Daily globe. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1878-1884, 1880-06-02
THE TIMBER THLETES' CONGRESS
TnVAT AGENT.

TONAL AGENT.
The Louisville C0urter-J Journal hits the
nail very squarely when it says Washbnrn is
tho candidate and supporter of the timber
ULieves. This is q notorious fact in Mime
sofa. He began his career in Minnesota as
Surveyor General of logs and lumber and
during his administration theirs was no
chance for any one to secure any pine timber
unless they belonged to the Washburn ring.
The business foundation of Minneapolis was
based on the scoundrelism which pervaded
the Surveyor Generals Office during Wash.
burns term. Good care was taken to give
the surveying contracts to men who could be
relied upon to serve the ring. They made
early report of valuable timber, giving CO.
pious notes, and Washburn and his ring were
fully advised just where to make their loca-
tions. It was useless for outsiders to send
out explorers at their own expense. If they
did this, and determined where they desired
to make their selections, they could not Sc
cure the land. Only the Surveyor General
could tell when the plats would be filed
in the local land Office, and wait and
watch as an outsider might, he would
find that simultaneous with the filing, entries
of all the choice pine would be made, and
the plat would be checked as it was filed,
with the mark indicating "taken," upon all
that was of value.
When Washburn retired from the Office it
was with the understanding that Minneapolis
should still control the Surveyor General
ship. ALI other things were made subordi-
nate by the Minneapolis gang for the accom-
plishment of that end. When Senator
Ramsey was a candidate for reelection,
Minneapolis secured the Speakership of the
House, for the express purpose of controlling
the Surveyor Generalship. The Speaker
was authorized to carry the entire Hennepin
county delegation in the hollow of his hand,
and he did 30. BE was shrewd enough not
to trust to Ramsey's verbal pledge, and he
accordingly exacted written agreement that
he was to be Surveyor General in return for
the Hennepin county vote. Ramsey was
elected, and endeavored to back out of the
trade, but judicious use of the written
contract in Washington brought him to
terms, and Minneapolis secured the prize.
Later on, the enterprising Minneapoli-
tans discovered a trick better than owning
the Surveyor Generals Office. They found it
more convenient to steal the pine outright
without any formalities or "entangling al
lances," involving any outlay of cash.
This game worked we'll under Grant but
when the man they style as shat id
Dutchman" became secretary of the interior
little trouble arose. He began, in a GIN
gerly way, to.call the timber thieves to &C;
count. Of course he had no efficient local |
support from Minnesota Republicans.
District Attorney Billson didn't wish to
tread on the toes of the friends he loved, |
and hence prosecutions Jagged. The timber
thieves soon found that they could not reIv
on DR.. Stewart to protect them, and he was
accordingly marked for the sacrifice. Then
it was that Bill Washburn was trotted ont
as their agent, friend and protector. By the
most outrageous corruption, fraud and in
timidation Washburn secured the certificate