The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-08-30
BALDWIN TALKS
Continued From First Page.

the work of estimating the timber upon GER
tain of the Chippewa Indian lands. 1 have
| accordingly appointed to serve under you as
examiners twelve men recommended by you
in your letters of Feb. LIST and 3d. as compe-
assignment is subject to revocation through
| the commissioner of the general land Office.
Very respectfully, d. R. Francis,
| Secretary.
| Feb. Is, as follows:
Sir: would have been dull indeed had I
not made the discovery while in Washington
that l had not the full confidence of the sec
rotary of the interior in my plans for re-
forming the work of estimating the timber of
| the Chippewa Indian reservations or could
| | fail to realize that my efforts in this direc-
ton were opposed by powerful influences
| and that | was contending against powerful
| odds. Confronted at every point by the oppo-
sition Of by the lumbermen and their
| attorneys; all these influences aided as l be-
lieve, by the commissioner of the general land
office, who, if half that is said is true
is the greatest of scoundrels or else the most
! abused man in America, cannot wonder nor
do blame that under these circumstances
had not the full confidence or cooperation Of
yourself. This 'gang" may have told you,
| as others of them told Secretary Smith, that
| was robber. but l am made no at
tempt to bride you as they did your prede-
cessor. This gang would further delay the
| estimating of timber on the reservations until
the advent of the new administration, when
will be deposed and they can renew their
efforts for robbing the Indians of their pine
that timber cannot be estimated during the
winter, they lied and they knew they were
lying. They lied when they said that the
surveys of Leech lake were obiiterated and
new ones must be made before the timber
| could be estimated. You do not know these
| men as we of Wisconsin and Minnesota know
| them. My object in the recent investigation
| was to protect the Indians and to prevent
greater scandal than can possibly grow out
| of Inspector Wright's report. l have made no
| charges of fraud or collision, but L do make
| those charges now. Some of the estinlatorS
| sold themselves to the lumbermen or their
! agents. l heard Mr.. Lamoreaux say much
| about the discrepancies in the reports of the
estimators employed by Inspector Wright. The
report shows no such condition. If you will
go carefully over Mr. Wright's report you
| VIII lind that some of the competent estima-
| tors were guilty Of Understanding to an
| tent unknown to the incompetent men; then,
too, all the pine sold, so far as investigated,
was greatly underestimated One tract re-
| ported by the old corps agricultural land,
was found to contain 100000 feet of pine.
All the way these awful underesti-
mates were found 1t is not possible that all
these, or in my judgment any part, were the
result of incompetency or carelessness. 1t was
collusion1; pure and simple. Believe me, sir,
| that will be the verdict, though the guilt
may never be fixed upon any individual of the
| corps. These are some of the things I de-
sired to say to you during my stay in Wash
| lngton, but you could not give me the oppor-
| tunity. 1t seems to be my duty, as honest
man; to acquaint you with the facts as re-
| lated in this letter. +
[ find no fault, or do 1 complain of the
! treatment you accorded me during my
cent stay in Washington. The Influences
against me were overwhelming. 1 stood alone
| against them all, sustained only by a con-
seriousness of right. | am right, and time will
| convince you that l am. l had hoped for
your full cooperation, I wished it to go to the
public that you would put stop to this plum
dering, not put upon me the entire RESPONSE
| bility, as you have done, would l care so
much for this were it not-as 1 read your
| instructions-all my acts may be revoked by
commissioner of the general land office in
| whose honesty I have no confidence and for
whom have no respect. However, these
| things shall not deter me from making
honest and vigorous effort to accomplish all
that l nave assured you can be accom-
| plished.
I began the organization of the new
estimator corps before leaving Wash
ington, securing the appointment of
| w. A. Hayden, of Detroit Mimi, as
chief, and of twelve men as estimators
By the Sth of February work was be-
gun on the Leech Lake reservation, the
/ chief in the woods with his men, all
! working on SnoWShoes-SnOW three feet
deep, living in cloth tents with the mer-
| curry 80 or more degrees below zero
| The best chief and the best lot of esti-
matorS that ever worked in timber
This corps was suspended April 80 be-
| cause the appropriation was exhausted
From Feb. to April 80 they had esti-
| mated some 5000, 600 feet more of tim
Der than had been estimated by the
| former corps in about three years, at a
| cost of Sc 100, as against cost of about
| $150,000 by the former corps. The work
| of Mr.. Hayden'S corps will stand while
that of the old corps is so unreliable
| that it must all be done over again.
| And now a few references to and eX-
tracts from the report of Inspector j.
George Wright. The testimony of two
| of the eStimators twelve were exam
| iredD will, | think suffice:
Andrew Douglas, chief of the corps, testi-
| fed that he had no experience in estimating
pine timber before his appointment; that his
headquarters were at Thief River Falls, about
100 miles away from where estimators were
personally inspect work of the estimators;
was aware that eighteen of the thirty men
of the corps had no previous knowledge or
experience as eStirators.
Theo. H. Beau!ieu mixed blood of White
| Earth in reply to his former experience
as an estimator, says about two years with
| the Chippewa commission. Gle has never es
timated any pine timber for the Chippewa
commission, and never. as l am informed,
! for T. B. Waiker.) Bealieu admits that he ac-
cepted estimates from other es:imatora, - !
reported them his own, and that he re-
ported these facts to Maj. Baldwin. (daj.
| Baldwin makes denial of this statement)
Question-ln lot 6, section 10, town $780,
range 81, you reported 12,0GO feet? 1 have
examiped that tract, and find $1,000 feet. On
lot 5, in same section and town. you say YOU
reported fS,0Go. I also find $1,000 that lot.
On the northeast quarter of southwest quar-
ter the average is "a, 0G0. | find 1913 COO. Have
you any recollection of examining those for
ties?
! Answer-Beauleu-I did this work,
know, personally and conscie1tiously.
Ques.-On the northeast-southeast how much
did you report?
Ans-5,0O0 inspector Wright-My men re-
pert 60G00.)
CUES On the Observation-Disclosures how
much did you report?
Ans.-S,O00 inspector Wright-My men re-
port 143 .C00.)
Ques.-How much did you report on lot Il
| section 20, town $50, range 80?
Ans-Yes, sir; 5000 feet of white pine and
1000 feet Of Norway inspector Wright
! find liz, 600 that ,ot.) -
QUes.-On one of those tracts I find on one
lot about 100000 feet of pine classed as agri-
cultural lands. The report shows that you
and two others examined and reported upon
it. Here follow questions and replies on
certain lots reported at from $4,000 to IL. 000D
| Ques.-In each of the five instances which
you have stated you reported on section 2
town $50, range 80, you accepted figures from
without personally examining any of those
tracts. Did you?
Ana-Yes, sir.
Ques.-I have examined each of these tracts
and find each of them in the neighborhood
| of 200 900 feet. Now, your accepting other
peoples figures and reporting them as your
work puts. very serious responsibility on
you.
Ans.-I realized that then, but it seemed to
be the common practice of the corps, and
ten to Mr.. Baldwin: CNote-Mr. Douglas I'M
der cath, denies this-'I positively deny Beau
lieu writing me about it.')
1t is shown in. the testimony that es-
timators were absent much of the time
In the case of Theodore H. Beaulieu,