The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1893-09-20
ROBBERS POWER.
They Laugh at the Proofs OF
Their Guilt.

Senator Dedon has been appointed
by Governor Nelson to visit the pine
regions and look after the pine
lands that have escaped taxation. It
will be remembered that our pine
land Investigating committee of the.
senate, of which Senator Kellar was
chairman, proved that millions of
dollars Of property had been INSULT
cie1sly taxed or not taxed at all. We
have a good deal of faith in Senator
Dedon, and we hope he will add
enough to the state funds to pay for
two or three sessions of the legisla-
ture.
In this connection we find Lieut..
Gov. G. N. Herried of South Dakota,
a republican, writing to the Leola
Blade:
I'VE are approaching an era of in
veStigatiOn. The colossal fortunes
OF today have as rule, directly or
indirectly, been built up by corrup-
tiOn. The Minnesota legislature has
set an example which other states
might profitably follow. It has not
only laid bare before the country the
damnable operations of the Coal
Trust but it has shown up the meth
DDS by which millions of dollars
worth of timber have been stolen
from the state. The following is
from the report Of the committee"
Here follow some long extracts from
our report. Gov. Herried then adds:
"One would naturally suppose that
such a revelation of rottenness would
create most violent sensations among
the outraged people, and alarm the
thieves; but not so. The Pioneer
Press interviewed the lumbermen.
and says: They treat it jocularly in
fact; and at the meeting of the lum-
bermen's exchange yesterday after
noon each reference to the matter
called out shouts of laughter, because
it was said this was matter of an
Gent history. In general way,
many of the facts and deductions of
the committees report have long
beGn common food for gossip among
th4 initiated in Minneapolis, and it
is today common lament with many
| of the younger generation of lumber
men that the present day does not
Egive them the opportunities for do
ing business on the large margin of
profit that their fathers enjoyed in
other days. They also lament their
lack of influence with the powers
that be and envy others their pull
Such moral depravity staggers
person who would like to have conf
dence in human nature. We seem
to have reached point where petty
larceny is punished;-a Jean Vatican
is prosecuted for stealing loaf of
bread for furnishing orphans, but the
man who by perjury and bribery
steals millions goes scot free. is hon
ored and respected. In this case one
of the robbers, congressman from
Minnesota Loren Fletcher, had the
audacity to even abuse the legislature
for making this investigation. Such
man would steal the Lords Supper
from the sanctuary. Fine repre-
sentative to guard the rights of the
people! In another state it is no
tOriOus fact that by plundering the
state of it's pine lands certain man
became a millionaire and then he
bought himself seat in the United
States senate. Verify such corrup-
tion, rampant everywhere, seems
to evidence the rottenness Of our
whole social condition."
Think of it! 1t provokes shouts
of laughter from the lumbermen,
to prove, by sacorm testimony, that
they had stolen millions of dollars
from the people of the state!! And
the Pioneer Press had no words Of
rebuke for them!!
"How long, Oh Lord, how long,"