Democratic Sentinel, Volume 9, Number 11, Rensselaer, Jasper County, 10 April 1885 — CAUGHT IN A BIG STEAL. [ARTICLE]

CAUGHT IN A BIG STEAL.

Attempt to Plunder the Nation of 600,000 Acres of Land. The Old Emissaries of the Southern Pacigc Railraad in the Land Office Used as Go- . Between*-—Chandler’s Order Regarding Wivetof Naval N. Y. World Washington Special: Every day new proof is bro’t forward to show the wisdom of the change in the administration of national affairs. Each day new evidence is brought to light showing that the changes in the personnel of the departments can hardly be too sweeping or radical if a thorough reform in the administration of public affairs is to be secured. The other day a dispatch was given in the World describing the radical steps being taken by Gen. Sparks to protect the interests of the Land Offico from the-corporation interests which have so long controlled it Their audacity in holding on to the very last moment is something very extraordinary. Yesterday General Sparks found evidence of an attempt to steal over half million acres of laud right out from under a contrary order of Secretary Lamar’s a few days before General Sparks gained possession of the Land Office. For a number of yrs the Southern Pacific has claimed 15,000,000 acres assigned to them by the Texas Pacific Railroad. Congress at the last session declared this grant forfeited, and directed that the land should be restored to the public domain. Upon March 18 Secretary Lamar .issued an order directing the Registers of the various land offices throughout the country to hold these lands subject to entry and settlement. In the survey of the Louthern Pacific Road it laps at the junction with the Texas Pacific Railroad in such a manner that for a number of miles it runs across the lands of the TexasiPacific grant. After Mr. Lamar had issued his order the agents of the road, anxious to save something out of the wreck of 15,000,000, applied thro’ their old friends in the Land Office to have the lands adjoining their road where it laps upon the Texas Pacific line exempted from the order. Such an exemption was made and was issued March 18 by the acting Land Commissioner Harrison. The tract exempted embraces, nearly 600,000 acres of land. This violation of Mr. Lamar’s order was very quietly accomplished. It was only yesterday that General Sparks discovered it. He called upon Mr. Harrison to explain his issuing such an extraordinary order. He said that he had signed it merely in a routine way. This is a favorite defense for every job unearthed in the departments. The order was traced back to the Chief Clerk and the head of the Railroad Division in the bureau. Neither one of them would assume the responsibility of the order. General Sparks intends to carefully investigate the whole subject and find out who is responsible for it. Here under the beautiful workings of the civil service the expert agents of the plunderers of the public lands have been left in the departments in such positions that accident only disclosed their attempt to take out over half a million acres of land contrary to the order of the head of that department throwing these lands open to

public entries. There is no defense to be made for such an attempt It was as deliberate a theft as was ever planned, for if the order could have stood undisturbed for s number of years it wo’d have given the Southern Pacific Road a good claim to title in the courts.— What is true of the Land Office is probably true of any one of the great bureaus of the Government where the corporations of the country have had! large interest* at stake.