The representative., 1896-02-05
THE LAST OF THE PINE.
ANOTHER GIGANTIC FRAUD.

A Washington Dispatch says:
A bill was passed, on motion OF Mr..
Towne (Rcp Minn.), to amend the
act Of 1860 for the relief and ciriliz-
alton of the Chippe,cas, so as to permit
the secretary Of the interior. in his
discretion, to sell tie pine lands in
their reservation in blocks OF 100000
acres or less. Some 1000, 900 acres are
to be sold under the act Of 1889.
And here is another dispatch:
Washington, Jan. 27.-Congressman
Towne today called upon and secured
the passage of bill for the opening
Of a portion Of the Red Lake Indian
reservation. After strenuous efforts
on the part Of Col. Kiefer an amend
ment was adopted inserting Taylor
Falls in the list of cities in the papers
of which advertisements are to be
printed for the sale OF the lands. 1t
is also provided that sections Is and
36 shall be reserved for school pur-
poses, In accordance with the desires
OF Senator Davis.
1t is beautiful to see how our dill
gent delega tion ia the House and Sen
ate are looking after the interests Of
the good people, by adding the Tay-
lor's Falls newspapers to the list Of
those in which notice OF the sale shall
be made! And by re-affirming the act
of Congress, admitting Minnesota in
to the Union, which provides that
sections 16 and &c. OF all public lands,
shall be reserved to the state for
school purposes. The Indians have
nothing but temporary right Of oc-
cupancy, and no right In the soil; and
those sections would belong to the
school-fund without any such provis-
ion as Senator Davis proposed. He
might just as we'll rcaffi rm the consti-
tuition Of the United Srates. But the
Savior spoke Of those who are careful
to pay their tithes of mint and
anise," insignificant garden herbs,)
but forget the 'weightier matters Of
the law" And the air is full Of ru-
mors that the biggest steal ever per-
petrated in this state is about to be
consummated, by which the only large
body Of white pine on the continent
| is to pass into the hands Of great
syndicate. headed by Wyerhauser and
backed by Rockefeller.
This is splendid period to work the
game. A fellow once observed that
the times we're so hard that If steam
boats we're selling for a penny apiece
he had not money enough to buy u
| gang-plank! And that is pretty much
the condition now In this country,
when these valuable lands are to be
put on the market and sold in tracts
of "1O0, 900 acres or less"
But what can we do? We may howl
on the street corners, but it will avail
not. The people themselves. by their
votes, have nursed such men as
Rockefeller into monstrous greatness;
and now, after seizing upon all the
oil supply OF the whole world, and buy
ing up the greater part Of our iron-de-
posits, he is about to grab the vast
forests OF white pine, and establish a
monopoly which will put the price tG
us. and our posterity, as high as his
unbounded greed may dictate.
And all this the two old parties are
responsible for. Every gigantic rob
ber belongs to one or the other OF
them; and they have remained silent
while, for thirty years, the chains
have been quietly fastened on the
limbs of once free people.
And how have they done it? They
have bought up the public press to lie
and bewilder and deceive the multi