St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-04-12
The TIMBER STEAL.
Prompt Measures by the Sen.
ate to Investigate and
Prosecute.
Story Of a Lumberman's Big
Offer to Suppress His
Name.
Minneapolis Lumber Kings
Say They Are hot the
Fellows,
But They Unite in Roasting
the Report to a Rich
Brown.

Since the famous exposition OF the
state wheat ring, no greater sensation
has been sprung than that contained in
the revelations of the wholesale theft OF
state pine timber made by the Keller inC
vestigating committee. 1t vas the talE
of the state yesterday, particularly in
political circles, and it is drawing il
mildly to say it fell with peculiar force
upon the Republican camp. A promi-
nent politician of that complexion char'
acterized 1t as "a body blow from which
the party can never recover" The senf
sation in Minneapolis was marked, fol
it is we'll enough known that in the lum'
Der ring of that city are most Of the
thieving lumber men and "pillars of the
church" referred to in the report. Some
little disappointment was expressed that
no names were mentioned. but a mem.
ber of the committee is authority for the
statement that before long the public
will be treated to second edition of the
report which will give all details, inc
Guiding the names of the men who have
timber and of the off icials whose
connivance and collusion made the
systematic theft possible. 1t was re-
ported yesterday that a prominent
lumberman had offered $4,000 to have
his name kept out of the affair. A stor!
was also pretty well authenticated tt
the effect that a Republican senator was
summoned, yesterday afternoon, to a
certain Office in the federal building and
there soundly rated for mot having
given some turn to the report in the
senate so as to ward off the political
effect"
why didn't you demand to know if
this report was intended to shield Bier
mann at the expense of Braden?" was
demanded of him.
The end is not yet. The senate has
taken hold OF the matter i'll earnest and
will push the investigation, and then the
prosecution, There will be no SerIous
opposition. SUSPICION will at once at
tach to any member who attempts I'd
throw distractions in The way Of
thorough investigation.
The Senate Acts.
The matter came up in the senate
yesterday, and, after little interesting
sparring, Senator LeaviIt succeeded ii
getting Senate File 563 before the sen,
ate for final passage, despite the special
order to consider the hospital bills. II
is the bill that was introduced on the
preceding day, and provides for reaS-
sessment of property that shall have
been omitted from the tax roll, or that
shall have been underestimate in
point of value. 1t was one of the bills
that emenates from the Keller pine
land investigation committee, and is
calculated to put peremptory period to
the wholesale system OF cheating the
state out Of its natural revenues. There
was no opposition, and it passed unank
mouSly.
The Commission.
This was followed sequentially by the
Joint resolution creating a commission
to continue the investigation, and also
to prosecute all who. it may develop,
have been guilty of rObbing state lands
of timber, or who have refused to have
property listed for taxation. Senator
McHale moved to insert the names of
Senators Keller, Donnelly, Leavitt and
Dedon as such commission. The bill
provides for $4,000 appropriation,
that shall be in charge of the governor,
to meet the expenses of the work.
Senator O'Brien cOntended that if
lumber had been illegally taken, there
is no remedy at this time. 1t will do no
good, he asserted, to put the matter
in the governors hands. He charged
that the information received by the
committee came from an unreliable
source. There was hot tilt between
Mr.. O'Brien and Mr.. Keller, while Mr..
Leavitt shot few pointed javelinS at
the senator from Washington. The S10,-
900 appropriation was adopted, and then
Senator McHale urged his amendment
to insert the names of the committee as
the commission to prosecute the work.
Senator Morse raised the point of order
to the effect that it is not within the
province of the senate to create an office
and to appoint its own members to the
position. Senator Donnelly recalled the
fact that two years ago members were
appointed to inquire into the wheat ring
frauds, and thereupon Senator Tawney
reminded the Sage that that was merely
a committee, and Senator McHale
thought there was no pertinency III the
point of order. 1t does not create al
office and does not provide salary. He
amended to change the word commits
sion to committee, and then Senator
Stevens added to report during their
term of office as members of the legiS-
lature.
Senator Crandan Grew IrOnicaI,
and urged that the committee shall
visit every rod Of state lands and make
inspections. Mr.. Donnelly retOrted that
that method of procedure would accom-
plish nothing. He was not anxious to
continue beyond the session in the
work, and if he is expected to wade
through the swamps of the state he
should respectfully decline. He pointed
to the extended labors of Mr.. Keller
and Mr.. Leavitt in eliclting the valua-
BILE information of such gigantic frauds,
through which the state has been plum
dered of millions of dollars, and then
Mr.. Donnelly emphatically declared
that the affairs of the state have been
shockingly mismanaged.
Senator Keller in eaustie style ar
raigned Senator Crandall for opposing
the appropriation. He argued that
$4,000 will be we'll expended, and he
argued that stringent steps should be
taken to put an immediate stop to the
system that is in vogue of robbing state
lands of oak timber. He declared that
never has man been punished in Min
nesota for stealing pine timber.
Senator Sanborn said that If the state
has been robbed of its timber, it has not
Jared worse than individual owners of
timber lands. He had left the state the
owner of fine eighty-acre tract of tim
Continued or Fourth Page.