Mineral Point tribune. (Mineral Point, Wis.) 1869-1938, 1883-10-04

more the people acquaint themselves
with it, the more will their labors
be appreciated. We have such con
fidence in this Board that if seeking
something to condemn in the de-
partments of the state, our last and
most hopeless look would be upon
the Board of Supervision.
The State Supreme Court is now
in session. The celebrated Wash
burn will case was argued before it
last week, and attracted considerable
attention. Several points are in
volved, the main one being whether
Mrs Washburn, who is insane, shall
receive one-third of the estate or
submit to the provisions of the will
which are that she shall have all
that is necessary for her personal
needs and comfort during her life
time. Mrs. WIS relatives, it is I'M
derstood, aim to secure for her one
third Of the vast estate in order that
they may dictate its disposal after
her demise A decision by the court
is not expected for a week or more
Prof. r. b. Anderson, who has oc-
cgpied the chair of scandinavian
literature and languages at the State
University for Is years, resigns it to
become a general agent for the Equit-
able Life Assurance Society, at
salary of $4,000 per year for 5 years
The change of occupation by the
Professor, excites much comment in
educational circles
The Madison Democrat says:
The reports in circulation in re
gard to the recent sale of public
lands, impose upon the commission
ers the duty of a careful inyestiga
ton Some twenty odd thousand
acres of land, mostly pine, were
sold A large number Of bidders
were present. At first their eager
desire to get the valuable land
prompted them to bid against each
other, and the prices rated for a
short time considerably above the
minimum 1t is reported that a
large number of Spectators, then,
seeing that the trust funds of the
state were likely to realize part Of
the benefit of the enhanced value Of
the lands, formed a pool among
themselves to control the sale. They
appointed a committee to bid off a
large quantity of selected and valu-
able lands. These, it is stated, were
bid off by the committee at the mini
mum price The parties in the pool
then held a private auction, and put
up the lands 50 bought for sale
among themselves, and they were
sold at a brisk competition, some of
them as high as $50 an acre, and
nearly all at prices ranging from So
and $40 upwards. If reports be
true, the assets of the state set apart
to the purpose of educating are at
least 100000 poorer for this sale.
Lands have been sold for SO per
acre; which were actually worth
three, four and ten times that sum;
if these facts are as reported, these
sales should be Cancelled. The com
missioners have ample power to do
SO, and no such scheme to over
reach the sacred trust funds of the
state should be permitted to succeed
No patents have yet been issued
for these lands, we understand; the
commissioners desiring to cancel the
sale, and thus Illustrate the Specu-
lators, if they find they can do so
legally. The Democrats assertion
that they have ample power to can
eel the sales, is denied by able jur-
ISIS, VINO nave given the matter ut
tention. The law directs that the
commissioners shall offer for sale
and sell to the highest bidders at
not less than the minimum price of
SO per acre. Suppose, at the time
specified for the offering but one
bidder had appeared, whether in the
interest # a thousand persons or for
himself only, and bid IS an acre for
the whole or any part of the lands,
would not the commissioners under
the law be obliged to accept his bid
and sell him the land? That's the
question to be solved. Doubtless,
the commissioners could, had they