Year: 1870

Sfanu larceny carried on III the lulteQ states


land Offices on this coast for the past ten years


that has been a disgrace to the officials and


the Government they serve, and an outrage


and swindle upon all who had business at


the Offices. There may be exceptions in some


of the Offices, but if there are it has not come


to our notice. 1t may be that these rascali-


ties are known of by the President and Sec


retary of the Interior at Washington, and by


them approved of, and the spoils shared with


them; but we are not disposed to believe this


without proof of very positive character


This corruption has gone to, and been partici-


pated in by the very clerks that sign the


Presidents name to land patents in Wash


ington city. These corruptions did not exist


on the first establishment of land offices on


this coast to any very great extent, but they


have now reached point where silence on


the part of those beng cognizant of the fact


is sin. When the Marysville Land Office


was first established, the Register sent blank


declarations of pre-emption to all the neigh


borlloods where the lands were being survey


ed and opened to pre-emption claimants, free


of charge, and in many instances packages


of them to leading individuals, with circulars


giving directions how the neighbors should


fill them up and return to the land Office.


These declarations were filed, and certificates


returned to the proper parties, and in no in


stance did the pre-emptor pay over S5, and
never was required to go to the land Office


for the mere filing of decaratory statement.


Soon after. the Republican party got posses


sion Of the Government, and Republican Off


ci1ls took charge of the land Offices, party


here wished to file declaratory statement in


the Marysville land office, and the party


making out the declaration sent what we to,,,,,


him was sufficient. The Certificate came back


all right, but with it letter telling the party


that if he was going to do that business for


his neighbors and others, that he must in the


future send 81 so if he expected his matters


to be promptly attended to--the Register ad-


hitting in the letter that this sum was over
the legal fees, but intimating that it could just
as well be had as not, and if it did not come
the business might not be properly done.
Subsequent to this, AN attachc or clerk in the
Office would inform parties who were proving
up and paying for land that he had an ar
rangement at Washington by which he could
procure their patents within three or four
months, when in the regular order they
would not come for tLr,e or for years, if the
party would pay him certain sum of money
asking fifty dollars, and in some
instances taking as low as twenty, when he
could get no more. This arrangement was
nothing more nor less than bribing the clerks
at Washington with ten or fifteen dollars to
take up the papers in such cases out of their
order, and sign the Presidents name to pat
cnts and forward them here for money; thus
grossly dcfrauding, and delaying the patents
of others who were not inclined to be bed Or
made party to such illegal rascalitv. We
know Of parties who paid for land in 1859,
nearly eleven years ago, who have not yet
received their patents, and simply because,
we suppose, the bribed clerks at Washington
have been so busy hunting out the papers
and signing patents for which they receive
money from their land office con-
that they could not find time to
attend to the legitimate business in its order.
When corruption invades the department bu-
reaus and bribes the very clerks to sigu
President Grants name illegally and out Of
time, is it not time the public and President
know it? Three dollars and seyentv-fve
cents, in greenbacks, is about the extent of
.he fees the Register and Receiver are both
entitled to for filing and giving a certificate of
1 declaratory statement, and those who pay
more than this are simply swindled out of the
overplus. We know case where one of
these land Office pimps took $50 from a poor
widow woman and died before the patent
come, or he had sent on the bribing fee to
he patent clerk, and she had to pay s25
more to have her patent hurried up. We
lad a talk with an old friend few days ago,
who is now United States District Attorney
or one of the Territories, on the subject of
hese land Office swindles, and he told us that
lie believed it was useless to seek remedy
through Wilson, the Commissioner, but that
application should be made directly to Sec
'etary Cox and President Grant We dis
ike to see our neighbors or the public swind
ed, or men hold public positions who are not
content with the legitimate fees and emolu-
nents of their offices. This thing of keeping
patents back until corrupting money can be
.yacted counled with the ionorauce Of n Dis |