The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1895-07-03
From the st. Paul DISPATCH.

Washington, June 22.-Offcials of the
that certain railroad interests in the
State of Minnesota are trying to work
a big deal in connection with the
swamp lands.
1t is claimed here that the scheme
Is for the state to demand a greater
portion of the lands in the Red Lake
and other reservations, on the assump-
ton that these lands are really a por-
ton of the original grant Of 1860. 1t
will also be the policy of the state, it is
alleged, to set up the claim that the
Red Lake lands must be recovered
from the Indians, and that the act Of
Jan. IA, 1889, which organized the Chip
pewa commission and provided for
making allotments and securing relin-
Quishments from the Indians, not hav-
ing been complied with in hardly any
particular, the lands must be forfeited
back to the government.
The state has already made immense
railroad companies. The Duluth &
Winnipeg, the old Manitoba and Iron
Range roads have been fighting for
years for these swamp lands and as
fast as a list has been approved here
in the Duluth district, the railroad
companies secure it as soon as patents
are issued.
The suspicion of the land Office Off
Gals have been aroused by the ap-
pearance here of Plat B. Walker ap-
pointed by Gov. Clough to come to
Washington to look after the swamp
land grants They make the following
statement in regard to the situation:
That the State of Minnesota will not
be direct beneficiary in receiving any
of the swamp lands in the northern
part of the state included in the Duluth
and a portion of the Crookston districts;
that between the years 1888 and 1890 Spe-
, ciai Agent DR.. W0ufen was sent to that
district and discovered that the field
notes had been tempered with and that
the government surveyors had evidently
made gross errors or stood in with the
railroads, which were to receive the lands
under grants from the state.
1t is further alleged, and the tables
given below seem to substantiate the
statement, that the swamp lands are be-
ing approved here more rapidly than the
State of Minnesota Is making it's selec-
TONS In deciding what constitutes
swamp lands two methods prevail. One
is to abide by the field notes of the sur
veyors, the other is to make an eX-
animation of the lands and decide from
the condition of the same whether or
not they come properly under the head
of swamp lands.
The clerks and the head of the swamp
land division say that special agent, j.
M. Farrell, is now in Minnesota max
ing examinations in the Duluth district,
where it is alleged that frauds have been
perpetrated. They cite the fact that
Mr.. Walker has done absolutely nothing
since his arrival here, only to look over
the records. Further, they insist that
back of his appointment is the scheme to
secure for the state. and from the state
to the railroad companies, portions of the
valuable timber lands in the Duluth dis
trict. 1t is we'll known that the Chip
pewa Indian commission have not been
able to make satisfactory terms at all
with the Indians. They will not accept
the allotments, and since recent decisions
have been made shutting out the half
bloods from the benefits of the act, and
also changing the number of acres each
head of a family is to receive, the repre-
sentatives of the Indians insist that it
will render the entire act void, for it has
not been carried out in accordance with
the several treaties made with the Min
nesota tribes. 1t will be seen from the
figures given below that the state has
been receiving swamp lands right along,
and during the last fiscal year more acres
were approved than were called for in
selections.
TABLE NO. l.
Showing the number of acres Of swamp
lands selected by the state of Minnesota
since July l, 1894, to date: