St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1889-03-15
The Kandiyohi Capitol Lands
Bill and State Park
Scheme
Pass the Senate, Though In
volving Immense Sums
Of Public Money.
The Hon. D. j. Knox Scores a
Victory Over Senator
Whiteman.
Duluth Made a District Alone,
and Aitkin ct Al. Go by
Themselves.

The manner in which the house and
senate are dlsposing of public lands
and jeopardizing public interests is be-
coming so astoundingly reckless that,
unless a speedy halt is called, the state
will not only be Invested of the bulk of
its lands. but the present legislature
make for itself a record so profiigate of
public interests that it will stand on
par with that of 1887. By bare major
ity Of two the senate yesterday passed
the bill providing for the Minnesota
State park, even in the face of protests
strong enough TO have awakened the
most careless if they had cared 10 heed.
The bill now comes to the house, and.
as an evidence that it is not a state
measure but one tied I'D in private in
tereSts and the fate of another bill,
the following may show. There
is now in the house bill
which has passed the senate which
proposes 10 have the state auditor sell
the state capital lands in Kandiyohi
county at his own appraisement. and at
the same time which asks the state to
appropriate 5000 Git was originally
$4,000 TO drain these lands. This bill
and the Minnehaha park bill are linked
together it seems, and the milk in
the cocoanut is this: The state capital
lands located in kandiyohi county COM
prise $685. acres. The state auditor has
recommended their sale, but lie has not
recommended that the state should pay
5000 TO drain them for the benefit Of a
syndicate OF private gentlemen who
intend to buy them. The bill
for their sale and the 5000 ap-
preparation attached was engineered
through the senate by a coterie of
gentlemen so closely connected with
the legislature that their operations in
Legislative land deals have become FAM
Gus state history. From other senators
who were decidedly interested in get
ting the state park deal through they
secured pledges Of support for the Kan
dlyohi bill in exchange for their pledges
TO make he Minnehaha deal success
ful. Thus the two bills, like the
Fallen Sisters of Hogartb, danced to-
gether through the august body. which
1t is superstitiously supposed works for
the people and not for private interests.
Thus they have come together to the
house to be acted upon. Yester-
day morning a senator came in
anu lelQ 1idiI EOllSt lliCHl-
bers of the Hennepin delegation
that they must support the Kandiyohi
bill and its appropriation because of the
aid the syndicate had given the Mime
haha park bill. 1t is powerfully curl
Gus that bills of this nature-if they are
honest measures-must be pushed
through by secret methods and with at
tempts to prevent public discussion
upon them. 1t is like the labor Stats
tics bureau $4,000 bill now gone to the
senate, which could not face the house
finance committee, which desired to in
crease the salary list only $500, but
had to be showed through on buncombe
and at an opportune moment and
which takes $1,000 out of the
state treasury for the benefit of no one
but some old and new ofhceholders.
The prudence that has marked the
course of the senate and house in most
matters seems TO be slipping away and
the job measures are beginning to be
numerous. 1t will be strange thing
if the next thirty days does not see
some wonderfully wild and shameful
legislation passed.