The Cook County herald. [volume] (Grand Marais, Minn.) 1893-1909, 1897-04-24
Perry b. Martin Returns.

agency loca1 brok ss'.. D j
Perry 5. MARTIN Returns. ~.
We are pleased 70 greet the return
among US Of our genial and venerable
friend, sx-County Attorney Perry D.
Martin. He returns to resume his; i'm
provements upon his beautiful home
stead, Mt. Ashberry. He 10 looking we'll
but gives an account Of sad winter
spent among his carly friends at Lake
City, some GO miles below st. Paul. Be-
reavement in the death Of two sisters
and number of old settlers, dating back
to the early fifties, with several old war
comrades, made his stay peculiarly sor-
rowful. =: /. >.. r
Mr.. Martin spent several weeks in St.
Paul, laboring to SECURE to the people of
'frontier countless" and especially Cook
county, at least a partial recognition of
their rights, as vouchsafed them under
the benlacencs Of the government and
fostered BY the laws OF the state. From
his investigation Mr.. Martin represents
that the pioneer counties of the state
have been robbed Of more than $10O, 600,
OF which Cook county would be entitled
to at least $25, 900. Tho source Of tho
fund is the so-called swamp lands grant
ed to tho state by the government, and
by the state appropriated to aid .''fron.
tier counties" in the building OF roads
and bridges. Up to two years ago, At
torney Martin informs us, tho biennial
accumulation Of the fund had been loose
ly lott for disbursement under the con-
troll Of the state auditor. This function
airy, he says, elected to distribute it
throughout the state to counties where
appropriations had been voted from the
road and bridge fund-which total always
amounted to double or thrible the total
amount at his disposal-so it left him in
position to use his discretion, and to
give to closely contested political ooun-
tics, moity "where it would do tho
most good" and when legitimate beni-
faciary would ask the aid contemplated
by the law he would be zsilenced by the
auditors pointing the poor frontier ap-
plicant to the thrice-snowed-un fund i.
This year, Mr.. Martin says, he learned
that there 10 no longer . road and bridge
fund, so that tho paternal care contem-
plated by the carly fathers of tho state for
such self-saorifcing men and women as
vsntured to penetrate the wilderness of
our unexplorsd domain have lived and
must live victims OF q wholesale robbery
conceived in chioanery and born on the
sly.
The uncovsring OF this. outrage came
from bill which Mr.. Martin wrote aud
entrusted to our representative, Mr.. La
bourne, asking an appropriation OF &c.,
600 to aid Cook county in the building
Of roads and bridges. The bill was intro
duoed and referred to the proper com
mittee. The chairman, Representative
Hartshorn, seemed astounded at the
"cheek" of tho father of the bill, and
sought an interview with Mr.. Martin.
Here it was developed that tho road and
bridge fund had been transferred to the
internal improvement fund, 10 that the
fund provided by the state to help US in
our pioneer struggles was, and is, blotted
out Of existence, only to afford create
opportunities for schemes OF peculatiob
Mr.. Martin concluded his story by re-
marking that it might be all right to rot
Peter to pay Paul, but said he: "I'll bt
cussed! Wher you rob Peter to aggran,
die Paul call it rascality. I