St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-09-24
BlUCkED BY DAVIS.
Baldwin's Bill to Open the
Red Lake Indian Res
ervation.
SOME INTERESTING FIGURES
Show the Charges Made by
Duluth's Member to Have
Been True.
SOME INTERESTING FIGURES
PLANS OF THE PINE RING.
What the Early Opening OF
the Red Lake Country
Means.

tudL TIC opcHlHS VI tue heu Lake
reservation should begin at the earliest
possible moment?
Do the people believe that it should be
opened under conditions that will give
the poor man, as we'll as the small
lumberman, a chance as well as the
pine land ring?
1t these two fair questions are an
swered in the affirmative, as no one will
deny they would be if the people could
speak, there are number of interesting
facts that should be considered by the
people at this time. While this matter
is most intimately connected with the
Sixth congressional district, in which
nearly all of the land mentioned is
located. it is of interest to the entire
state. because the development of
nearly quarter of the entire common
wealth waits for the opening of this
reservation.
The bill under which the treaty was
made and the work of surveying the
reservation and estimating the timber
ON it was drawn and passed by Gov.
Nelson when he was member of the
lower house of congress. The whole
object of the bill as it was passed was
I to place all the timber on the reserva-
ton at the disposal Of the Minnesota
pine land ring when they wanted it.and
at the price they would sea fit to pay.
Those who doubt this statement will do
well to examine the bill and weigh some
of the facts that will be presented in
this article.
The Nelson Bill.
I Under the Nelson bill the opening of
the reservation was to be deferred until
Oil the surveying and estimating had
been done. Then all the timber was
to be offered on the estimates made
by the government estimators and sold
for not less than So per thousand on
these estimates. At this point there are
a few facts that should be impressed on
the minds of all people VINO are inter-
ested i'll this matter. Many of the peo-
pie who live in Itasca, Beltrami, Cass,
Crow Wing, Aitkin, st. Louis, Wadena,
Todd and Hubbard counties know that
they are the actual facts from experience
and investigation. They are:
= First That under the law as it was
drawn and passed by Gov. Nelson it gave
no settler chance to bid on a piece Of
this pine land. This, too. in spite of the
fact that much of the reservation is an
agricultural paradise.
/ Second-ThaI the pine land ring Wig.
orously fought any attempt to dislodge
the tools they had making estimates for
themselves, as we'll as the government.
Third-That this same pine land ring
offered the same strong opposition to
the passage of a bill that would allow
the opening to take place as often as
100000 were ready.
Fourth-That this same pine land
RUG is again engaged in fighting Con.
gresham Baldwin's reelection because
he has baked their schemes.
Two years ago the GLOBE made this
matter an issue in the Sixth district and
Maj. Baldwin pledged himself to upset
the plans of the pine land ring at
Washington. The papers during the
past eighteen months have given the
people a partial history of the great
battle he has fought and won as far as
1t has become matter of record. 1t
will be remembered that the first step
taken by Maj. Baldwin was to
Secure the Removal
of the old estimatOrs OIL the reservation,
He wanted this done and set of good
men appointed. 1t was not so hard to
get the old lot out, bnt to get the others
in was most difficult task. He found
that the agents of the ring had ''missed
no points" and had already selected a
number of men for the work.
But this did not pass with the Duluth
congressman. who at once commenced
ayigorous fight that had to end in his
favor for the simple reason that on his
showing of the facts he secured the CO.
operation of Secretary Hoke Smith, who
Is determined that that great reserva-
tion shall be opened without scandal
and for the benefit of the Indians as
we'll as all the people, if it is in his pow
.er. The major won this contest and
secured the appointment of number
of honest and faithful men, and the
reports that they have made of their
work up to the first of the present month,
as they are on file at the interior de.
partment at Washington. shows clearly
and in a convincing manner the truth
of the charges made two years ago.
These reports show that the scheme
followed by the old gang was to under
estimate by from a third to three
fourthS the timber near the streams
aud most acce ssible, and to overestimate
that which would not be wanted by the
ring for some years. The object of this
was to give the ring chance with their
own private and accurate reports to bid
far above the average man on the first
class timber. The fact that the entire
reservation would be on sale at ore
time would aid in this. The object in
overestmating the timber farthest
away was to make it certain that there
would be no buyers, in which case the
Nelson bill kindly provided that the
secretary of the interior could dispose
OF al! unsoid timber at the best price
possible to be obtained in his Judgment
and at whatever time he saw fit.
Some Crooked Work.
But row for some of the evidence to
substantiate the statements made above.
From the reports OH file up to the first
Of this month the following shows the