St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1885-02-05

lrlOuLdries, anu Tue only outlet tney nau 10
bring this timber to market was by the st.
Louis river. Without any detention at Knife
Falls, all their logs could come down in the
spring and June rises of the water, but after
the boom works were built, logs were fire.
quently detained until the waters had fallen
and remained hung up on the rocks for one,
two or three years.
This embargo put sudden stop to the de-
velopment of the lumber interest at Duluth
No manufacturer cared to cut on the river
as long as there were any uncertainties of
getting his logs down. The lumbermen COM
planned loudly of the toll demanded for un-
asked services, but they complained more
loudly at the detention. They thought it bad
enough to have to pay what they consider an
unjust toll, but it was worse not to get their
logs at all. Hence the fight. The Boom
company's charter gave them the right to de-
mand the toll and they have exscted it to the
last farthing. 1t gave them also the right by
implication TO detain the logs because there
can be no sorting and scaling without de-
tentiop. 1t is claimed BY the Duluth men
that both these rights are unjust and uncon-
stitutional.
THE DULUTH SIDE OF THE QUESTION.
A representative of the GLOBE met one of
the largest manufacturers of Duluth at the
Merchants hotel last night, and asked him
to state the case from his point of view. He
very readily complied, and the following is
the substance Of what he said:
In the first place the boom company has
blockaded navigable stream against all the
laws of the country. A private corporation
would have as much right to bridge the Mis-
sissipi aud charge vessels for passing as the
boom company has to prevent the free
passage of logs down the St. Louis river 1t
has been proved in court that this river is
uavigable for logs, and it was shown that all
the logs would come down were il not for
| the distractions at Knife Falls. In the second
place the claim made by the hoom company
that they ought to be paid for sorting and de-
livering our logs is ridiculous. They neither
sort nor deliver, they simply detain while
they are picking out their own.
If they sorted the logs destined
for each owner, and sent them down in RATS
they would have some shadow of right to de-
maud pay, but the nature. of the river below
their works is such that the logs must all come
down loose, and we pick them up and sort
them ourselves at Fond-du-Lac. The Knife
Falls acts simply to build up big monopoly
at that point by killing off competition and
running the manufacture of lum ber at Duluth
the present capacity of whose mills is
$50, 600, 600 feet year.
HOW 1T AFFECTS THE STATE.
'But it is not merely q local question, )"
continued the gentleman. 1t really affects
the whole state. There are 130 townships on
the st. Louis river and its tributaries. In
each of these townships there are two sec
tions Of $40 acres each, or 1880 in all for the
| school fund. That makes a total of l66, 400
acres belon ging to the state. On most of
these there is valuable pine. Five years ago,
before the KnifeFals boom was in operation,
and when it was thought that logs could
come freely down the river to an open
market, one OF these sections was sold for
1915 per thousand feet, board measure.
Now the state could scarcely get 81 an acre
for it. You ask why. Solely because all
competition in buying is cut off. No man
| will buy pine timber on the st. Louis river
aud its tributaries when he knows he can not
get it down without paying IN unjust toll to a
| private corporation. and even then has to
run the risk of seeing his logs hung up in
the rocks for two or three years. 1t won't
pay outsiders 10 log on the st. Louis riv er
while that EN- barge exists. The result is, all
competition being choked Off the Z. \. Mel
son company can buy that timber when they
want it and give for it what price they please
They will practically say to the state: "You
cannot sell that plue to anyone else,
us we have fixed it SO that
no competitors dare come In. We will give
you so much" And the state must take It,
or leave the pine to rot or burn. This mon
opoly works like every other. Its crowds out
com petition and then contracts the market
Farmers have complained Of the high price
of lumber. How can lumber be cheap If the
entire northwestern supply is controlled by
one OF two corporationsl free and open
lumber market is as necessary for the farm
ers as free and open market for wheat, and
II is the hope Of Duluth lumbermen that the
present legislature, being com posed largely
Of farmers and those opposed to monopolies,
will give US the relief prayed for, and thus
not merely benefit Duluth lumbermen, but
break up com bination that will ultimately
be injurious TO every farmer In the northwest
and rob the schools of funds rightfully be-
longing to them.n
Other Duluth men interviewed spoke prac-
tically in the same manner, but they all feel
hopeful that their wrongs win be righted by
the legislature, as soon as the entire case Is
presented to the members.