The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1894-10-31
''SWAMP LANDS. !"
How the State Has Ben Robbed
by the Ring.
The State Officers in Sympathy
With the Thieves.

With the IhleVeS,
Under act of congress the state gets
title to all swamp and overflowed
lands for purposes of retaining only,
and could not lawfully donate them to
any private purpose whatsoever, but
in utter defiance of law the state has
granted or conveyed to railroads and
other corporations about 100000
acres, or over $lO5, 100000 worth of
timber and iron lands as alleged
swamp, out of total of a little over
1900, 900 acres.
In speaking of these lands the gen.
eral land Office in '86 and 'S7, and 81
and SO says of Minnesota:
"The developments of fraudulent
returns Of swamp lands in the returns
heretofore made render a thorough
state matter Of Importance to the
government and settlers" and again
in '87 and 'S8, "affidavits filed and in
formation received from other sources
show that many returns of surveys, es-
pecially in the northeastern part of
the state, have been falsely and cor
ruptly made in the interest of rail-
roads and other corporations having
grants Of swamp lands from the state,
or Of persons claiming to have pur-
chased such lands from the state and
that many tracts valuable for agricul-
ho
and not in any sense swamp, have been
fraudulently returned as being of that
character"
Surveys have been made on paper
and false field notes returned. No
lines run and no corners established.
Blank forms have been used and every
legal chicanery resorted tO.'-Rep. IS
and sc.
Gin September, 1880, DR.. L. J. Wor-
den was detailed to examine certain
lands in Duluth district to ascertain
whether the returns Of the United
States deputy surveyors showing
large area of swamp lands were correct,
and his report shows that most Of the
surveys in that district since 1880 were
fraudulent and unrelia BILE, and that as
a result thereof many tracts Of valua
able lands not swamp lands, have been
patented to said state" REP. So and
49,
Give contracts amounting to S., 25O
were awarded but disapproved because
of gross inaccuracies in the execution
of the papers and inability Of the sur
veyor general to submit evidences of
settlement Cd the lands. Rep. S6-s7.
"Contract 81 Of Oct. !, 1883, for sur
vey on G2 R. "A, shows great discrepan-
cies. Many of the section lines are
too short and plats and field note
worthless" Rep. s7-s7.
The following from the Senate Pine
land report if of interest.
sWe pass now to the subject of
swamp land. These seem also to have
been prolific field of fraud. The evil
dence shows that prominent lumber
men (Pillsbury and Walker have large
contracts with the railroad companies,
under which they send men to exam
inc the state swamp lands, and when
they find tracts that are we'll tim bered
and desirable they, make application
to the railroad companies and the COM
panies then apply to the state for the
lands as part of the grant from the
state. AS soon as they get title to the
land they turn it over to these lum-
bermen at an agreed price per acre
(f2. 25 to $3.50 an acre.)
The tracts of land thus selected are
really not swamp land except in a
technical sense, for pine does not grow
in swamps.
In this way the very choicest part of
the timber lands of the state are culled
ont for spectators anu Une reIuse left
in the hands of the state.
70 - I,
scheme these men go Still further. 1t
is in evidence that they do not place
their deeds of record and the title to
the land appears to still remain in the
railroad company and the land thus
escapes taxation.
These lands are some of them COW
cred with magnificent growth of
pine timber. In some cases 4O-acre
tract will have on it from $4,000 to
$4,000 worth of pine.
One witness testifies it is useless to
attempt to contest the right of the
purchaser, "because the state officers
appear to be in sympathy with the
umbermen"
And yet the men who have been
parties to these and other acts ask you
to vote for Nelson ct al.
Some weeks since the writer pub
lished the following:
"The general land office, in report
for 1SS6-'87, finds out of 3O5 surveyed
townships in Duluth district 217 have
been offered at public sale. an unusual
percentage, and affording chance for
the pine land ring to buy the land in
unlimited quantities at ST .25 an acre.
When, then, this statement is con-
sidered and the numberless fraudu-
lent, perjured and forged entries of all
classes are added thereto, it is not I'M
fair to assume that two-thirds of the
surveyed timber lands have been
stolen; say, 15,96O,936 acres, worth
$50 per acre or $3.50, 1923, OSO.
Now let us show that this was under
rather than over the actual amount.
Lands offe red for sale and sold col
lusi vely or otherwise in large tracts to
spectators in the years named, not
counting years not enumerated:
Acres.
1864. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 1864 1872
1872. NEUTRALITY-SUSPICIOUS.. 1884 900
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