Page:Looters of the Public Domain.djvu/367



proceeded to lay all the facts before United States Attorney Hall, accompanied by the recommendation that criminal action be taken at once against the officers of the offending corporation, as despite their repeated assurances, they had taken no steps to remove any of the illegal obstructions.

Instead of complying with Dixon's recommendations, Hall brought a civil suit against the company, and in almost the same breath began criminal actions against several stockmen of minor importance who had been guilty of illegal inclosures to the extent of a few hundred acres in each case. Hall's efforts to protect his political associates and shield those "higher up," in this and other respects, eventually caused his removal from office and subsequent indictment on a conspiracy charge. Page 361