Page:Oregon Historical Quarterly volume 11.djvu/161

Rh acceptance of an application for land, and the making of a small fractional payment, had from an early day been made transferable. This was not in accordance with the spirit of the affidavit required of the purchaser to the effect that "purchase is for actual use of applicant" and that "no contract . . has been made for the sale or other disposition" of it. So generally, however, were these certificates of sale of Oregon lieu land selections huckstered about the country that other lieu land operators conceived the idea that it would be a lucrative business to counterfeit them. This was done and they were sold to an extent that some 50,000 acres were covered by them.

At the opening of 1903, George E. Chamberlain assumed the governor's chair. With him as president of the state land board and Oswald West, his appointee, as state land agent, the administration of the state's land affairs was characterized by a sense of responsibility for the public welfare rather than that of deference to private greed. With the unity and co-operation of the two branches of the state's land department order and system was for the first time realized in its records. Frauds were exposed and reparation made as far as possible for former duplicate sales. The legislature responded and the price of the remaining state lands was raised and the land board used its discretion so that the state has since received full market value for all lands sold. As there were only scattered fragments left, nothing more could be done.

Had there been any lively purpose cherished to be fulfilled by means of these public resources, things would have been different. Had they figured in any vision of the future to be realized by the commonwealth, the land laws would have had point and the administrative officials would have been inspired with zeal for the common good. On the contrary, there were not even the conditions of fair play maintained. Instead of making such opportunities as there were in lands offered cheaply, public and manifest, to the toiler, who was producing the wealth of the state, these prizes were so held out of sight that only the professional social parasite could avail himself of them.