Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1878-10-02
nov he MADE HIS MONEY.

burn made his entire fortune by his failure.
We have the authority of Dave Blakely,
editor of Washburn's Minneapolis Tribune,
for the statement that he hived three hun
dred thousand dollars after falling but his
unfortunate creditors should give him credit
for having at least laid the foundation of his
large fortune in another manner.
1t should be understood that it was fore
ordained that the Washburn family should
be leeches on the public. They we're evi-
IDENTIFY born to be supported and pampered
at public expense. Elihu fastened his 'fangs
on Illinois, Cadwallader inflicted himself
upon Wisconsin, while Bill, the titman, was
seht, like walking pestilence, to Minnesota
While the nation was well nigh in the
throes of dissolution the patriotic
Washburn family were putting money
in their purses. Elihu accordingly induced
Mr. Lincoln to appoint VIM. D. Washburn,
Surveyor General of Minnesota. The State
was in its infancy, having been admitted to
the Union but two or three years before.
The public surveys had scarcely begun, and
beyond the fact that vast regions of pine ex-
listed in the unsurveyed regions of the State,
but little was known of the undeveloped
wealth of the Minnesota forests. Here was
the opportunity, and Washburn was the man
to improve it, 1t will probably never be
known to what extent Mr.. Washburn prosti-
tuted his responsible Office. During the
dark years of the war, public attention was
scarcely called to the matter, and he had the
game in his own hands. His position as
surveyor general gave him the vantage.
Surveying contracts were given to his pets,
with instructions to carefully report the To-
cation of valuable pine. When these
reports were delivered at the surveyor gen
erals Office, Washburn and his gang
had the valuable information in advance of
the public, and when plats were filed in the
land offices they we're accompanied by Wash
burns agents. Land officers were taken into
the ring, and no matter how prompt an out
slider might be-, his first sight of the plat
would show that some one had been ahead of
him and the valuable sections of pine would
be marked taken. All competition was ex-
cluded, and the best pine in the State passed
into the voracious NAV of Washburn and his
gang.
1t is difficult matter to trace the machin-
atoms of this nefarious ring through all their
details, hut one case has come under our OBJ
servation which may serve as an illustration.
Some plats containing valuable pine were
filed at the St. Cloud land Office and stimuli
taneous with their filing Nathan Corwith, of
Galena, (Elihu's horne) was found to be the
purchaser of the better portion.
Whether Nathan Corwith ever
lived and moved or had a being
we know not. So far as that purchase was
concerned he appears to have been myth,
for w. D. Washburn, the then Surveyor
General, has had charge of the land ever
since. He has cut the pine and in every
way treated it as though his name was Cor
with instead of Washburn.
By means of these stool pigeons and in
other ways he gobbled pine a1 h6st,can and
laid the foundation of that fortune which
enabled him to fail and have three Thousand
dollars left for trip to Europe.
Washburn now seeks to go to Congress
that he may have renewed opportunity for
public plumber. He is cold-blooded and I'M
scrupulous, hating at nothing which will
put money in the Washburn purse. IF
elected to Congress he would represent the
Washburn family and nothing else. No
material interests of the District or State
would be advanced unless they coincided
with Washburn's interests, and nothing out
side of his own corporation would attract
his support. OF all the narrow gauge, selfish
men which af1ict Minnesota "Bill', Wash
burn stands in the front rank. With no
mental ability worthy the name, he asks the
people of the Third district to enrich him by
placing him within reach of the public treas
ury.