The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1899-04-13
Will SELL THE LAND
sTAFE AUDITOR DUNN DETER
MINES TO FORCE THN PAY
MENT OF INTEREST
COUNTY AUDITORS NOTIFIED

State Land aCertihcates to Be Col
lected-settlers Must Pay Up or
Their Homes Will BE Sold to tho
Highest Bidders.
State Auditors Dunn will take imms-
date steps to Collect the s6oo.0oo due the
state for interest on state land certih-
Gates. which has been delinquent upon
the state land records for a number of
years. Notices. were sent yesterday to
the county auditors in the first, second.
third. fourth and fifth congressional dis
tricts. where the interest has been the
longest past due. calling their attention
to the fact. and announcing that cir
cular. containing description Of every
tract OF state land upon which there is
year or more over due interest, would
be prepared and the lands listed sold to
the highest bidder before the first Of
June
The dates for the sales will be arranged
by George Finn within the next ten days
and sale scheduled for every county
seat In the FIVE congressional districts. :
Not an acre of land will be reserved.
but all will be thrown on the market and
resold, at the new appraisal figures which
will be fixed by tho board within the
next thirty days. The appraising board
for each county consists Of three persons.
one appointed by the governor, another
by the state auditor and third by the
board Of county commissioners. The re-
appraisal of the land will place tho valua-
ton higher than when it was. first pur-
chased, and the increase will Just about
Offset the back interest account when the
tracts are reseld.
Interest has accrued on some Of the
certificates continuously for years, and
the state auditors order will result in
many settlers ioosang their homes Mr..
Dunn does not mince matters while dis
cussing the matter. but says that as
| much as he regfefs taking the step, the
circumstances Surrounding the state 8
dealing with thu settlers on state land
who have not kept up their interest, has
been beyond hIs control IIe asserted
yesterday that's ass 4 state official, the
matter was nots optional with him. but
he had been forced to pursue the course
indicated. The legislature had, he said.
refused to reduce the interest rate to the
settlers, and under the present law some
est PAID up. He has urged In the strong
est terms the reduction of tho interest
rate and had pointed out the desirable
features of the change. without result.
On the other band the legislators had
been after him, because he did not coll
lect the interest when he had shown by
the once records that he had collected
more than any of his predecessors
AS soon as the first five congressional
| districts are taken care of Mr.. Dunn in
tends to apply the same policy to the
| northern part Of the state. There will
be less hardshipss entailed In this sec
ton owing to the fact that the interest
| on greater number Of the certificates
Is less than five years, and in many cases
but one or two years.
! The sales will be held during tha month
| of May.
| In addition to reselIing the forfeiture
lands all the agricultural state land will
be offered at the same time for sale. In
! the southern part Of the state, where the
first sale Is to take place.. there are but
lew scattering tracts Of unsold land that
! are at all desirable, and The state aud
! itor's auction will probably clean IN the
records for; that locality.
In the northern part of the state, how
ever Mr.. Dunn expects to conduct the
! greatest land sales ever held In the stale
| In connection with the forfeiture lands.
NO other public sales Of stata lands will
| be held until late next fall, and Mr.. Dunn
Intends to combine the spring sale into
| what will be the most extensive sale ever
! held.
All the settlers holding land will be
| given until the date of the sale in the
| county where they reside to pay I'D the
interest on their certificates and after
| that their homes will be resold to the
| highest bidder
| The following are the counties in which
! sales will be held next month: Big Stone.
Blue Earth, Brown. Carver. Chippewa,
| cottonwood. Dakota, Dodge. Douglas,
| Faribault, Fillmore. Freedom, Goodhue.
| Grant, Hennepin. Houston. jackson, kan
| diyohi, Lac qui Parle. LIE Sueur, Lincoln.
Lyon, Mcleod, Murray. Martin, Mower.
Nicollet. Mobiles. :, Olmsted, Pipestone.
Pope. Ramsey. Redwood. RenyIlle Rice.
| Rock, Scott, Sibley, Steele Stevens,
| Swift Traverse. Wabasha, .Waseca,
Washington, WatonMan, Winona, Wright
| and Yellow Medicine
Gov" Lind is preparing list of APP
praisers for the above counties.