St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-09-27

ton of millionaire lumbermen, old
lumbermen who have battled
with fortune with varying sue
cess since Minnesota opened its
hospitality to the enterprising
and yenturesome spectators of the
East, and the young lumbermen who
dustry by the success. in a financial
way, achieved by the others who came
before, and they engaged i'll a rivalry
that was at once spirited and exciting.
Now and then the routine was made
picturesque and attractive III certain
sense, by hot exchanges of compliments
that were not calculated to reflect espe-
cial credit upon the social, financial or
political credit of the parties assaulted,
as the case might have been.
1t was rivalry with apt Zest from
morning until night. The occasion was
the annual sale of state timber lands
conducted by the state auditor. 1t was
Mr.. Bierman's first sale, and 1t was a
thing of the kind in the history of the
state. Nearly 200 capitalists and lum-
bermen participated in the sale.
To establish an intelligent basis for
the sale, in the matter of specific values,
an appraisal had been taken at the In
stance of the auditor. This was done
as much in protection of the interests
of the state as to give information TO the
would-be purchaser, and perhaps this
was the greater incentive, in fact.
The purchasers, when the sale opened
at 10 O'Clock, began proceedings with an
earneStnesS that accumulated the fact
that lumber is fast becoming very de-
sirable commodity in this state, because
| n
and the knowledge that the supply must
become completely exhausted before
many decades shall pass. The second
sale proved an episOde-that is the sec
ton that was placed under the hammer
by the auditor. Two rival Duluth
firms began bidding and they rar
the price away up beyond the appraised
valuation. The bidders were Mr.. Nc
Kinley and Mr.. Bailey. The eagerness
displayed aroused the suspicion thai
something was wrong. and the auditor
called the two gentlemen in question to
his desk.
Gentlemen said he. ''before can proceed
must have check for $780, l cannot sell
this land unless know it is bona fide sale
and that the purchaser is buying it for hi!
own business as lumberman, and not as
| speculator.
1t transpires that spectators ofte
buy these lands and hold them at g
slight advance for others to buy III
their claim. That is. they have no in
tention nor expectation of ever cutting
the timber, and, in the event NJ
one comes In and buys it vi
from them, they never make good
their trade, and the land reverts to the
state again and has to be sold once
more at the succeeding annual sale
This declaration appalled, the two bid
ders somewhat. Mckinley backed
down completely, but Bailey had toe
much pride apparently to take water
and he put up the required check anc
the property in question passed to him
To make the point more ineligible, il
may be we'll to explain that the new
rule is to insist upon earnest money tC
praised valuation and the amount the
stumpage actually brings, so that there
can be no questionable speculations.
The point that excited MIR. Bierman'!
suspicion was that the appraisal was
very low, and that the timber was no
valuable, as it had been partially Gu
over at some past date. The bidder.
had run the price up to $3.50 per LOO
feet.
The afternoon sale continued from
O'Clock until 6, and something like 30,
UUU acres were sold. AT all events, il
was largely in excess of any preyiou
sale. The prices varied according t,
conditions, from 81 to s4.1O per thou
sand feet. These conditions thai
occasioned the varying scale were
for instance, the fact that some of TIN
lumbermen had camps fully equippe,
in the immediate vicinity of the section
bought. Such lumbermen could, O
course, pay much more for the timbe
and reap a satisfactory profit than tn
lumbernan could who had no facilitie
there for the cut.
After the amounts described hav,
been paid, that is, the difference be