Lincoln telegraph. [volume] (Bath, Me.) 1836-1846, 1841-08-05


absurdtes, extravaganza and pecuIaiion in which
your administration was plunged, and which shall
consider further hereafter. VERIFAS.
TO THE HON. JOHN FAIRFIELD.
NO. 8
SIR,-In the letter had the honor recently TO
address you, stated that the military demenstra-
tons and extravagant expenditures made by you,
and your Land Agent under your directions, in pur-
of the Resolve of January oath, 1889, could
have been justified only by an extraordinary and
pressing emergency, such seldom occurs IN the
ordinary civil administration Of State affairs.
What acdS the emergency on which you rely TOT
your Just 6cation You stated. as the ground Of
your "confdeniia'' recommendation 10 the Legis
iature. of Jan Esd, 1889, TO pass Resolve giving
the Land Agent special authority. "requirlng an un
usual expenditure for the employment of force to
protect the timber and expel depredators from the
public Lands. that, from the reports made TO the
Governor and Council there the Grand,
Green, Fish. Little Madawaska and Aroostook rv-
.srs, from 2lO TO 25o men depredating on the pub
lie property and that ;he quantity of timber which
these iresspassers would cut during that winter
would amount in value, estimated by the Land
Agent, 10 one hundred thousand dollars. This es
imated extent Of depreciation, q say estimated, for
that was your Language, and that this was mere
fnatter Of estimate and conjecture the sequel will
upon which you would Justify the extraordinary ex-
ercise of the uncommon and special power with
which you and your Land Agent were clothed by
'ahe Secret Session resolve. There were supposed
TO be several crews of umhermeu, scattered over a
large extent of territory detached different Sec
lions and rivers, without the means of communlca-
rion or knowledge of each others existence, and no
roads to connect those scattered and remote lumber
ing stations. in all amounting, according 10 the
hntd ivi dad min apn.
crate and independent Of from 10 10 Is or 20
men in a crew.
You, if mistake not know something OF the um-
befing, business. and yon ought 10 have Known the
utter inpossibity of concentrating these trespassers
widely separated and scattered they were, and
9hat if resistance really apprehended, that the
largest number Of these formidable monsters of the
forest to b. encountered at any one tine could not
have exceeded fifteen twenty al the outside armed
at best with their axes, landspikes and perhaps
nnsket in each crew. And all the resistance to be
apprehended from these scattered groups oflun,ber
men, was merely conjecured, and danger must
have existed only in an excited and highly wrought
ifnag nation for these were no Robin Hood fores-
.lsrs but collections Of :he Blue nose farmers and
lunbermen, whose only prey pine trees, and
who are much more remarkable for their AFFECT pow
srry, ineificency and harmle ssness, than for any
thing else,
things which, in your view Us expressed IN your
confidential message, constituted an emergency 10
justify quasi war. At that time, yon had no evil
dence whatever Of greater dangers and difficulties
10 be encountered than here described. In TACT,
the supposed number o. uespassers on Fish river,
on Green river and the other places were vastly
.overrated, and the timber cut by these wicked dep
redators, instead of amounting in value 10 one hun
deed thousand dollars, as estimated By the Land
h., hnpI raI Gknan
sen men, 10 which your civil posse army for the
projection Of timber subsequently amouned.) aud
sold for less than five thousand dollars And the
number of men and danger 10 be actually encoun-
tered bore about the proportion TO the supposed
number and danger Of the enemy that the actual
amount received for sale Of respass timber bore TO
ate estimated value. according to The opinion Of the
Land Agent. For the amount received for sale Of
,respass timber. | refer you to The last Annual Re-
port Of YOUR Land Agent, the Hon. RUFUS Mclnlire,
who states the sum received from hs source TO BE-
FOUR THOUSAND FIVE HUNDRED AND
SEVENTY NINE DOLLARS and ElGHrY-SiA
GENTS.
iiere you have something fixed and tangible AS
.dala, the amount Of depredatons against
which you 10 carry offensive and exlefni-
mating operations and nuw ak you, upon = CAN
did review of the then existing state OF things az dis
closed and made known by more accurate and deii-
nile knowledge upon the subject, If the number OF
which the Land Agent estimated would be am
pie for the protection Of the timber from depreda-
ton, was not greater than was actually required for
that service. Instead offfty being required as IS
tnaied by the Land Agent, who probably had such
knowledge of the subject that he would err the
safe sideif at all, and require as much strength as
the object in view demanded-l say, instead Of fifty
men being necessary for the purpose Of breaking up
the several gangs of trespassers twenty five choseu
men. (" without the aid of artillery. would have sue
.cessfully accomplished the whole business under
the direction of any compeient for such ser
vice. and at an expense not exceeding two thousand
dollars
Why. al that time, was the opinion of the Land
Agent discarded and oyerrued by your lie had been
on the ground he knew the character OF the men
engaged. and his opinions Were entitled to some re.
s,oc,, bv, he uafor,ppaiey was wbig and looked
,n 10 The iniesesl Of The State aud ths saving Of
mon ~, ami MS views would mot answer Tie ppr-
noses of ,hose men who wished rather to dePredate
~ ,h. ,reasvry than 10 prevent prsd"ons on the
1nbl,o Lands. And by the selfish councils Of such