OCR Text |
Show HENEY'S GREAT WORK IN OREGON LANJ) CASES The selection of Francis ,1. Heney tn prosecute the grafters of San Francisco recalls the magnificent work he did in unearthing the gigantic land frauds in Oregon a year or more ago. Henry Beech Xeedham describes Teney's achievemente in "Success Magazine'1 for January: When he sncceeded to the Presidency, Roosevelt began a warfare on the ras cala who were stealing from the Government. Gov-ernment. First, the postoffiee thieves were prosecuted with a vigor that was relentless and sure. Theu, disioverv was made that the United States was being defrauded out of its public domain. do-main. In thie form of graft there had developed a psychological phenomenon called the "lard conscience." Higher respectable men were parties to the stealing of public lands. This was particularly- true of Oregon. The Attorney-General was askeif to select a man who would prosecute the grafters above all a man who co;ir secure convictions. con-victions. Mr. Knox named Francis ,T. Heney. Heney had never been in Oregon. There he had no friends. He was tin familiar with the operations of the land thieves. He did not understand the moral twist of the eommunitv. which winked at this grafting. He did not re-slize re-slize that the leadiug I'nited States Senator, so gre.it was his popularity, could "do no wrong" in the eyes of a worshipful constituency. He did not know that this powerful officeholder I was the head of a corrupt party ma-! ma-! chine, and that this machine was th I main spring of the grafting in the State. But the Attorney-General was suspicious. The Fresident agree, 1 with the Attorney-General, anil Heny was permitted to inaugurate his great work. Ignorant of the renditions that con fronted him. Hcuev wenj forth tu Kettle Ket-tle with the evildoers in the court .h of Oregon. He was greeted with sullen disfavor, or with outspoken hatred. The newspapers, most of ttieni, were opposed op-posed to. him. The land thieves, through their high-salaried attoinevs. controlled the Oregon Bar assocmf ion. and a resolution was adopted protesting protest-ing sgainst the appointment of a "carpet "car-pet bagger" to prosecute the land fraud cases. Foremost in his achievements is the j conviction of I'nited States Senator Mitchell. Ex Representative Hermann. I some time commissioner of the general land office, was indicted for complicity in the Oregon land ' frauds and is awaiting trial, likewise John H. Hall, ex-l'nited States Attorney for the Pi trict of Oregon. Kx Survevor-General Mel'Srum is among those that are al ready convicted, as are two members of the Oregon State Senate. One of these legislators, W. N. Jones, n big timber speculator, is under sentence to serve a term in the penitentiary; an other, F. F. Mays, attorney for the Nor thern Pacific railroad and a very-wealthy very-wealthy man. will also go behind the bars. So far, thirty four menGovernment menGov-ernment and State officials, bankers, lawvers. aud timber speculators have been tried, and of this number thirt three have been found guil'v' Jus' one man. in h batch of three, has c-caped c-caped cn ict ion. |