Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1900-10-18
VAN SAINT ON STATE ISSUES

4tldI Inc QucSLlOu SnOuA4E De carried IN
to the courts. In June, 1896 State Al
tditor r.. G. Dunn took up the matter,
land the result was the valid ity Of the
grant was tested lin the courts and
finally set at rest by Judge Lochren.
In the state auditors report for 1895
and 1896 "a complete statement was
made to the legislature Of the status Of
/ the different d /:
Railroad Land Grants
with important recommendations re-
lating to their adjustment The result
Was That the legisla allure made an ap-
propri ton for the purpose Of defray-
ling the cost Of litigation to determine
the contentious of the state as to these
grants in the courts, and appointed a
commission to supervise the prosecu-
tioE4 Of the state claims In the case
OF one grant, that of the Little Falls &
dakota Railroad company, a suit in
| YolYing some IL, 600 acres, which the
4 state claims were not earned by the
/ grantee, but had been decided to it by
the former Democratic state auditor, is
| still before the courts, but there Is no
doubt that the state will win its case.
AS to the Southern Minnesota Railroad
swamp lands grant, to which Gov.
Lind gave such prominence in his
speech of acceptance, holding that the
company neyer%Was entitled to such a
| grant, but had been decided some $4,000
acres Of land Improperly, the attorney
general. the Hon. w. B. Douglas, does
not agree with the governor, but has
given an opinion that the company has
afvalid grant, under an act Of the Leg
islature subsequent in date to those
acts which the governor had depended
upon as the basis for his opinion
False Pretenses and Plngiarism.
| And yet, Gov. Lind is reported as
saying in a speech he delivered recent
! ly at Red Wing, that he had been busy
ever since he assumed Office ssin
STRENGTHENING 'out the mess arising
from the condition Of railway land
grants. This is simply an assumption
Of credit and duties which rightfully
belong to the auditor of state, and is
part and parcel of the series of false
pretenSes, Misrepresentation and
wholesale plagiarisms upon which the
Democratic campaign is being con-
Quoted. 5 .st
Absolutely the only works which our
opponents can honestly claim as their
own are the achievements Of the rail-
4 road and warehouse commission the
operations Of the, state grain inspection
department and the management OF
the state prison binding Irvine plant.
| Our political opponents are claiming
great credit for their Sl rs &
Railroad and Warehouse Commits
.g53ss$ satt, sion. 81 Il,
/ They say that when the Republicans
| were in control Of the commission it
never initiated proceedings to secure a
i reduction of railroad rates, but Gov.
| LiEd's commission has, of its own in
! itiatiye, commenced such proceedings.
4 The Democrat who made this state-
i ment would much better have re
manned silent in the interests Of his
party, for it recalls to my mind GER
tain facts which cannot help their can
! vass: have shown you how the Re-
publican party fought and won the
battle for state control Of railroads.
Further than this, Republican legis-
1latures created the railroad and ware
Ehouse commission, vesting it with such
wide powers as to enable it to control
the rates charged by the railroads, and
to proceed, on their own initiative, to
regulate such rates as they deemed
reasonable or equitable. Chapter 10,
of the General Laws of 1887, vested
the commission with such authority
In 1891, when the Democrats and
Populists controlled Nthe legislature,
| they proceeded, like a bull in china
shop, to make few improvements.
and they enacted a law (Chapter 1O6 Of
the General Laws Of 1870 which re-
stricted the railroad commissioners
from instituting any action to secure b
reduction Of unjust or exorbitant rail-
road rates, and prescribed that they
should not act in. such matters except
| upon a verified complaint duly fleo
with them It was the Republican leg
! islature of 1897 that again conferred
the power upon the commission to
proceed in its own initiative in the:
@ Reduction. of Railrond Rates.
land Chapter 81 Of the General Laws Of
1897, empowered the commits sion. al
| though no complaint had been filed
with it as the act of 1891 REQUIRED, TO
proceed upon its own motion to invest
l.igate the reasonableness Of railroad
tariffs Of rates. fares, charges and
classihcations and to fix and adjust the
same 50 that 1t would be reasonable;
and it was the Republican legislature
Of 1899 that passed a law providing
that the railroad and warehouse COM
missioners should be chosen and elect
led by the people, instead Of being app
pointed by the governor, as heretofore.
Therefore, we find that the Demo:
cratic spellbinders are adroitly mise
|sappropriating and converting to. their
own use and benefit the credit for the
beneficial railroad legislation which
the Republican party gave to the peo-
pie, and ignoring the fact that the fu,
sion legislature OF 1891 practically sue
ceeded in Gripping for a time the use
| fulnescs Of the railroad and ware
house commission lI3s
Grain Inspection.
NOW 1 come to a question over which
our poll teal opponents are greatly ex-
ercised and deeply distressed, since
| the delivery Of a certain speech at MI
Ilaca by the Hon. r. e. Dunn. mean a, an
the question Of grain INSPECTION and
Weighing Il and the operation Of the
Estate Inspection department since the
former Republican chief inspe ctor was ssa
removed and the Democrats have been
lin undisputed control. This, our ops
ponents hoped, would be their winning
card for the campaign. and they had