
k The decision of the land officials at
Z. Helena. from the evidence adduced at
n the hearing. was as follows: Upon
evidence adduced it is found it estab-
fishes the known mineral character Of
a the land in question at the date of
the classification, and that that CLASH
e fication was not based upon a proper
n examination by the commissioners,
IS therefore fraudulent under the holding
ID in Lamb ct al. vs.. Northern Pacific r.
1r R. Co. { % L.D.1O2). Your office rec
Sc ommends that the approval Of the CLASH
lie fication be set aside as to those portions
Of said section % covered by the mining
Id claims above mentioned"
I'd On review of the contest and evidence
fit Acting Secretary Of the Interior Thomas
rr. Ryan confirmed the decision of the
ed Helena officials in TIL. following words:
n 1T il. sufficient to say of the record.
that, in the opinion Of the department
H. the evidence submitted, which has beer
carefully examined, fully sustains the
findings and conclusions reached by
IN your office. The department, therefore
concurs in the recommendations, and the
OF approval Of the classification is revoked
accordingly" Mr.. Rowand obtained his
~. patent. No other conclusion from the
Oh evidence could be reached by any homes
and just tribunal.
The most significant testimony pro.
duced at the hearing of that contest wa.
ia three letters dated respectively Apr
~ %, 1906. May IA, 1906, and June IA, 1906
A' written by Thomas Cooper, general liant
- agent of the Northern Pacific Railwa,
''n Company, to John r.. Toole, head mana
on ger Of the Big Blackfoot Mining com
pany, a huge lumber and timber con
Germ of Montana, in substance as fol
'ie lows: please expedite the settlemen
90 of this Rowand affair as speedily a
possible, as I am apprehensive as to th
effect the investigation might have O.
ioii the other classifications of miners
'"s land"
Well might the railway company b
"-apprehensive" of the effect of such a
investigation, as it certainly was preG
4, nant with danger to the railway con
M pany's interests in exposing that glal
ingly sinister classification and hu.
public sWindle.
If the young, Jealous and earnest SCI
rotary of the interior in President Roos0
velt's cabinet is anxious to make a nan
for himself in exposing and punishiI
land frauds. he can find no more pror
Using field than Montana, and no mo
unsatisfactory, crooked and dishone
mess than the mineral land c~lassiic
ton of that state. This gigantic pie
of dishonest public land manipulation
rank and smells to Heaven" 1t mea
millions of dollars of enrichment to {
Northern Pacific Railroad and VI
a.. unique and daring in its sinister croc
edness.
Governmental Indifference and neg
gence, coupled with corporate greed a
o,,o- official rascality, enabled this HI
= -, fraud to be perpetrated in Monta.
Governmental diligence and zeal sho-
now rip up this fraudulent classtIcati
ifios set aside the whole award and make
honest and just classification and seq
+bo CATION Of the mineral land in the II
roa dgrant.