Little Falls weekly transcript. (Little Falls, Morrison Co., Minn.) 1894-19??, 1900-12-25
DHPARTl1ENT SUsTAIHs MERCER.
The Sale Of Lssch Lake Reservation Lo1a
BY Mercer u Sustained BY ths ls.s
=" Warrington one3als. "a

AswSOse
BY MERCER u Sustained BY ths f.sl
-" T Warrington 0metals. Wy
Secretary Of the Interior Hitchcock
continued bis hearing Friday in the
matter OF the sale of the pine logs on
the Leech Lake Indian reservation,
and then, issued q statement regard
ing the matter. The statement is in
part as follows: ....,.. 81: =. y:
The secretary Of the interior today
ended the controversy overcontracts
made by Captain Mercer, Indian
agent at the Leech Lake agency, for
the sale OF dead and down timber,
standing and fallen, on portions Of
that and the diminished White Earth
reservation. The secretary's deci-
sion sustains atevery point the action
Of Captain Mercer. -; T.. ,:.A =:
Yesterday, before the noon adjourn.
ment OF the hearing, Secretary Hitch
cock made itapparent that he intend
cd pointedly to inquire into the re-
cent public sales of White Earth pine
lands, at the Crookston land Office,
as a matter properly having a bear
ing upon the price Of the dead timber
sold by Captain Mercer. ~
When the gentlemen interested In.
the hearing reassembled IT, the secre-
tary's office after lunch, Mr.. Weyer-
haeuser was not among them. The
secretary expressed surprise at his
absence and asked him to be sent for.
Mr.. Weyerhaeuser's representatives
said they did not know where to find
him, and that he had arranged to
leave the city that evening. They,
showed no disposition to secure his
presence then or at any later time,
but Secretary Hitchcock took the
matter in hand and adjourned the
hearing until this morning at $50,
stating that he especially desired the
presence of Weyerhaeuser and would
be seriously disappointed ii he was
not presence at that time and ready
to respond to such inquiries as might
be propounded bearing upon these
pine land transactions. 5.......:,
As a result MIR. Weyerhaeuser was
present this morning; but in evident
of the line. Of examina-
ton which the secretary intended to-
pursue. Mr.. Thatcher. announced
that under no circumstances would
they make any statement or submit
to any inquiries about the sale Of
White Earth lands at the Crookston
Office. Secretary Hitchcock, however,
insisted upon interrogating Mr..
Weyerhaeuser respecting this matter,
but the latter declined to make any
response. 't
This refusal gives color to the in
which the secretary Of the
Interior has heretofore received to
the effect that the White Earth lands
were largely bought in by a pool, in
which Mr.. Weyerhaeuser isinterested,
the purpose Of the pool being to pre-
vent competition and to get lands
below their actual value. Secretary
Informed MIR. Weyerhaeus-
or and others present that the sales
Of the White Earth lands at Crooks
ton Office, would noC be confirmed
unless, upon investigation, it was
shown that the purchases were pro-
perly made on reasonable valuation,
and that the refusal of Mr.. Weyer-
haueser or other purchasers to dis
close the real situation would not be
to on early approval OF
these sales: sl
The fact that Mr.. Weyerhaeuser
was in one breath insisting that the
sales OF dead timber by Captain
Mercer should be set aside because
company was. not
willing, for the purpose OF breaking
up those sales, to give q higher price
than that obtained, and that in the
next breath he was objecting to any
inquiry respecting his purchase OF the
White Earth pine lands at what, it
is understood. lis a grossly inadequate
price, evidently placed him in an un-
light before Secretary Hitch
cock, and indicated that his protest
against Captain MERGERS sales was
not made ''for the public good"
At the conclusion of the hearing,
Secretary Hitchcock firmly anneunc-
ed that he was satisfied that Captain
Mercer's action was in every respect
commendable; that the sales of dead
timber would be approved, and that
the protest was, apparently, present
ed only for the purpose Of disturbing
an1 embarrassing Captain Mercer and
tha officers ~ the f7enhrtmenf; in The