Omaha daily bee., 1897-01-04
MIX IN MINNESOTA MATTERS
Startling Revelations Made by State
Auditor Dunn.
FORFEITURE or LANDS TO STATE
General shaking up in Mineral Con
tracts aud Railroad Land TITLES
Rs the Result of His
Investigations.

ST. PAUL, Mimi, Jan. S.--The biennial re-
port of State Auditor Robert c. Dunn to the
Minnesota legislature was given to the press
tonight, and contains some startling figures
and recommendations. drawn from a rigid
Interpretation OF the law and careful ex-
animation of the records of his office, which
includes the land department
The general land department business
shows that grants of land to railroad com
panies by congress and by the state, within
the limits of the state of Minnesota, to aid
in the construction of the 1920 miles of line,
have amounted to over 20,000,000 acres The
total area of the state is about 10000 OOO
acres A reasonable valuation of these rail-
road lands is 030O00OO, or about S32,O 900
per mile. OF these lands the companies have
already received over lO,O0O,OOO acres, and
under the swamp land act from the state
they have received over !. 900 900 additional.
He calls particular attention to the grant
originally made to the Little Falls railway,
and now owned by the Northern Pacific, con
sisting of 100000 acres 1t was given TO aid
in the construction OF that railroad from
its eastern terminus to the western boundary
of the state. For uncompleted portions OF
the line the land should revert to the state
The line was only built to Morris altogether
eighty and a half miles, and the
to the twenty-five and half miles from
there to the state line, making a difference
of 1300 900 acres In the grant. AS the com.
pany has already received 100000 acres
which Is in excess of what they earned, the
legislature Is asked to take proper action tc
recover these lands, which are valued at moi
less than So per acre
The auditors conclusions and recommenda
tions regarding mineral lands. however, are
most startling. He recommends that the
] i -. -. Il,
the courts looking to the records OF lands al
ready conveyed 10 the Duluth & Iron Range
railroad, amounting to 100000 acres, and that
the remaining portion. 4O3OC acres, be de
claled forfeited These lands conservatvely
valued. are worth $4,000, 900, being located
exclusively in St. Louis, Lake and Cook
counties, which comprise the mineral and
timber portions of the state. He then cald
attention to the constitutional provision that
all state lands must be sold at public auc-
ton As the timber has been cleared off, II
has been similarly disposed Of and tbs
auditor now raises the question whether the
mineral Is not also a part of the realty and
should, therefore, be disposed Of in like
manner. The Rockefellers and the Mime
sofa Iron company hold 80 per cent of the
mining contracts on state lands, and these
were all secured at private sale, so that
IL his contention be approved, there would
be a general shaking up in mineral con
tracts.
me ldnu WneTe tHe TlCn mountain iron
is located was selected in 1883 by the then
state auditor for indemnity school land. In
1883 the same official, apparently through an
error or oversight. executed a reinquish.
ment back to the government This land is
valued at not less than Sl2, ,000, 900. The
state auditor takes the ground that possibly
the state still holds title to these lands under
the original selection. and that the relin-
quishment was null and void, because the
auditor had no power to execute such relin-
quishment, that power remaining with the
governor.