St. Paul daily globe., 1896-03-08
DAMS ON THE RIVER
AGENTS FROM WASHINGTON HERE
LOOKING OVER THE SITUA-
TION.
COIN FOR THE IMPROVEMENT,
United STATES DISTRICT ATTOR-
NEY STRENGER WORKING DIN
POKEGAEEA SUITS.
COIN FOR THE IMPROVEMENT
A TELEGRAM FROM COL. KIEFER.
He Advises the Legal nenor4mar+
Here of the Passage of the
Salary Bill.

United States District Attorney
Strlnger was asked yesterday by a re-
porter for the G o be what action
had been taken by the government to-
wards condemning land about the site
OF the proposed dam in the Mississippi
between the Twin Cities,
Nothing has been done bv the pow
ernment so far" replied Mr.. Stringer.
IN the. nature of condemnation. pro-
ceedlngs, but agents from Washington
nave been here for some time investi
eating the possibility of securing the
needed property without condemna-
ton. There are only a few acres after
all to be taken, although they are all
within the plated limits of ST. PauI
and Minneapolis. The dam is located
at the boundary line between Ram
sey and Hennepin counties. below the
Marshall avenue bridge. The hanks
vi the river are so precipitous that
only small part of them will be over
Moved, chiefly in some ravines. so TO
speak, running back from the shores
The dam will be a very important
and extensive piece or work. and IFS
erection will be of decided benefit to
both cities, by affording work, during
several years, to large number of
men. The dam must, of course. have
LOCKS, and it will be constructed of
masonry in the most durable manner
When 1T is completed the head of navi-
cation will be the Falls Of ST An
thony"
VIII private parties pe enabled to
obtain water power from this damp"
NOT without consent of the war de-
partment. This department will have
entire control of the dam, and NAV
indeed probably will, lease the power
to various Industries"
don't know anything about the
requirements of the scheme this seq
son, and Pm not in a position to saw
whether Representative Fletcher. Of
Minneapolis, is justified in asking for
SlV0,0O0 to carry on the work. / be-
neVe that the first appropriation made
by the last congress was about the
same amount, but I don't think that
anything of consequence has vet been
done at the site. Of course, several
100000 will be needed to complete the
dam and its locks, and I've no doubt
that the appropriation asked by Mr..
Fletcher would be an immediate bene-
fit to both cities.
Improvement of the upper river. You
remember that some years ago it was
decided to establish a series of dams
not far from the sources Of the Mis-
siSsippi. There is much level country
up there, the flowage from which,
when held back by a dam, materially
the amount of water that can
be diverged, when needed, into the
main channel. Condemnation proceed
inSs We're begun by me last December
against various parties to obtain about
dozen acres at Lake Pokegama,
where the first dam has been con-
structed in temporary fashion. 1t is
now desired to build a permanent dam
of masonry, and the land is required
for that purpose, and for additional
wings. The suits are against several
Minneapolis lumbermen, among others,
and will be tried at that city this
month, at the next term of the United
States district court.
"Yes, received a telegram from Mr..
Kiefer yesterday, announcing that the
house had passed the bill establishing
a salary of $4,000 for the district at
torney of this state. 1 thoroughly ap-
prove the general principles of the bill,
and I don't recommend the fee system,
but 1 think that Minnesota has been
allowed a salary for her attorney that
is entirely inadequate The attorney
for this state has one of the largest
districts in the country, and the
amount of it's business is only exceed
ed, L think, by that of the Southern
district of New York, and the Chicago
district of Illinois. Yet Iowa, with
much less business. as a state, has
been given two attorneys at $4,000 a
piece, and for a singular reason the
Southern district of New York is ex-
cepted from the operations of the law.
The fees of this last district in a recent
year were 100000. Mr.. Hay, my pre-
decessor, made in all about 1000 a
year. and Tawney, who knows the re-
quirements of our state, tried to ar
range a rider to go with the bill which
would have given our state $4,000, a
moderate compensation. but the rider
was defeated You see there are six
districts in the state and two terms
of court must be held in each division
every year. making IL terms in II