St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1893-10-24
CHIPPEWA PINE SCANDAL.

The CrookSton Times describes a con-
dition of affairs among the examiners Of
the Chippewa pine land that requires
the prompt attention of Secretary
Smith. The statements cannot be ig-
nored. they come from trustworthy
source. The Times is a Democratic
paper, and Its editer is reputable man,
who would make no unfounded charges.
He says that but three or four of the
eighteen examiners are competent: that
large number of them are drunken,
worthless fellows who have spent most
OF the four months since their appoint
ment lOafing about Crookston and other
towns, drinking, carousing and making
themselves common nuisances." "Only
day or two ago the spectacle of one
OF these men rolling about the streets
shouting that he was a rebel from the
crown Of his head to the soles of his
feet, and would always continue so.'
was witnessed by our citizens" One
of them wound up a weeks debauch in
a fit of delirium tremenS in the lookup;
others have borrowed money and not
repaid it; given checks on banks where
they had no funds, aud otherwise played
the role of dead beats.
The force is without discipline. Some
times half the men are away for weeks.
The chief examiner allows them to do
as they please. Each man is allowed
to come and go as he pleases aud do
just as he likes" The chief examiner
spends his time talking politics and
having good time" at Thief River
Falls, having one of the men as clerk,
and sometimes half dozen of the men
are there helping the chief do nothing.
The quantity of work done must be
small, while the quality of it may be IN
ferred from the fact that it requires
years of experience to qualify men for
1t. while this lot of examiners, except as
stated, is made up of saloonkeeperS, "a
photographer, a horse doctor, a miner,
newspaper man, a market gardener
and a surveyor" These men are paid
So day for their work. They are en-
gagged in estimating the quantity of pine
on the reservation so that the land Off
GERS, when it is sold, may have some
means of knowing if the offers are near
the real value of the pine. The pro-
CcGuS, dltCI pd1IHS al thOoC CApCuoCo,
form a fund for the use of the Chip
pewas. The examiners are paid out of
this fund.
This is not the first time the GLOBE
has called attention to this matter. 1t
commented on the appointees of Com
missioner LamoreuX last May, so far as
| its personal knowledge of them permit
| ted. 1t appears from the statements of
the Times that the whole lot, with few
exceptions, are of the same type, or
even worse. At that time the GLOBE
said: "But whatever excuses may be
made for these men (who had taken
places Tor which they were entirely dis
| Qualifed). what shall be said of the fit
ness of Commissioner LamoreuX for
| his place to make such appointments?
| If he does not know the qualifications
| required for this work, then he is not fit
| for his place. If he does know, and
makes appointments without regard to
| them and merely for their political
| qualifications, then again he is not fit
| for his place. If this is to be the char
! acter of the commissioners perfo rm-
! ances, the administration will gather no
| credit from his incumbency." We repeat
now what we said in May, with all the
additional emphasis given by the state
mentS of the Times. Secretary Smith
cannot afford TO permit this condition to
continue; if he can, then President
| Cleveland cannot.