The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1901-05-03
WASHINGTON GOSSIP.
A North Carolina Man Credited
to Minnesota
Strong Protest Entered by Congressman
McCIeary..--Alleged Illegal Land En-
tries Being Investigated.

Washington correspondent of Mime
apolis journal:
Five of ten men appointed yesterday
as second lieutenants from Minnesota
are from Minneapolis and three are
from st. Paul. The Minneapolis men
are Ralph E. Herrin, Fred 81. Parks,
Alfred S. Morgan, Walter S. johnson
and Carl L. Stone The three from
st. Paul are A B. Cox, George l.
Becker and A. W. Bjornstad. John
N. Loyes is from Red Wing.
Representative McCleary, when he
saw the list, started out to get the
addresses of the men, as there were
some names in the list which were I'M
familiar to him. He discovered that
the first man, John G.. Taylor, is not
a Minnesotan. He served in a North
Carolina regiment in the war with
Spain and subsequently in volunteers.
His own address is given as Ten
nallytown, suburb of Washington, and
his nearest relative resides in Toledo.
Mr. McCleary has registered vigorous
protests against charging Taylor to
Minnesota.
The reason Minneapolis and st.
Paul get such a large proportion of
the appointments is that the Thir-
teenth Minnesota, in which most of
them served, was recruited in the
twin cities. The war department, in
selecting men for appointment in the
regulars, simply followed out it's
policy of giving places to those that
have seen active service and made good
records, regardless of residence.
Land Commissioner Hermann con-
firms the story in TheJournai from st.
Cloud that Special Agent Coulter is
investigating alleged illegal entries of
land with soldiers additional home
stead scrip. Commissioner Hermann
says that many complaints have been
made that scrip issued to soldiers now
dead, and whose signatures had been
forged, had turned up at various land
offices in the hands of unscrupulous
attorneys and others, who have thus
made themselves amenable to the law.
Commissioner Hermann says further
that he will not have anything to do
with the prosecution of the offenders.
Special agents who are Investigated
to present the facts to the district at
torney in the district in which the
ofense was committed, with a re-
quest that the culprits be prosecuted.
Senator Kyle created quite stir in
political circles here when he an
nounced recently that it was the in
tention of former Senator Pettigrew
to be candidate for the senate in
South Dakota next year. Mr.. Kyle,
who is fresh from the state, of course
ought to know what he is talking
about, and his staten ents on this sub
ject would be accepted without ques-
ton if other prominent men, also
fresh from the state, could be induced
to indorse them. These other men say
that Mr.. Kyle assumes a good deal
when he makes the bald announce
ment that Pettigrew is to be in the
senatorial race. 1t is entirely possible e,
they say, that Pettigrew may be
candidate, but nothing has develop ed
thus far to warrant any positive as
sertions.
sPettigrew has been in New York the
most of the time since congress ad-
journed, looking after some important
business transactions, which it is
understood have turned out success
fully, and it was only very recently
that here retu rned home. He has had
no time for organizing plan of cam
paign or making up his mind def
nitely. Of course, he is ambitious,
and should there be an opening next
year, with fair chance that the legis-
lature will be Dem ocratic, he would
perhaps come into the fight, but, he
will not come in if Republican vic
tory seems certain. So say the gentle
men with whom [ have talked.