The Shadowy Harvest of a Disgraced Register

In the interest of justice and for the welfare and ease of mind of the settlers in this land district, The Herald enters a protest against Ira M. Krutz being permitted to practice before the local land court. Mr. Krutz has lately been relieved from the office of register and it is openly claimed that there has been a deliberate preparation for a harvest of cases—a sort of 'champerty and maintenance.' The administration of the office by Mr. Krutz has been without question of the most flagrant character. He openly sided with the Northern Pacific company in hopes of a reward, and in one case he had his opinion written out in favor of the company and changed it to an opposite view once he found he had nothing to look for in that quarter. When Mr. Krutz realized that he could no longer hold the office of register, he set about preparing to reap rich returns from knowledge he had acquired while a government officer. Little flits and loopholes—long delays—soiling business with the promise of gaining the point later on when he was out of the service; these have been the means resorted to, and The Herald calls upon the general land office to circumvent the results that are promised from this subtle preparation. The same ruling should hold in this case as in that of Luther Harrison—that an outgoing register should be prohibited from practice before the office he has vacated for a period of two years. Mr. Krutz should be disbarred.