The $2 Million School-Land Grab

OLYMPIA, Sept. 14.—Special.—In the contest of the state against John G. McBride for state school section 16, valuable land inside the Tacoma city limits, which was salted with gold dust and filed upon by speculators as a mineral claim, the register and receiver of the local land office have ordered arguments on the testimony to begin tomorrow. As Attorney General Jones was about to leave for Spokane today, the following notice was served upon him:

“Please take notice that in accordance with the instructions of the honorable secretary of the interior, ‘upon the determination of the hearing, you will promptly render your decision, give due notice thereof to both parties, and at the expiration of thirty days thereafter, forward the record with any appeal which may be filed,’ this office gives notice that the plaintiff and defendant will be given until Saturday, September 15, 1894, at 4 p.m., in which to submit either in writing or orally their arguments in the above entitled case. JOSEPH F. MURPHY, Register. EDWARD E. HAWKINS, Receiver.”

Attorney General Jones at once filed the following affidavit and protest in the land office:

“W. C. Jones, being first duly sworn, deposes and says that he is the attorney general of the state of Washington; that on the 13th day of September, 1894, in the afternoon of said day, the notice, a copy of which is hereto attached and made a part of this protest, marked exhibit A, was served upon him by the register and receiver of the above-entitled land office; that the testimony in said case is not yet transcribed, and your affiant is informed by the stenographer doing the work that it cannot be transcribed for several days after the 15th day of September, specified in said notice; that until the transcription of such testimony and an opportunity given to the attorneys of the state to examine the same and make objections thereto, it is impossible to fairly or reasonably argue the same or prepare or file a brief therein; that your affiant considers said order to be grossly unjust and unfair, and the same is designed to obstruct justice and prevent a fair presentation of said cause before said receiver and register, neither of whom have heard more than a small portion of the testimony therein. Wherefore your affiant protests against the said action of said register and receiver as wholly unjustifiable, oppressive and unfair. W. C. JONES.”

The local land officers are acting under instructions from A. P. Swineford, who, as inspector of land offices, is their superior officer. Swineford appears to be also attorney for the land-grabbers. When the Olympia officials demurred to the haste as to the arguments Swineford said he would take the responsibility of making the order, and represented that he had asked Commissioner Lamoreux for instructions, who ordered the case to proceed at once.

The land in dispute is said to be worth $2,000,000.