St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1894-02-21
THEY'RE AFTER THEM.

1he complaints IN the suits brought
by the State of Minnesota against the
1tasca Lumber company, which we
publish elsewhere, in which judgment
is asked in the aggregate for S74. 500 for
the conversion of pine on state lands.
are the first frait of the work of
the subcommittee, consisting of Sena-
tor Leavitt and Representatives Nc
Grath and Staples, appointed to in
yestigate the stealings of pine.
These gentlemen have been working
quietly, investigating sales, comparing
returns made to the auditor with
measurements made on the ground of
butts and tops, and also discovering the
numerous cases where pine has been
cut from state lands under no permit,
and of which no return was made. The
suits brought are but the opening chap
tiers of the long story of the spoliation
or the heritage of the schools of the
state by men whose consciences had
been taught by long contact with prac-
tice to regard pine trees as the property
OF the finder.
These frauds. are only possible be-
cause of the dishonesty of the agents
whom the state employs. and OH whom
it must rely. The system Of disposing
OF the pine is probably as good as could
be devised, but it has TO depend for its
successful execution on men, and the
system breaks down when these men
are not honest and conscientious. 1t is
all well enough for partisan purposes
TO lay the whole blame on the auditor,
but he can only be blamed if ne know
ingly appoints untruStworthy men as
cruisers OF eStimators. The cruiser is
the keystone of the system. 1t is on
his Integrity that the state must de-
pend. He examines the land. estimates
the quantity of pine on it, and, taking
account of the quantity, quality and &C
feasibility to the river. estimates the
value. His report is all the auditor has
to depend on and guide his Judgment
il making sales.
Various motives may influence the
cruiser to falsify his reports. AS in
the famous Smith case, he may be
simply lazily dishonest and never 20
near the land at all. but make his re-
port from a village miles away. Or, as
IN SOME other cases. it may be made to
his financial advantage. by some
lumberman owning adjacent pine, to
largely underestimate the quantity or
quality, or both, of the pine. In either
case the auditorzgets his information
solely FROM these men. Ii they are
conscientious, the state gets full value;
if they are not, the state suffers and the
lumberman profits.
Another source of weakness is in a
department not controlled by the au-
ditor~, independent of him, and on which
he u rely, and that is the office of
surveyor of logs. Where tina officer Or
his deputies scale the logs cut on state
lands under auditors permits, there is
the same facility for fraud. The scaler
may certify to less quantity than is cut,
or, as has happened. he may collide
with the lulnberman who is cutting on
his W land, and make nc note or re-
port of the logs which he knows are cut
from adjacent school land.
The United States endeavors to cor
rect these chances of error or fraud by
having separate estimates made by diff
ferent men at different times, expecting
thus to expose attempted frauds by the
discrepancies that these different exam
nations are supposed to reveal, if they
exist. But experience shows that even
here the opportunity exists for the con-
~scienceless lumberman, anxious only to
get as much pine for as little money as
possible, to make his combinations and
have the average Of the estimates hide
the fraud and cover up a bargain. Even
if the auditor would adopt a similar
check, he cannot because the appropria-
tons are too small. So between parsi-
mony on Que hand and cupidity on the
other, the state suffers. except, as in
these cases, investigation reveals the
fraud and the courts award damages.
PHI Dava Hill cot tho odvop