The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-02-04


He Thinks of The Globe md
Later What His Measure Is Really
Intended to Do.
Senator Young Rep), of Swift. rose
to question of personal privilege in
the senate yesterday morning and had
read by the secretary the article an
pearing on the first page Of The
G o b e of yesterday relating to his
bill introduced last Friday.
Mr.. Young said he had no desire 70
thrust his personality on the senate
any more than was necessary. but he
thought that The Clio b e had gone
beyond its legitimate province as
dlsseminator of news, and had made
Itself scandalmonger. He had hoped
that partisan feeling might be kept
out OF the proceedings and reports
thereof. The articles in question. he
said, was as false as any article could
De, and direct reversal of the actual
truth and facts in the case. The re-
porter who had written the article
had simply turned the provisions Of
his Hastings & Dakota land grant bill
around. Said the senator:
In this article the paper has ex-
ceeded itself, if that is possible, in all
its former efforts to make itself ridicu-
lous. / have known The Globes
senate reporter for several years and
nave always regarded him as an hon
orable young man, but I would sug-
gest that a repetition of such an at
tack should exclude him from the floor
or the senate. The article is nothing
but dirty thrust. I trust nothing of
this sort will happen again"
The bill was, in fact, he added. amend
ed to make it easier for the settlers on
the Hastings & Dakota land grant, al
though not aimed to take property
rights from Russell Sage. He believed
the bill was just what he said 1t was,
and he also said that an injustice had
been done to Lieut.. Gov Smith in i'm
putting any dishonorable motive to him.
He styled The G 0 b the self-consti-
tuted guardian of the people of Swift,
Chippewa and Big Stone counties,
sheet in whose office existed an insat-
liable appetite for scandal He gave
warning that, if the offense were re-
peated, he would ask that the reporter
for the paper be excluded from the
floor of the senate.
No action was asked at this time.
REPEATS HIS TROUBLES.
The judiciary committee, in its ses-
sion during the noon recess, took up
the matter Of the Objectionable pubIi-
cation and determined to present to The
Clio be the bill and an explanation
of it's purposes and its effects. with the
c11o hot ~
made there should be given equal
prominence with the publication which
tEey deemed unfair to Senator Young
The bill was also recommended for
passage.
Senator Greer Rep), of Wabasha,
said that the senator from Swift had
been known for ten years as an advo-
cate OF the rights of the settlers as
against the claims of the grantee from
the government
The bill is as follows:
PLAIN AS CAN BE.
bill for an act defining the rights OF par
ties in actions involving title to land in GER
tain cases.
Be it enacted by the legislature OF the state
of Minnesota:
Section l. Whenever any person enters in
10 the possession OF any lands or tenemeltS
in this state, under or pursuant to a lawful
lease thereof, he shall not be permitted while
SO in possession to dispute or deny the title
Of his landlord in any action brought by
such landlord or any one claiming under or
through him to recover the possession OF any
such land tenements. But such estoppel
shall not apply TO any lessee who at and prior
TO the time of accepting any such lease Is
already in possession of the leased lands or
hostile to that of such lessor.
Sec. q This act shall take effect and be in
force from and after its passage.
SENATOR YOUNG'S STATEMENT.
Senator Young said yesterday:
THE reason for the proposed legislation
arose out of this state of affairs. great
many settlers had located upon the lands en-
braced in the old Hastings C Dakota grant
and had been permitted by the company to
remain undisturbed thereon for more than
fifteen years, that they had acquired title
by adverse possession
After the lands had passed into the hands
Of Sage. as trustee Of the company his agentl
induced many of these settlers, who were
actually owners Of the land they occupied but
who were ignorant of their legal rights. to
accept leases. After the leases expired the
company demanded possession Of the lands,
but the farmers in the meantime had diseev-
cred their rights under their prior adverse
possession, and refused to vacate.
When Sage sued to recover the land, the
settlers were met in the courts by the old
common law rule that a tenant cannot, while
in possession, question his landlords utle,'
and in the recent of Sage VS.. HaIvorsen.
Justice Canty held that these farmers could
not try the question of their ownership of
this land before the lease was executed, with
out first giving up possession of the land.
AS many Of these people have no other home,
and nowhere to house their families willis
this bill was intended for their relief by
changing the rule referred to by permitting
a tenant to question his landlord title willis
still in possession of the leased premises, In
cases where the tenant was in possession un-
der an advere claim before the lease
executed.
Lieut.. Gov Smith has had nothing to do
with the circumstances necessitatiHg this leg
islaton, and has had absolutely nothing to
say for or against the bifl''
GOV. LIND INTERESTED.
Gov. Lind, while in congress, took
an active interest in the H. & d. land
grant, and succeeded in getting one
decision from the land department of
the interior which gave to the settlers
in Minnesota $4,000 acres. Another de-
cision, involving 200 acres addition
al, was made by Secretary Noble short
ly before the advent of the Cleveland
administration, but 1t never became OF
legal force on account of the rehearing
granted by Secretary Smith. Gov