Page:Looters of the Public Domain.djvu/334

 homestead entry of the piece desired. We then proceeded to Salem, where the claim was relinquished, and immediately thereafter selected as indemnity land.

The selection list is made out in triplicate form on large sheets of paper, capable of embracing several thousand acres, and it was the practice for the attorney for each applicant to attend to this feature by designating the land to be selected, together with its basis, after which the Clerk of the Land Board would secure the Governor's signature to the list and then transmit it to the local Land Office of the district where the tract was situated. The facts connected with the Governor's promise to the supposed woodchopper being presented to him, he promptly attached his signature to the list containing this single selection of 160 acres. Thereupon the entire land ring brigade got busy, and when the list left the hands of the Clerk of the State Land Board, it represented an application for more than 16.000 acres. This scoop more than repaid us for the trouble and expense we had undergone in promoting the creation of the reserve.

The principal grounds upon which the Board based its objections to signing the selection list, was because some member of the ring would cause a selection to be made covering a large tract of timber in a township that had just been surveyed, in which there were settlers who desired to make homestead filings. When a new township is thus thrown open to entry, it is always an easy matter to get the selection list into the hands of the Register of the Land Office ahead of the homesteaders, as we generally had the list mailed the day before, which would bring it to the attention of the Land Office officials on the morning that filings were receivable, thus giving the State a huge preference. The homesteader as a rule would thereupon appeal to the State Land Board for redress, which he generally got, and the selection list would have to be amended. These contests often resulted in the Board declining to sign any more lists until such time as some scheme of the character indicated was worked upon them. Under the law. settlers upon lands in an unsurveyed township have ninety days in which to file their claims at the local United States Land Office. Oftentimes we were able to bluff them out on account of possessing the State title, but as a general thing, whenever there was any interference of this sort, the Governor protected the settler as much as possible in his holdings.

During the term in office of T. W. Davenport, there was no dissatisfaction, as Mr. Davenport favored one no more than the other. He was of a different type to those preceding him in the State Land Office, being courteous and obliging to all. and strictly honest and on the square in doing his duty as an officer of the State, notwithstanding the many inducements held out to him by members of the School Land Ring.

During the administration of Geo. W. Davis, there was a deficit in the School Land fund amounting to something like $31,000. The supposition is that Davis, who was on very friendly terms with Rader. issued certificates of purchase to several thousand acres of indemnity land without receiving any money thereon, the understanding being, that when Rader made sale of the land, he was to divide the profits with Davis, at which time the latter would credit the school fund the amount due on the purchase price. In the meantime. Rader. in company with four Eastern capitalists. went into the timber in Clatsop County for the purpose of examining a tract of land. About two weeks later the entire party was found dead in camp, the supposition being that they fell victims to the poisonous effects of eating canned goods. As no record had been kept in the State Land Office showing to whom certificates of purchase were issued, and as Rader had possession of the papers, Davis had no way of getting hold of them. For obvious reasons, he was afraid to expose the deficiency alluded to, consequently he manipulated the cash entries in such manner that for three or four years it was not discovered. Upon its exposure, however. Davis absconded, and has never been punished.

The State began an action against E. P. McCornack and George G. Bingham, of Salem, to recover $5,000, the amount of surety as bondsmen for the Page 328