The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-02-06
THE PINE LAND ROBBERIES.
The True Remedy.


if the present Legislature does any
thing to stop the robbery of the school
lands by the pine-land rogues. 1t
may amend a law or two, here or there
in some small particulars, but the
work of spoilation will go on, until !
the last stick of pine is stolen. NJ
We added to the report of the
Select Committee some supplemental !
suggestions which go to the root of
the matter. They will not Of course
be adopted. The whole thing will
slump down into the usual bed of rot
tenness. We publish however what
we said-the future will prove the
correctness of our views.
While checrfully signing the above
report and concurrng in it's general
views sense of duty to the present
age and the children of the future,
impels me to make the following sug-
gestiOn for the consideration of the
governor. the legislature, and the peO-
pie.
Under existing statutes it was in
tended that the pine lands Of the
state should not be sold until the leg
so ordered but that they should be
held for the benefit of the school and
other funds, under the belief that
time would render them more valu-
able; and that when the individual
owners of pine lands had denuded
them, then the pine belonging to the
state would rise to great values, and
| furnish a lumber supply of the ut
most Importance to those who are to
come after u.s. But it was then sug-
gested that there would be an occa-
Sional section. the timber OF which
was, from particular conditions, in
danger of destruction by fire; and 9th
ers which had actually been burned
over and the trees killed; and that il
these were not converted into logs at
once they would decay and become
valueless. 1t was therefore provided
that when, in the judgment of
board consisting of the governor,
state auditor and state treasurer, or a
majority of the same, such cOntin-
gency had arisen. the stumpage on
such tracts should be sold at public
sale, to the highest bidder. This was
opening the door but an inch or two,
but vast army Of adventures, repre-
senting every shade of character, from
honest enterprise to unmitigated
criminalty, poured through the open
ing and became possessed of the great
bulk of the pine on our public lands.
They violated, as the above report has
shown, every restraining provision Of
the law and broke over every safeguard;
the governor was ignored; lands
we're sold that we're emphatically
fire: other pieces were sold al
private sale; and still others al
public sale where all competition was
pre- vented by illegal conspiracies and
com binations. And SO this prOvis0,
which was intended to cover only a
few exceptional cases. has been the
means of stripping the state of the
value of probably the greater portion
of tits landed possessions; and unless
this door is closed at once, end
double locked, it is probable that
every foot of pine belonging to Mime
sofa will be carried through it; and a
grievous wrong inflicted upon this and
all subsequent generations.
Under these circums tances the
question arises es--What can the state
dos 1t cannot afford to permit any
part of it's pine to go to waste
through re: and, at the same time
experience has demonstrated that We
5 cannot open the door a hand-breadtf
( lest a mob of thieves force theirway
through it. 1t is very easy to allegt
, that section of pine land is in dan
ger of fire. In fact there is scarcel.
.. any property in Minnesota which i
not subject to such risk. And l
: necessary fire can be kindled on th
land by the intending purchaser, Il
kill the trees, SO as to force sale un
. der such provision of the law. Th
. State of MinnesOta stands in the posi-
: tion of the custodian Of VALUABLE
e property, beset, on every side, by
e horde of robbers, grabbing at it; and
: as we have shown, the very agent
hired to help defend the property ar
conspiring with the thieves and shal
ing in the plunder. 1t seems to me
therefore, that the absolute loss OF
/ fraction of the public pine by Q
4 through fire would be less calamit
than to afford the plunderers access
the whole domain.
It would seem, therefore, to 10
+ that the state should absolutely r
fuse to permit any private party
d purchase the stumpage OF It's pin
10 land under any and all circumstances
y The great value Of the interests 9
y stake will Justify liberal expend
5 ture to defend them. When 1T D'
e comes evident, to the guardians
the pine land hereafter to be create
by law, that there is a real ana lmm