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Frauds In The State Land Office

Frauds In The State Land Office image
Parent Issue
Day
18
Month
April
Year
1873
Copyright
Public Domain
OCR Text

The rumora of corruption in the Stnto Land Office, ïiot wholly set at rest by the result of thfl impeachment trial of the late Commissiouer ot' the Land Office, Edmonds, havo at last devoloped into something tangible. When Gov: Bagley besan his oflicial duties ho determined to make a thorough Qverhauling of the affairs oí tho State Land Ülh'oe, with a view to discovering the truth of the matter in relation to tho alleged frauds. He was assisted in tracing up tho trans:ictions by tüe uew Commissioner, Mr. Clapp, and the very efficiënt and aecoinmodating chiof clerk, Mr O. A. Boweu, who devoted thcnisolves to raaking a close examination anii comparison of the mnltitade of books and papers wherein ure recordad the transactions of the State Land Office. This involved au immense auiount of labor, and the facts will be set forth by Gov. Bagley in a special message to the LegLslature. SELLING UÍTCLE SAil'S LANDS. Briefly set forth i.hey are as follows : Comiuissioner Edmonds, frora August 20 to December 3, 1872, disposed of to eight different individuals landa v.-hich did not belong to the State of Michigan at all, but to the United States, or had heen pa tented by the general governuient to private partios, sorne of it years ago. One individual, noted as a land speculator, purcliased 3,000 acres of those iands, another 700, and the rest, (kuoanting in all to 4,049 and 49-100 acres, were tuíen up by the remaining six persons. The lands are situated in Saginaw, Tuscola, Alcona, Gladwin, Iosco aud Ogeruaw oountios, and the price realized by the Stato tbr them (nominally) was $5,061. Hosv luuch the Commissiouer realized is not know. STEALING " 1XDEMNITY LANDS." Thero were sold to thrce othí r individuals lands that had beenjgranted by the LTnited States to replace landa assigned to the State, but not delivered, for riaSOH3 connected with the pre-eiuption laws, 3,080 ♦ci'es. These lanas, known ua '■ indemnity lands," had never beo oñ'ered at public sale and consequently wore not in the market, and could not bu disposed of by the Comtuissiouer. ïho amount given to the Stato Tiuusury for tliein was So.Kf.o, t,cinS uiluluiuia piice of f ï.o par acre for lands wort'n tfairty timen that sum. They are located in Missaukee and Kalkaska couutiest and they wnre sold September 28 to December ijlst last year. ÊTEALIJTG KAILEOAD LAN'fiS. A single individual, Welcome Ilyde by narae, hadpatented to him December 31st, i M7i2, by Commissionor Edmonds, 4,373 90100 acres of lands reserved to the Chicago & Northwestern railroad, located in Delta and Menomineo oouuties. These lands brought into the Stuto Xreasury the minimum government prico pur acre. The railroad eompany would havo held thcm at from íive to ten times thataruouut, and güt it, too. STEALING MINERAL LA.NDS. Finally thcse money-making transactions ended December 31st, 1872, by dispcsing to an individual, residitig at Marquette, of 1,240 acres ot' mineral ïauds situated in Marquette county, near Negauneo, and reserved from eale. ï'or this tho Conimissioner turned over to the State Treasury .$ 4.9G0 ; being at the late of four dollars an aero. Thu lands had a minimum price set on thein August 26th, 1869, of seven dollars an acre, aud were worth - well, ask a Lako Superior man what iron lands are worth, and figuro up

Article

Subjects
Old News
Michigan Argus