The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1893-06-14

OF 1CaSCd, VINO QdO also Oc0u III Uuc
employ of lumber companies, testi-
fed that he made no effort at all to
assess logs, except thtt he had assess
ed the logs Of the Grand Rapids Lum-
Der Co. two or three years; that said
berS of the Hall & Ducey Co., now
the Shevlin-C Carpenter Company, and
that the Grand Rapids Lumber Co.
turned the logs over to said company
May lst, so as to escape taxation in
Hennepin county, where the taxes
were three times as high. The logs
being manufactured in Hennepin
county were taxable there under the
present law.
While these gigantic frauds have
been practiced upon the revenues of
the state the bona fide settlers of the
county of ItaSca have been compelled
| to bear unjust and needless burdens
for the purpose of supporting the gov
eminent and protecting the property
of the lumber firms. While the total
assessment of the county for the pre-
sent year is but little over two mil
| lion dollars, we believe the cash value
of the timber alone standing in the
county, which is subject to assess
ment, amounts to twenty million
dollars. The annual cut of logs
amounts to about two hundred and
SiXty-five million feet, worth one mil
lion five hundred thousand dollars.
It must be remembered that these
revelations refer to but small part
of the area that could be examined
by proper system of Investigation,
and that these facts as to the frauds
upon the revenue refer altogether to
one county.
THE REMEDY.
Your committee feel that it is not
sufficient to simply present these as
founding facts to the people of the
state and propose no remedy for them.
They have given the subject good
deal of careful cOnSiderat ton, as much
so as possible amid the hurried laborS
of the session, and they believe that
it would be crime on the part Of the
state, if, when the knowledge of these
rObberies is brought home to the leg
iSlature it should stand still and do
nothing to punish the plunderers Of
the people and prevent similar afro
cities in the future. If we are to
drop this work here, in the presence
of the facts revealed without further
action, it would simply encourage
every adventurer in the state to COM
mence his work of spoliation along
the lines Indicated in our testimony.
At the same time we recognize that
the hour is drawing near when this
legislature, under the constitutional
limit, will cease to exist, and we will
be pOwerless to do anything for the
further protection of the people.
Your committee would, therefore re-
Spectfully recommend that some body
or commission or committee be Great
ed, before we adjourn, with ample
power to carry on this Investigation
and report the facts revealed from
time to time to the governor, by him
to be laid before the legislature at it's
next session. If this course is adopt
ed it would have to be done by joint
resolution or by an act of the legisla
ture, and your committee would Sug-
gest that by such resolution or act
authority should be given to each
member of that committee to admin
lister Oaths and send for persons and
papers and employ agents to inspect
the lands which have been sold by the
state. To prevent the appearance of
creating lucrative offices for the
members of that committee, your
committee is of opinion that they
should work without compensation,
but should be paid their actual ex-
penses. We believe there is public
spirit enough to be found among the
members of the legislature to assume
such task, especially when the pa
trimOny of the children of the state
is being invaded and despoiled. Your
committee would suggest that if such
commission is created the members
thereof should go personally to diff
ferent parts Of the vast area to be ex-
amined into and should send out their
agents and collect all the facts. This
would require but a small expendi-
ture OF money and that expenditure
is not to be considered in view of the
vast interests at stake, for it must
not be forgotten that the statute of
limitations does not run against the
State of Minnesota, in such cases as
these and that if this investigation
is properly pushed, suits can be
brought against all of those who have
defrauded the state and millions of
dollars turned into the public treas
ury.
Your committee would further sug-
gest that if the facts developed. by
such an Investigation, are as striking
and as terrible as those revealed be-
fore your committee, that the COVER
nor of the state should call together
the legislature in extra session in
January next to take such steps as
may be necessary to defend the inter
ests of the commonwealth.
Although the committee make this
as in some sense their final report.
they do not propose-with the con-
sent of the Senate-to finish the work
in which they have been engaged. but
will proceed to take other testimony
to the last hour of the session and
will report the same to the governor
of the state if there is not time to re-
port it to the Senate.
The Senate will observe that we
have refrained in this report from
giving the names of the witnesses
called, or of the parties reflected upon.
We have done this in the hope that
Investigation will be continued by the
state; and we would suggest that if
1t is SO continued the evidence be
printed with that taken hereafter.
1t can readily be understood that the
witnesses may be subject to persecu-
tlOn by those whose wrong dOings they
have exposed: and to mention their