The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-06-13
THEY Paid At LAST
REGAL CITR.ANT LUMBER COMPANY
TAKEN TO TASK BY STATE
OFFICIALS.
CUT PINE ON STATE LANDS
YEARS AND YEARS AGO, BUT FOUND
RETRIBUTTON SURE, HOW
EVER SLOW.
INJUSTICE TO THE INDIANS.
CUT PINE ON STATE LANDS
INJUSTICE TO THE INDIANS.
Eastern Papers Are Rehashing the
Scandal of the HOlxe Smith APP
praisal at Red Lake.

State Auditor Dunn was much graft
fed yesterday to be able to turn over
to State Treasurer Koerner $3.50, receiv-
ed by him from a lumber concern at
the head of the lakes which had cut
timber on state lands away back dur
ing the term of State Auditor Braden.
The sum paid represents what the
cruisers of the state estimate that the
ing lumber.
Some scandal has been created, eSpe-
cially in the East, through the sup
posed efforts of a syndicate of lumber
land operators to beat the Indians of
Northern Minnesota out of their prop
erty. One view of the case is thus
stated by the Chicago Tribune:
These Indians, by treaties confirmed In
various years up to 1887, had total of
nearly 100000 acres of land settled on them
by the government, and much of it was COW
cred with timber. The Entertainments on
this land by the lumbermen became so no
torious that the friends Of the Indians de-
cided to try to arrange plan to dispose of
most of the land for the benefit of the In
passed by congress, providing for a commits
sion which was to negotiate with the Indians
to relnquish all the land belonging to them
in Minnesota except the eighty acres per
capita, provided in the general allotment
act 1t was finally decided to increase this
per capita allotment TO 100 acres and to re-
move all the Indians to White Earth, the
finest agricultural district in the state. The
timber on the Indians land was 10 be est
mated and sod for not less than So per /, 600
feet, this title to the land going with the
timber. The agricultural land was to be open
to entry at 81. 20 an acre. The proceeds of
these sales were to be deposited in the
United States treasury for fifty years, during
which time the government would pay the
Indians 5 per cent interest on the deposits,
and at the expiration OF the time the money
was to be divided among the Indians per
capita.
The estimators appointed under the Har-.
risoasf adHnd n1stItatdon to do the work so
that all their estimates were dfsapproved.
Secretary Hoke Smith organized a new corps,
choosing experienced men chiefly, and their
estimates proved even more Objectionable
than those made in the first place. But in
spite of the protests of the friends of the
Indians the estimates on $4,000 acres were
approved by Secretary Smith and sales made
in accordance with them, which it is alleged
by competent authorities, was nothing less
than highway robbery of the Indians. When
Secretary Francis took charge of the depart
ment he was compelled to call a halt in the
work and refused to approve any more of the
estimates. and Secretary Bliss has pursued
the same course.
The proofs of irregularities submitted by
the friends of the Indians were SO over
whelming that an investigation was started
by the department., and 1t made some start
estimated rs containing $1,000 feet of white
pine, when the fact was it contained 9O5 900
feet of pine. A similar discrepancy was found
in all the tracts investigated. Then much
had been declared AGRICULTURAL by the esti-
majors when in fact it was covered with
timber. Moreover, the accused estimators
were consuming as much time as possible
in doing the work. For instance twenty
nine took four years at a cost to the govern
ment OF $780, 900 to estimate 2260O0 600 feet OF
timber when the committee of twelve IN
yest1gators did the, same amount of work in
two months at a cost of $4,000.
The Tribune urges that the work
be resumed in better hands.
State Auditor Dunn, qestioned yes
terday about the matter, said that the
state was not directly concerned in the
matter. He believed it was a matter
purely Of incompetent or crooked cruis-
ers, who had returned unreliable re-
ports. Much of the blame he laid to
the former administration, which had
selected men from localities where the
inspection of standing pine was un-
known and impossible, there be-
Ing no pine. Little wonder was it then