St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1892-10-12
Peculiar Features Of the Con-
test in the Sixth Con-
gressional District.
Senator Washburn,N. P. Clarke
and Other Pine Men Are
Backing Him.
Things Are Fixed to Give the
Pine Ring the Red Lake
Timber,
And the Members Of the Com
bine Want a Congressman
of Their Own.

Searle is the congressional candidate
of the great pine land ring.
The interests of the pine land ring of
at Washington.
The members of this combine, after
having gobbled up all the timber out
side the reservations in Northern Min.
nesota have now set their ayaricious
eyes Oh the splendid pine forests of the
Red Lake and Indian reservations, the
timber on which is now being estimated,
but which, under the present law, will
go only to the members of this great
combine. The people will have no show
whatever to get stick or foot of it.
Much of this timber lies in the Sixth
congressional district, which the ring
intends shall, after the 4th of next
March, be represented in congress by
Judge ID. B. Searle.
From the day that Judge Searle an
nounced his candidacy for congress un-
til the present the people of the district
have been puzzling their heads to find
some reason for this move. His place
on the district bench all knew was Sc
cure, owing to the makeup of the ju-
dicial district. Judge Baxter, Demo-
crat. being on the bench, made it easy
for him to secure reflections without
opposition on the ground that the u
dietary should be uon-partisan. His
position on the bench any sensible man
would Infinitely prefer to a seat in con-
greSS. and many of his friends told the
judge this before and after his nominal
ton. But these gentlemen were unable
to move Judge Searles. Without Civ
ing any reason for his candidacy he
told them that he wanted the nomina-
tiOn, and he obtained it.
The friends of Hon. 81. G. Kendall,
whom Judge Searles defeated for the
nomination, claim that the honor cost
the st. Cloud man no less than $50. .O0O
Large as this sum ISL is mere baga-
telle to the amount of money that is DOW
being spent to secure the election.
From all parts of the district come the
reports of lavish expenditures of money
by the managers of the Searle cam
paign. and the politicians are wonder
ing where it is all coming from. 1t is a
well-knOWn fact that Judge Searle,
while worth considerable money, can
not afford to make such campaign.
But the appearance of Senator w. d.
Washburn in Duluth and other points
in the district with his carefully pre-
pared interviews,
Booming Judge Searle,
has shed a world of light OH the situa-
ton, almost as much as is furnished by
the warm support that is being given
the judge by n. p. Clarke and III. C.
n Of ~
are interested in pine lands. and none
of them has ever been accused of
working and spending his money for
his health.
1t will be remembered that when the
bill was passed providing for the OPEN
ing of the Red Lake and other Indian
reservations in this state there was con-
siderable rejoicing in various parts of
the state, and particularly in the Red
river valley. The people saw visions of
homesteadS covered with virgin pine
opened to entry, and prospect of cheap
lumber for those who were making
homes in the Red river valley. But
these hopes we're dashed to the ground
when the provisions of the bill were
made known. Under this provision the
pine must be Soli at public auction and
to the highest bidder. and in order to
Ear Out Every Settler
and small lumberman the bill kindly
provides that the entire price shall be
paid in cash at the rate of not less than
three dollars per thousand feet. Much
Of this timber is not worth three dollars
per thousand, and as a matter of fact
the pine ring that will get it will pay no
such price although they will bid it off
at that rate.
But how will they get out of paying
the price fixed?
This is very simple matter, and is
all matter of estimating. Suppose.
for example, there is one million feet of
pine on single forty. The government
estimator takes note of this fact for the
pine ring, but reports to the govern
ment that there is but half or quar-
ter of million upon the land.
The day of the sale arrives and
the ring possesses this knowledge and
buys the land or the timber. But it will
be urged that other purchasers may go
in and bid. So they could were it not
for the provision that at the request of
a man who desires to buy, any piece
may be sold on thirty days notice
posted in the government land Office
nearest the land. And now a word as
to the way this scheme of the ring has
been worked so far.
Agents of the Ring
When this bill passed congress it be-
came matter of Importance tc select
trusted and good men to do the es,timat-
ing,and again y ring had things fixed.
The whole n or was placed in the
hands of two 'en, who for yGars had
been in the plOy of L. b. Walker
and the Weye luser syndicate, and had
always proved themselves faithful in
looking after I ; interests of their mas
ters. They wi. row, as servants of the
able to be more valuable than ever it is
fair to presume.
Thus far everything has worked we'll,
aud it now only remains for the pine
land rlngSterS to gather in the harvest,
and to do this safely the ring demands
and proposes to have two things-a gov
ernor in the state house and member
aof congress subservient to their inter-
ests. One of these men is Judge d. 3.
Searle and the other the man who
worked through the bill. Knute Nelson.
With Nelson in st. Paul and Searle in
Washington there will be no danger at
the last moment. But the people of the
Sixth district, who are most vItally in
terested, are aware of the designs of
this great combine, and both Nelson
and Seare are likely to be overwhelmed
in that quarter. The Duluth Common
wealth few days ago cried halt on
the schemes of the pine land robbers,
saying. editorially, under the heading
There's Milk i'll the Cocoanut:"
Tlfe Timber Is There
Why is Senator w. d. Washburn
showing such extraordinary solicitude
for Judge Searle'S election? Why is