The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1898-09-19
INJUSTICE TO MIR. HERMANN,
Letter to Mr.. Dunn Which He Has
Not Yet Answered.

Letter to Mr.. Dunn Which He Has
Not Yet Answered.
To The st. Paul Globe:
1 addressed the following letter to the Min
neapolis Journal some days ago, but for some
reason that paper did not see fit to publish it:
Editor Journal:
In my address at the Senator Jones banquet
used the following language:
I'm 1884 the lands now covering the famous
Mountain Iron mine were duly selected by
the state for the benefit of the school fund.
Yet 1t afterwards appeared that they had
been relinquished and had fallen into private
hands. The value of this mine, covering
about 800 acres, is today fully $12,OO0,OOO,
sum equal to all the school lands timber
trespasses and what not received during all
these years from the sale of the bulk of this
splendid donation Whatever may be the
excuse rendered, the fact remains that this
one act of carelessness, If 1t be no worse, has
shamefully betrayed one of the most sacred
trusts ever committed to mortal hands"
You will observe that those words were
not uttered idly, or with any purpose of at
lacking any public official. 1t was the fact
which demanded condemnation. Of course I
know, and every intelligent man in the state
knew. that the act had been committed dur
Ing the administration Of Auditor Braden
But he is dead, and chow his audit stands
last man to tear open his grave or to bIacken
his memory.
The G | o b and the Times published my
address in full; other papers Darts of it.
mere can be therefore no mistake about my
utterances on the subject of the Mountain
iron mine. The next day, however, a pur-
ported interview appeared in the Journal
and also other papers, in which the present
state auditor, Robert G. Dunn was made to
attack some of my positions. In reference
to the Mountain Iron mine the interview
stated. IN calling me to account that 'tf
anybody gave up the Mountain Iron mine
treasure to private individuals, it will be
well for Democrats to remember that 1t was
member of their party who held office at
that time" 1t again speaks of the act as
the costly step of Mr.. Biermann."
Believing this to be a gross wrong to Mr..
Blermann, l at once inclosed to him the slip
from your paper, asking his reply. Mr.
Biermann, living in the country near Roch-
esteE did not receive my letter for some
days, and he at once replied: in answer to
yours will say that the lands covering the
Mountain Iron mine were selected by Auditor
braden as indemnity school land. This list
OF selections was not accepted by the. land
department at Washington, whereupon a new
list was prepared, leaving out several de-
scriptions, and among them the Mountain
Iron land
On Sept. 1, thinking it but just to Auditor
Dunn, and supposing he would correct the
error, inclosed the same slip to him, stat
Ing the substance of Mr.. Biermann's reply.
To my letter the present auditor has SO far
delgned no reply. l therefore delay no longer
IN making good my assertion, and relieving
Auditor Biermann from most bungling at
tack
Let me quote Auditor Dunn on the subject
arc in hi rhOI
pages 60, 81 and 62. He says: THE land in
question, which now includes all the land
owned, occupied and operated as part of the
Mountain Iron mine on the Mesabi range was
selected by the state as indemnity school land
in Duluth selection list No. 9, on Feb. g.
1854 This selection list was in proper form
and In conformity with the rules and practice
Of the general land Office in force at the time
the selection was made. During the year 1887
the commissioner of the general land office
formulated new rules to govern such selec-
tions. but they were not applicable to Sc
lections already made, or to lists filed previ-
ouSly."
1t will be we'll to remember that Mr. Braden
was state auditor from January, 1882, to jan
uary, 1891. Mr.. Biermann then succeeded him
and remained until January, 1895.
..6 auditor Dunn,s report continues as follows:
On Jan. 20, 1888, the then state auditor, Mr.
Braden. caused new selection list No -
to be made, to take the places and supersede
the lists, Nos. l to II, previously filed. to-
gether with REIMBURSEMENT signed by State
Auditor Braden, of all the selections of land
made in the aforesaid lists Nos l to II, and
this new list, No II, together with the afore-
said REIMBURSEMENT, was filed in the Duluth
land office by the then deputy state auditor
H. G. Griswold. and on March Is, 1888, the
commissioner of the general land Office agreed
to accept the same"
l submit that this language Of Mr. Dunn
fully supports my statement of the fact and
more fully exonerates Mr.. Biermann. That is
all 1 care about at present. The fact that
there are still more school lands unsold than
I had stated is as gratifying to me as it
possibly can be to Mr.. Dunn. His estimate
is (see page Al of his report that the sum
will ultimately be about $40 900 900 for the
public school fund. 1 said that these lands
should reasonably have produced a school
fund Of fully $50, COO O0O." There Is still time
to make my estimate good. But it never can
be done by holding sales at the minimum
price OF s. per acre, for the two million acres
unsold. In North Dakota, school lands have
brought high as $50 per acre. The law
should raise this minimum price to at least
$25 per acre. and none sold except upon the
most careful and accurate appraisements
The fact that the average so far is only Sc. 96l5
per acre, which Mr.. Dunn thinks commenda-
BILE, is one which in our present state of de-
velopment should demand the greatest care
OF the coming legislature.
"A. T. Ankeny
Minneapolis Sept. 8, $685.