The Indiana State Sentinel

The Hot Springs Commission.

A Washington paper on Wednesday published an interview with Judge John J. Sumpter, of Hot Springs, Ark., from which it appears that the people of Hot Springs are not satisfied with the work of the commission sent down to determine the vexed question regarding titles to land in that vicinity. The following is an extract from the interview: "Do you mean that the commission has been influenced by corrupt motives?"

"I do. I am certain that corruption can be proven, and that the members have either directly or indirectly received valuable consideration for some of their decisions. I, along with every interested person in Hot Springs, want a peaceable means of undoing the wrongs done by the commission. This can be done by Congress appointing an appellate court or commission, where parties who feel themselves aggrieved can have their cases properly reviewed and justice done. The secretary of the interior, or commissioner of the general land office, will suit our people for that purpose. I am almost certain that every grievance can in that way be corrected and satisfy our people, who are heartily tired of fighting for their homes. It would be better than a congressional investigation."

"It would take some time to get the machinery you speak of in operation?"

"Yes; but I will remain until some means are provided to get us out of our present difficulties. Our people have been sorely tried by this question of unsettled titles, and we are as one in hoping that the action of the commission will be a finality, except in cases where wrong has been done. We should deprecate any attempt to reopen the question by Congress, further than to grant the right of appeal to aggrieved parties. Errors have been made that everyone in Hot Springs knows ought to be corrected: in some instances streets have cut claims in two, and the commission have issued certificates for that part of the land upon which there was no improvement and thrown the part upon which were located homes back upon the Government. Such errors as these are patent and may have been mistakes. A court of appeals can and will correct all errors and fully satisfy our people."