St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-05-17

=
His Own Figures. and Another
Estimator Finds Still More
Pine How the Game Is
Worked to Claim Over-Esti-
nation and Secure Rebate
Maj. Baldwin Vigorously Push
ing His Bill to Prevent the
Stealing.
Special to the Globe
WAsHINGToN. May 16. The general
land office is discovering undeniable
evidences of collision and fraud in
former estimates OF the Red Lake pine.
SO palpable and apparent has this come
to be that the department has ordered a
complete new estimate, and the force is
now engaged IN that work.
The manner of the discovery was
Though the retention OH the force of
one OF the men employed as an esti-
mator on the same force during the
Harrison administration. This man was
instructed by Chief Estimator Douglass
to go upon and carefully estimate-by
meaSurement-th the timber Oh certain
forty formerly estimated by himself.
He did so, and 1T was found that the last
estimate gave two-thirds larger result
than the first. Then Mr.. Douglass
selected another forty. and it was found
that only one-fourlh of the actual pine
had been reported. 1t was found that
these variations in the estimates were
So common as TO be almost universal
and that invariably the under estimates
were within one mile of the streams.
Then the plan of estimating by actual
measurement was carried two, three
and four miles back from the streams,
and it was discovered that there was an
over estimate, SO as 10 bring the aver
age of the lands up and give full ac-
count of all the pine-only locating less
than there actually was near The large
streams, while giving much more than
there was at a distance from the
stream.
The trick of the trade" is readily un-
derstood by all lumbermen. Appar-
entity it had been the plan of the pine
land ring to underestimate the best and
most convenient pine lands, gobble
IHSiil UP anu CuL Oll tuS anu
then cry out loudly about the overesti-
nation of the other lands, secure a re-
estimate, and thus walk off with the
entire plunder.
The system of making estimates un-
der tile former administration was ap-
narentiy formulated to aid the smart
rascals who have been coming wealth
nf AliJ,nas,,fa L., nhc II ha
system known Us ''Sight eStimates"-
that Is, the eStlmatorS were not COM
PEELED to measure the pine OH any forty
acres, but would measure two or three
trees and then recklesslt guess off"
the remainder Or rather. carefully,
instead of reckleSSlv, guess millions of
feet Off from some sections. while they
guessed several other millions on to
other sections. it was most excellent
system-tor the pine land swindlers.
but bad 6ne for the Indians and the
government.
When Chief Estimator Douglass mad
definitely proved that The former esti-
mates showed collision and dishonesty,
it Was determined by Commissioner
'Eanioreaux to proceed to a full and
complete re-estlnlate of all the pine on
Red Lake reservation. He SO instruct
ed the force now engaged in the work,
and The men ale now engaged in prose-
cutting their labors. The new system is
by actual measurement. and while 1t
will take the force longer there is no
possible opportunity, outside of down.
right thievery and Intentional falSifica-
ton. which can prevent an absolutely
correct knowledge of the amount and
value of the pine On the reservation.
Meantime Maj. Baldwin IS doing
everything in his power to press to its
passage the bill amending the original
Nelson bill. filis simply allows the
land department to sell the lands as
rapidly as each 100000 acres has been
surveyed and estimated; aud when that
has once become law the people of
Northwestern Minnesota have some
reasonable assurance that they will get
the benefit Of the pine that now lies
unused all around them.
1t is not improbable that some meas
ures may be taken by the land depart
ment to fully aud completely expose the
sell evident frauds of the former esti-
.Dators and the pine land ring behind
them. 1t is known that this matter was
made an issue in Mai. BaIdwin's former
campaign for congress, and he is now
in posttion-witi facts and figures. hav-
ing the general land Office behind him
to show to the people OF the state that
all his charges of fraud. collision and
downright robbery are more than justi-
fed.