The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-01-04
He ASKS QUESTIONS
STATE AUDITOR DUNN's REPORT
GOES INTO EzIFHEJT0 HID
DEN CORNERS.
LAND GRANTS LAID BARE.
CLAIM IS BABE THAT THEY HAVE
NOT BEEN EARNED AL
WAYS.
GENERAL LAND OFFICE ALSO
Comes In fer Some Pointed Remarks
as to CevtiGcatioE OF Grant
When Doubt Existed.
LAND GRANTS LAID BARE.
GENERAL LAND OFFICE ALSO

State Auditor DunnS blennl2t report
which is Just from the press is per-
haps the most aggressive pubic docu-
naent recently added to the otncla1 IL
braries of the state. The state auditor
calls a spade a spade, whether the
shoveier be the commissioner OF the
general land Office or some minor OF
fender against what he assumes to be
the rtrhtfuI possessions OF the state.
His grievance against the land ONCE
at Washington is, as he claims, that
the state has been improperly deprived
of a large quantity of swamp lana 10
which it is justly entitled, owing to the
general land office having certified the
same to the Northern Pacific Railway
company He says:
The swamp lands situated within the
place limits of the Northern Pacihc, but as the
date OF the swamp land grant to the safe was
prior to the grant to the Northern racine
Railway company, the state had prior claim
TO these swamp lands which were duly Sc
lected as swamp for the state, but the state
claim was rejected by the general land of1ce
because the lands had been disposed OF to the
Northern Pacific.
The safe is fairly entitled to indemnity
for all the swamp lands so lost, and It's claim
therefor will not be neglected during the next
two years. Means should be provided to enabe
this Office to perform the necessary work OF
establishing the bases and pressing the claim
before the general land office. The lack OF the
necessary means has alone prevented me
from acting in this matter during the two
years last past. l estimate the amount OF
swamp land for which the state is entitled
to such indemnity as being not less than 200
0C0 acres, which means from $60O,OOO to 81
000 0C0 for the state funds.
The states interests undoubtedly suffer to
serious extent by not having an agent to rep
resent it at Washington, d. c. For many
years pas the adjustment Of the different
land grants tC this state has been in almost
hopeless arrears, and in the five years prior
to July 81. 1896, the states claim to over
100000 acres under the swamp land grant was
rejected. Mrs5 Of the states having land
grants, and other grantees, have an expert
land agent TO represent them before the gem
eraI land Office, and thousands of dollars
would be annually saved to Minnesota by en-
ploying such an agent.
The area of the state of Minnesota, as es-
timated by the commissioner of the general
land Office, is 40 250.C00 acres, of which 49,
go, GOO have been surveyed. Under the act of
congress Of March Y, 1860 which was an
amendment and extension of the act of con-
gress approved Sept. 2S, 1885, the state was
granted all the swamp lands within its
boundaries for the purpose of retaining and
draining the same The basis for the desicna-
ton and selection of these swamps, mutually
agreed upon by the government and the state,
was the field notes and plats of the United
States government survey, and it remains
today. Under this swamp land grant the state
has had selected for it, up to July 81, 1896,
4,T72 597.12 acres, of which 402, $50 acres have
been approved to the state by the secretary of
the interior. A careful estimate of the un-
surveyed portions of the state indicates that
the state will receive about 1,500, 600 acres of
swamp land additional, and from the swamp
land already selected, the states claim for
which is still pending before the general land
office, the state viii not receive less than
20 09e acres, bringing the whole swamp land
grant ultimately to about $500 coo acres. 1t is
estimated that almost !, SEQ. coo acres of swamp
land nave beer lost TO the state owing to
its being situate within the so-called Indian
reservations. The loss to the state, of land
selected as swamp. but rejected as such by
"a raj lGn nff1 md nCod IF Nv ho
government prior to the survey, will probably
exceed 80 Geo acres.
In addition to the grant of swamp lands to
the state, congress has from time to time
made grants of land to different railroad com
panies CT to aid the construction of lines of
railway il the state Of Minnesota, aggre-
eating ILG2 go acres, the basis being the
construction of 2.203 miles of railway line OF
this amount about 10, 900 acres have been
certified TO the grantees by the secretary of
Through the efforts of Mr. Platt B. Walker,
Who in 1875 was commissioned to represent
the state before the land department in Wash
ington, and endeayOr to secure a settlement
of many Of the old claims made by the state,
many tracts of swamp on which contests had
been died and abandoned years ago, have
been saved to the state, and the land depart
ment was induced to take action looking
towards the settlement of the states swamp
land claims in twenty-three townships in
st. Louis and Lake counties which had been
pending by reason of alleged Irregularities in
the government surveys since 1880. As the
special agent Of the general land Office, made
during the summer and fall of 1895 there have
been 69,46S.70 acres of these lands approved
to the state.
The various grants are gone over
in detail, among those in dispute be-
ing the following:
The Great Northern refuses to &C
CGpt an 1894 grant for the Hinckley
branch of 271 ,565 "a acres of swamp
land for the reason that the lands
CGla Il nv h.
ditor without their consent, the COM
pany claiming the right to make their
own selections. The result is that these
27.565.94 acres Of swamp land are
practically left without an owner who
viii protect them from trespass and
damage, and as on many of the tracts
there IS more or less timber, hay, ETC.,
the lands have been subject. and are
liable in the future until the owner
ship is established, to damage and
waste al the hands of unscrupulous
trespessers. The state having exc
cuted a deed Of conveyance of these
lands to the MINNEAPOLIS 81 st. Cloud
Railway company, the. auditor con-
siders them as being entirely out Of
his jurisdiction but as the question,
involving so many acBes Of valuable
land, is a serious One,aand the condi-
ton existing is very, undesirable he
thinks it worthy OF the attention Of the
Mr.. Dunn's strongest language Is
used in connection with the land grant
made to the Cannon River Manufact-
urers' association, which he terms a
signal instance of the misuse, misap-
plication and waste Of a land grant.
He says:
By an act of the state legislature of March
2, 1865, amended by tapter 244 Special
Laws Of Minnesota. 1871, etc. 25000 acres of
swamp land was taken from the grant made
to the Cannon River Improvement company
and conferred upon this association for the
purpose of aiding in the Development and
Improvement of the water power and manu-
featuring resources Of the Cannon river. OF
the $4,000 acres SO granted 24191 As acres
were conveyed by the state to the association
1t Is an incOntestable fact that the water
power ard manufacturing resources Of the
Cannon river have not been improved or
developed by the grantee, and that no work
whatsoever. except some perfunctory prelim-
mary work done many years ago has been
attempted. It IS also beyond DISPUTE that
the association has disposed of the grant
ed lands, and IS alleged TO have received there
for the sum Of $42.579. 1t is also beyond
dispute that ali the members of the associa-
ton who owned any mills or manufacturing
Interests on the Cannon river have DISPOSED of
the same, and the other members have re-
moved from the district. 1t has also been
shown in he Gaze Of the State CT NJ nneso a VS.
Cannon River Manufacturers association the
the officers of the association kept no books
or papers showing the manner in which its
affairs we're administered and its expenditures
and receipts, and it also shown that
the grant has been reckessly wasted and
not applied to the purpose for which it was
intended.
The auditor questions the validity of
the Duluth & Iron Range grant, and
mir. inn frnU