Show t rO HITS LAND RAF Former Secretary of Interior Says the Laws Need Amending PENSION ACTS KNOCKED Accuses Congress of Rushing Through Bills Bils Without i Investigation 1 4 Chicago Dec Dee 11 Former H.-Former Former Secretary 1 4 of the Interior I Ethan Etiman Allen Alen Hitchcock was wal the time guest of or honor and the principal prin 4 cipal speaker at the annual banquet of or orthe 4 the Commercial club of or Chicago In Inthe Inthe 4 the banquet hal hall of the tho Auditorium Annex Annex An An- 4 nex tonight tonight 4 His experience with wih the time land fraud Crud grafters while at tho head of or time the tle In Interior Interior In- In tenor department qualified Mr 11 Hitchcock hitchcock Hitch hitch- cock coce to speak authoritatively on that subject and he lie declared that tho time on only I Iway way to stop that and other frauds was 4 to put the tue offenders In Jail jai Arthur ArthUl D B. B Farwell Farwel and several other prominent men also spoke The speech of Mr Ir Hitchcock In which he lie dealt without gloves with wih the time question of or orland 4 land frauds and time the pension roll rol as the result resul of his long service as secretary of the Interior was listened to with wih great attention Court Method The iio land fraud Investigations pros Indictments and con convictions the result of or the confession began belan as resul of or one of oC the accomplices o of Hyde and Benson Denson who had been as usual unfairly dealt deal with wih In the division 01 of oj the tue plunder said Hitchcock Hyde and Benson Denson were indicted In IJ February 1901 I nearl nearly four years ago and their cases were hurried through I I the tue various courts o of the Pacific coast the District of or Columbia and Now Non York on all al sorts of or technicalities subterfuges etc by the defendants until until un un- til ill b by mandate of 01 tho the United States supreme court court tho the case calc was set for tor trial In the supreme court of or the tue District District Dis Dis- of 01 Columbia In October 1906 Since then timers the case has Imas been four our times continued from term to term until time tho spring term of ot the tue court In 1908 when If it the time principal witnesses are arc not dead deall or have havo not been otherwise other other- wise viso gotten goten rid of or we e ma may have a trial an and conviction con or acquittal and in tho tim of oC the te lator latter a U practical deathblow deathblow death deathblow blow to tho tim prosecution of ot land Jane fraud c cases caes and anti great groat rejoicing among the time s speculative land l lId Id bi n 1 c are uro um amended or repealed and the v violators of DC them promptly anti and severely severe severe- l ly h y punished by Jail jai sentences land f frauds will vIll wil nourish flourish Illegal fencing and appropriations o cf or f tIme the public lUbliC domain wilt will wil still stil prevail unless similar action is taken Inasmuch Inasmuch Inas Inns much us the law luw of or congress enacted February 1885 over twenty years cars ago has been until recently a b. b dead letter letor The method mod of or policy poley of disposing of oC public domain has been altogether wrong and amid should be abolished b by the Introduction of the sealed 11 bid which has been successfully demonstrated to give Ilvo each an an absolute equality of opportunity II lug ll for fur It I Is a startling starting fact that torL forty years cars sifter after aCer the close of tho the rebellion the government Is pay paying luG out OlO annually to pensioners Who wo havo received to date dale taLe since the tile end of the tIme ther r rebellion over three billion four our hundred hundred hun hun- dred million dollars dollars Each ach member o of congress has right to Lo pass five bills bis ut LU each congress In favor Cavor of or pensioners whose claims have never been submitted to tho tIme pension bureau for Cor examination and anti action acton but which are ore rushed through on the thu caPor caP cal of ot the hou house Q with probably fIfteen or twenty members in as aH man many minutes Tho Timo St. St L Louis papers on tho time morning morn morn- ing lug of oC December 8 published d a Washington Wash Wash- ington dispatch dated tho the InsL reading as follows Since there have been granted grant grant- ranted rant rant- ed b by special acts of congress 1 pensions und and Increase of or pensions of or which 1362 are now on tho the rolls with an rn rn annual face Cace value of During the last session o of congress 2053 special p pensions nets acts act were puss pass ed eel increasing the payment o of pensions pensions pen pen- peni i by The private pension bill lihi bi has Imas come to be regarded as a n congressional perquisite On tho the second day of 01 the present congress private pension bills bis were introduced In the tIme senate |