The Worthington advance. [volume] (Worthington, Minn.) 1874-1908, 1894-10-25
TIMBER THIEVES x s'.; !;
Biermann Was q Good State Audito
For Lumber Companies.

For Lumber Companies.
But Bob Dunn and Governo,
Nelson Brought the Lumbe,
Companies to Their Knees
and They Have Paid the
State Thousands of Dollars
and Will Pay Thousands
More How Biermann Dis.
posed OF Standing Pine.
Every timber thief in the State of Min
aesota, every man and every corp CRATIC.
that hopes in the future to get pine tim
ber from the states lands without paying
for it its full market value, is honestly il
favor of the election Of Mr.. A. Biermann
Is state auditor, and Mr.. S. NJ. Owen .
governor.
This rather remarkable condition o.
things requires some explanations; and tn
explanation afforded by an investigation
Of timber frauds in the past. and by tn.
evidence produced in the suits which hav
compelled restitution to the state. form.
IN interesting and instructive chapter O.
political history. These facts are nov
laid before the people of Minnesota il
their entirety for the first time, and every
voter Is asked to study them carefully anc
to consider their bearing upon his actor
1t the coming election. .-s aIa
First Public Notice Of Timber Stssllne.
The subject of illegal appropriation OF
pine timber belonging to the state was
fist brought to the public notice just
pri Or to the meeting of the last state legis
latvre. State Auditor Biermann had ad
vertised for sale the land Of the famous
section 50, afterward the subject Of SC
mu IN controversy At the sale referred to
the land was not sold, and the lumbermen
interested were told by Mr.. Biermann, on
inquiry, that this land had been with
drawn, because it was already sold to G. A
Smith & Co. Mr.. Biermann first stated
that this had been done at prior public
sale; afterward he confessed that the sale
was private. Several persons DESTROYS OF
purchasing this section, because of the ex.
cellent quality of it's timber, were indig
nant at this, and proceeded to investigate
into the facts. "
Bisrmanns Deal With Smith 3 CO.
It was found that Mr.. Biermann had
been approached by parties DESTROYS OF
purchasing, and that an arrangement had
been made beforehand, the substance of
which is found in letter written Jan %,
1892, by Mr.. Biermann to c. A. Smith &
Co. This firm had informed him that
they were cutting timber on the adjoining
section, that there was not sufficient OF 1t
to make full seasons work, and that
they would like to purchase the timber on
SO in order to fill out. In his letter of reply
occurred the following significant SEN
fences: -s$sSl 90
"While the estimate is not large, I have
no doubt but it will cut dou. le the amount
estimated. do not make it rule to sell
any stumpage at private SALE As you are
cutting on section % next to it, and it will
likely burn next spring, it will be In dan
ger of fire next spring and will let you
have it at &2.25 per thousand and give you
to Juno /, 1898, to cut and remove the
same" ~
AA01ul8uo W - V0A01OU01 OAs W n.y.
This is a good sample of Mr.. Biermann's
generous and accommodating disposition.
He had no doubt it would cut double the
estimate. He did not make it rule to
sell 1T private SALE He had an idea that
this particular section would burn by the
following spring if c. A. Smith & Co. did
not get it, and they finally did get it; not at
a thousand, which competent judges
afterward testified it to be worth, not even
at S2.25, as Mr.. Biermann had written,
but at -.
It was the knowledge of these facts that
prompted the Legislative investigation.
and Mr.. r. C. Dunn secured the appoint
ment Of a legislative committee to look
into the matter. A majority of that COM
mittee, consisting of one Democrat, one
Populist and, at the last moment, one Re-
publican, reported in favor of letting the
matter drop Mr.. Dunn and Mr.. Fleming
filed q minority report containing the
damaging evidence Not satisfied with
that, Mr.. Dunn then introduced the fol-
lowing resolution, whose passage he se-
cured April II, 1898: ~
"Resolved, That this house of represen-
tatives, the senate concurring, does here
by request the governor to take such
prompt action as he may deem necessary
to secure full and further investigation
in the courts of the sale of section &c."
Governor Nelson Acted Promptly aad
vigorously. az1F
This threw upon Governor Nelson the
entire responsibility of bringing to justice
the depredators on the pine lands of the
state. It is by his faithful discharge of
that duty that he has won their active OPP
position and undying enmity. The gov
ernor at once set on foot an investigation
of his own, and became convinced that the
transaction was shady one. A suit was
brought against c. A. Smith & Co. in
July, 1893. In explaining his connection
with the matter, Mr.. Biermaun MS defense
Wa simply that he had right, under the
law, to do what he had done.
Trial Disclosed Some Queer Thinsa
On the trial of the case it appeared that
Mr.. Biermann had stated in the permit is
sued that there were ZOO, 900 feet of timber,
whereas, in fact, there were 5,5O0,00O; and
while Mr.. Biermann had sold the timber on
section SO on January 26th, 1892, at pri-
vate sale, yet when he made out the per.
NIT, he dated it back to December It'll.
1891. This was because there had been q