The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-10-11

knew what he was talking about If my in
formation is correct, the public Is made to
pay interest on many times this amount. Will
the peopls continue to do so?
ONE THING YET NEEDED.
What We need now to obtain the full benefit
of this decision is an able. honest and
fearless board Of railroad and warehouse
commissioners, board that will not be tram
meled by any partisan or political consde: a
tion That will be just to all interests and
command their respect, board that will APP
ply the principles of that decision to all
cases Of unjust rates in the state. Such q
board the people of this state shall have
II l am entrusted with election. This board
also has another important duty to perform
the establishment of the grades of grain, and
the control and selection OF the inspection
force. Have these duties been properly per-
termed? Are they being properly performed
now? Our farmers say no. My opponent says
that this is one OF the questions that will
n itf TIL another election VIII you allow
PAINFUL REFLECTION.
The Republican party have protested to
favor an independent judiciary. l say that
the judges who made that decision have
shown more independence, wisdom and
patriotism than any court in the land that
has been called a court to consider these
delicate questions. Perhaps their indepen-
dence was not OF the right kind for the Re-
publican party managers? Two of these
judges are Republican in politics; three OF
them were elected by the fusion forces six
years ago. or these, two justices, Canty and
Mitchell, wrote opinions in the case All the
others concurred. The attorneys representing
the producers and this state at the trial, were
HalVer STEVENSON and our present attorney
general, Mr.. Childs. That they perform
their duty well the result shows, and every
one who knows them appreciates it. They are
both Republicans. All of these men, with
the exception OF Chief Justice Start, were
candidates fer nomination fer office at
thu hands of their respective parties. Jus ice
Collins, for governor; Gen. Childs, to succeed
him or the supreme bench; MIR. Stevenson
and Justices Mitchell, Canty and Buck, fer
the positions which they now hold. II those
who have the policy Of the Republican party
in their keeping had sought the welfare of
the state would they not have said to Judge
Collins and to Gen. Childs, We'll done. good
and faithful servants, you deserve continuanc J
and promotion" And to Mr.. Stevenson:
Your merit deserves recognition" II they
had been true to their professions or desire
an independent judiciary, would they not
have recognized the acl1n owledged ability and
integrity of the three fusion nominees? JUS
tice Mitchell had been indorsed by the Re
pUblicans once. Either they did not desire
men with their conviction, CT did not suit
their partisan ends to nominate them, l care
not which; the reflection is equally painful.
LANDS GIVEN AWAY.
More than one-third of the area Of our state
has been given to railroad corporations. The
profligacy Of this policy is sickening to con-
template but the evil is done and done in
due form Of law by the proper officers and
agents of the people, so that in the great
disturbed. There are, however, numerous
cases OF conflicting claims between settlers
and these corporations and their beEe-
state administration. In such cases, to extend
all the assistance it can command TO the
aid Of the citizens so involved And further
fna n-1.n1 NV tic fNffio
all these questions of conflict speedily al
Justed and disposed of, and, to that eEd it
should insist upon the immediate settlement
by the general government eff all the cCn-
gressional land grants in the state This
is not only just and recessa; : ioc the protec-
ton Of the settlers. but = would subject
millions Of acres CT Land to taxation which
now escaHe by reason OF lie fact that the
paper title is still In the government.
The question which concerns the citizen and
the tax payer of the state more directly
however. is the condition of the ;rlmtnse
grants of land made by the general gov
eminent to the state for schools fer state
buildings, internal imDrovsm Mt. etc., as
we'll as tee immense swamp lands.
FRAUD HAS CREPT IN.
The school land grant was fortunately 50
carefully guarded and such restrictions
thrown about 1t, both by congress ard by
the pec2le in the constitution, that on tie
whole the people will receive the benefit
of that magnificent donation, if carefully
guarded and husbanded hereafter. But even
in the administration of the school lands
carefully as it was guarded by isaglI re-
strictiOnS, fraud has creCt III and CoTrup-
ton has found a looDhol6 Sections 16 and
Sc, IN every township, were given to the
state absolutely for school purposes. The
only exception was in case any part of these
sections had been occupied by settlers in
good faith bei0re the public survey. linen
the state auditor could relieve such tracts
and select other public lends in Place
Under this power, Republican state auditor
selected several tracts of valuable mineral
land in the iron regions, as II was his Gu y
to do as a public clerk. But did he hold
them? Did he secure patents to the state
for them? Ire records say, No The famous
section go, containing tie Rockefeller mines
estimated worth S12,C0- 90 had Eeen duly Sc
lected and was the property of the state. All
that was needed was the formal certificate.
But by some means for which explanation
has ever been given the auditor released the
state claim and the state lost this va uab,e
property. This is only one Of many eases Of
this character.
In regard to the swamp lands, the situat on
is such that it is impossible to obtain or give
an intelligent statement of their condition
The full amount cannot be known until the
until recently, any railroad scheme possessing
clever advocates could get the Republican
legislature to give them a swamp land grant
or get an existing one changed, exchanged, or
increased to suit the promoters ends. The
various grants were so loosely drawn and so
conflicting that it is impossible as yet to state
tempt to give figures. They would be little
more than estimates. In some Of these grants
the act was silent as to who should make the
selection. In others, it was expressly stated
that it should be made by the state. The
beneficiaries did, however, in every instance
claim the right to make such selection, and
did so in all cases but one, so far as I recoI-
lect. The manner in which the corporation
interested manipulated the public surveys and
handled the selection Of lands would be one
of the most scandalous chapters in the his
tory of our state If the facts could be fully
obtained and set forth The parties interested
in these swamp land grants apparently con-
trolled the appointment of the government
deputy surveyor Lands which were valuable
for timber and mineral though high and drv
were returned swamp"
HOW SURVEYS DIFFERED.
In the last campaign I called attention to
two of these surveys, made at different TIMES,
to the north and to the south of a given town
line The surveyor who made the survey
on one side OF the town line found every
acre for distance of six miles along that
line. high, rolling and timbered. The nev
surveyor, who came 2 couple of years after
wards. returned the land en- the other side
OF this line swamp for the entire distance
These are matters of record in our public
offices. Under the assumed right to select
| am reliably informed that il was common
practice fer the agent OF these railroad com
panies to step into the state land commits
s1oners' offices, make temporary selection of
swamp land, remove the timber from them
and then, upon some pretence or other givn
up the selection These statements | am MT
prepared to prove, but the evidence is on file
in the land department at Washington that
nunoreds or selections OF swami lands have
Deen surrendered and the benefciaries have
been permitted to make others. Why was This
done? rs l said in regard to congressional
land grants, the evil has been done Untold
acres or state land have been sauandered
A large amount, however is still left. IF
elected 1T viii be my duty and pleasure to