St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1886-01-25
STATE PINE LANDS.

STATE PINE LANDS.
The people of Northern Minnesota are
evidently not pleased with the way the
present state administration is disposing of
the pine timber on the state lands in that
section. The last issue of the Todd County
Argus publishes communication from c.
II. WARD, the register of deeds in that
county and a gentleman widely known
throughout the state, in which he handles
State Auditor BRADEN without q owes
The gravamen of Mr.. WARDS Indictment
against the state officials is that they are
standing in with the Minneapolis lumber
manufacturers and granting them privileges
which are not only detrimental to the state
but virtually giving the Minneapolis and
st. Cloud mills monopoly of the pine tim
Der. Mr.. WARD publishes the following
letter from Auditor BRADEN:
stare of Minnesota, Auditors once, st.
Paul, Jan. 9. lss6.-Alfred Wilson, Esq, Mot
ley, MINI. Dear Sir: Yours of 9TH at hand
regarding Sec. 36-l3S-32. Will say that II
was sold Dec. %, 1881, Ito scale" i met Mr..
/ CLARKE think, on Nov. Il, on the Northern
Pacific train coming down from Wadena,
where I had had a land sale. He spoke
about having two or three contracts extended
another year 10 permit him TO cut this winter
/ told him / could do SO on his filing a new
bond which he said he would do. presume
this IS one OF the pieces he referred to,
although ] made no memoranda at the time.
1t has been customary always TO extend per-
mits a reasonable time, and 1 but followed
custom long established. 1t was not, and is
not now noted on the record, but presume
Mr.. CLARKE relies on my word I'm the matter
and intends to forward bond and permit.
The information given you on Dec. % was
correct, as stumpage or agricultural lands of
the state can only be sold at public sale and
10 the highest bidder Sixty days notice in
case of stumpage and fOrty-two days i'm case
Of farm lands must be given OF the sale.
will write Mr.. CLARKE about the matter
and require that his b)ni b. a once filed, a
doubt not that this land is one of the pieces
on which he wished an extension for the
winter.
Mr.. JOHN CRITCHLow has written me notify
ing me of Mr.. CLARKE cutting on sec. 36-l32-
81. This is in precisely the same shape as
the one you wrote about. Was sold 10 Mr..
CLARKE on Dec. %, 1881, and l suppose is one
of the pieces on which he desired his permit
extended for this winter. AS Mr.. CRITCHLow
wrote on one of your sheets Of paper as
sumo that he is one Of your business patrons
and if you will kindly show him this letter it
will answer both of you as to the facts in the
matter. Yours respectfully,
w. w. BRADEN, Auditor.
The point that Mr.. WARD makes with
reference to this letter is that the lease ON
the particular section of land mentioned in
the auditors letter had expired, and that
other parties were anxious To buy the pine
on the same land, and were willing TO pay
more for it than Mr.. CLARKE had been
paying. Mr.. WARD says:
am personally knowing of the fact that
last fall when Mr. BRADEN was at Long Pral-
rie holding the sale of state lands, parties
tried TO buy the pine on section SO, town of
/ Willard, and he stated that il was utterly i'm
! possible for him to sell il this fall. as there
was no sale of pine TO be made till the fall of
! 1886, when, # any one wished, they could
come TO st. Paul and bid on it. He was asked
/ if there was no way in which the timber
| could be cut this winter. as the parties were
particularly anxious TO do the work this win
| ter His answer was the same as before. He
was powerless to do anything in the matter be-
fore the tall of 1885. had been told be fore
J Mr.. BRADEN was here that n. =. CLARKE was
! going to cut this pine the coming winter,
| so / asked Mr.. BRADEN ii there could be
Il possibility of any one having a permit TO
IL
could not be, as a permit was only given for
one season, or possibly two. and rs there had
been no sale for the past two years, and
none during the year 1886, there could be no
permit out that would give any one a right TO
! operate. 1t seems that Mr.. WILSON of
| Motley has also tried TO buy this timber, but
without success, and when Mr.. ola RKE was
reported as trespassing on state lands. Mr..
BRADEN remembers of having met Mr. c.
on the Northern Pacific train once and Mr..
! c. said something about some old permits
! which had died a natural death some years
! ago, and Mr.. AUDITOR thereupon told him
| that he would see that those permits were
resurrected and fixed up so he could cut his
! pine (at least he presumes this is the same
| piece.
1t is stated that the mills in the northern
section of the state are standing idle part
! of the season for want of timber. The
! people are anxious to secure the timber on
the state lands to keep their mills going and
are willing to pay high prices for it. Yet
they are denied that privilege while it is
being turned over TO other parties by private
agreement instead of at public sale as all
public property ought to be disposed of.
Mr.. WARD presents a strong prima face
! cast dSdlllSt the STATE OIHcliilS. lnere is q
! good deal of the ring smack about the way
the public lands are being disposed of. And
as the state lands belong to the people of
the state. and are not the property of the
state officials, it is altogether proper that
the people should demand that their rights
should be respected. The fact is that the
state government of Minnesota has been too
long under the control of one political party
to be in a healthy condition. From the way
things are running it looks as if a new set
of hands will have to be put at the bellows
before any more good work can be done in
the shop.
4 MORAL MAELSTROM.
HE was young man who enjoyed
high living and fun" was the comment of
the uncle of young CLOVES. who few