The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1894-10-18
THE NAKED TRUTH.

against pine land plunderers based, as
the committee claimed, on reliable
proof, involving millions of dollars,
and the suits have been settled by At
torney General Childs, with the knowl-
edge certainly if not approval of Gov.
Nelson for a few paltry thousands.
One of the suits settled in this way
was against G.. A. Smith, colonel on
Gov. Nelson's staff. The latter for
some reason makes no mention of the
matter in his speeches. Albert Lea
Standard. "
II. G. Day, editor Of the Albert
Lea Standard, is a fair-minded
man, and we believe he would not
knowingly make false statement.
Let us give you the naked truth,
Bro. Day. On page $50 of the
house journal will be found a
resolution offered by R. C. Dunn
on the 18th Of April, 1898. We
quote the last sentence Of the reso-
luton: "And that the governor
is hereby authorized to employ
counsel and incur such expendi-
lures as the proper conduct of
such judicial investigation may re-
quire and the interests of the State
of Minnesota may demand" This
was in reference to the G.. A.
Smith case-the pioneer case
against the lumber barons and the
only case with which the governor
had any connection. Did the
governor attempt to shirk the duty
imposed upon him? Immediately
after the Legislature adjourned he
summoned the writer to St. Paul,
and together they went over all
the evidence in the case. The
governor then requested the writer
to select the counsel. Half a dozen
law firms were mentioned, and
finally Warner, Richardson &
Lawrence, of St. Paul, were
agreed upon. That firm vigorously
prosecuted under the direction and
advice of Gov. Nelson and the
writer. The governor was firmly
of the opinion that the State had
an excellent case and had no doubt
as to the outcome. What was the
result? Judges Baxter and Searle,
one a Democrat and the other a
Republican, two as able and as
fearless judges as adorn the bench
of Minnesota, rendered an elabor-
ate decision sustaining every con-
tention on the part of the State,
and sustaining, in every particular,
the report of the minority of the
legislative committee-(W. A.
Fleming and R. G. DUNN that the
private sale was illegal and that the
logs we're worth 81 per thousand
feet. The illegal contract made
by Auditor Biermann was can
| ..a ID r. e
celled and the defendants were re-
quired to pay double the amount
designated in the contract. Be it
remembered that Auditor Bier
mann had sold, at pravate sale, to
C. A. Smith e Co., the pine tim
Der on school section 80, town 40,
range 26, for So per thousand feet,
and on an estimate Of 700, 1000 feet,
when in reality there were 6, 1000, 900
feet on the section. Smith e Co.
had cut 2,432,o1o feet 100000
feet still remains for which
they were required to pay SO, 728,
or at the rate Of 81 per M, instead
Of So per M. as their illegal con-
tract with the auditor provided.
The timber still standing on the
section in question will readily sell
for 81 or $4.5O per M, SO at the
lowest figures, the State will save
$4,000 on this one section; more
than that, had it not been for the
investigation, the probabilities are
that the original estimate would
have stood and the State would
have been defrauded out Of at least
$4,000. This Smith case was a
test case. Had the State lost, the
Investigations by the committee Of
which Senator Donnelly is the
chairman would have amounted to
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