The Mankato free press. [volume] (Mankato, Blue Earth County, Minn.) 1879-1924, 1904-09-30

y
ter Co., has for practical purposes neu-
traliZed this law, so that it is now diff
cult, if not Well-nigh impossible, to col
iect more than actual damages.
MIR. Dunn's Great Work.
TreaDassing on the state timber has been
going on, more or less, for the last one
third Of a century-ever since numbering
began in the northern part of our state.
1t was more prolific and more easily car
ried on twenty, twenty-five and thirty
years ago than in recent years, for less
watchfulness and less care was then in
vogue. 1t is to Mr.. Dunns great credit
that while state auditor, during period
of eight years, he collected ten times as
much money for timber trespass as had
been collected during the thirty years
next preceding. 1t may be that some
trespassers were sharp enough to escape
him, but the number compared with those
who must have escaped in former years
was scant indeed And even if the rise
In the value. of timber be taken into ac-
count, it will be found that Mr.. Dunn set
tied at much higher rate for the timber
taken than any of his predecessors.
A large number of unauthorized timber
permits, issued by his predecessor, based
upon mere nominal, wholly unreliable and
utterly insufficient estimates of timber,
and at a price far below the real value.
he either entirely cancelled or forced the
men who had secured the permits to set
tie, not on the basis of the quantity and
price specified in the permit, but on the
basis of the timber actually cut or stand
Ing on the ground covered by the permit.
and its full market value. Cases of this
kind are too numerous to specify in de-
tail on this occasion. While governor,
several of these unauthorized permits
came under my observation, and l know
Of my own knowledge that Mr.. Dunn
when he became auditor disposed of them
In the way l have indicated, to the great
advantage and profit of the state.
Friend of the Settler.
Mr.. Dunn has the gratitude of many
poor settlers in the state who, in times
of distress, were in default on their pay
ments OF interest. Wherever he was sat
isfied that the state would sustain no
loss, and that in more propitious times
the settler living upon and improving his
little claim would without doubt meet
never declared forfeiture, never resold
the land to some hungry Spectator, but
gave the settler a chance to preserve and
retain his little home.
Mr.. Dunn also deserves great credit for
the manner in which he succeeded in set
Ting and adjusting the many disputed
and controVerted railroad land grants. he
got one company to accept a conveyance
of rather inferior lands, selected by Mr..
Bierman, which the company refused to
accept during my term as governor. In
one case he secured from company the
REIMBURSEMENT to the state of 10000
acres of land to which it laid claim, and
a part of which through inadvertence
had been conveyed to the company. In
another case he procured the CORRECTION
of an erroneous decree of court, thereby
recouping and saving to the state 42,OOO'
acres of land, on which are located three
most valuable iron mines.
Gross Earnings Tax.
Mr.. Dunn has, for years, favored and
Gates, an increase in the gross earnings
tax from 3 per cent to 4 per cent. the
great iron companies had for years es-
capped the payment of their due share or
70 w. ~
tai in getting the law amended SO as to
make them pay their just share. Before
the amendment they paid $4,000 per
year; last year $780, 900. He was also IN
strumental in securing legislation giving
our state board of equalization ampler
power to adjust inequalities and discrep-
ancies in assessments
But l cannot go into further details on
this occasion. Mr.. Dunn has not only
been an efficient and vigilant admins
trative officer, but has also brought his
energy and knowledge of the interests
of the state to bear on the legislative
department to secure the laws that were
necessary for the public good and the
welfare of our state. The state has had
no listless or Indifferent drone in office
in him. He WAS ever alert and vigilant
on behalf of the state and its interests,
both as legislator and auditor.
oh say some who never mlngle much
with the rank and file of our common
humanity and who are, at least In their
own minds, on a loftier pedestal, MI
Dunn is not refined; he is rather coarse,
and has been known on occasion 10
take an oath, and on that account ought
not to be governor" That a man of re-
dnement, a more fastidious man. is re-
Quired for this office.
Not a Dignified Mummy.
} It is true that Mr. Dunn is not Ches-
terrified in his ways In the ceaseless
strenuousness of our modern life the
Chesterfields have become obsolete and
mere academic quantities. A dlgnineo
IN ha chair would
doubt be fine to look upon, but not or
much practical use. man OF energy
and action. of vigilance and alertness IS
required in the executive chair. He must
keep a vigilant eye on all the varied in
JereStS of the state. He must be In
touch with the legislature and now how
to secure the necessary legislation. he
must be able to meet, contend with, ana
not he over-reached by, all kinds or
spoilsmen. He must possess an encyclo.
pedia of knowledge of state affalrs ana
of the state, he must be mild-mannered.
argue, and implore, and at other times
he must almost assume the attltude OF
pugilist to fend OFF unconsclonaple anu
over-persistent Spoilsmen.a And such u
man. in his texture and makeup, and by
training, is Mr.. Dunn.
Like most men of action, he Is pos,
sessed of much nervous energy. lie Is
quick to see measure and crush wrong
He has no mercy for quackS of any KIND
He has no patience with a falsehood or
the faIsifier He is not profane, II ar
all. for the sake of profanity, but 1t may
be that. like many good and great men OF
the past. when his ire has been aroused
at a wrong or a falsehood, in his
righteous indignation he may have pro-
nounced an anathema on the wrong and
the falsehood, the wrong-doer and the
falsifier His strong sense of justice
NAV. on such occasions, make him very
emphatic. and sometimes there is no en-
phasis that seems to do such justice TO
the subject as an oath. Andrew jack
son-Old Hickory-of the same race and
blood as Mr.. Dunn. was so indignant at
notification and the nullifers that he
swore at them. The American people
have long ago justified him that OATH
Jackson was not a Chesterfield; he was
not man of much refinement. He was
a plain, blunt FEARLESS man, but meas
ured up in executive energy and ability
with more than the average of our early
presidents. Such man. in his chief char
acteristics, is our candidate, Mr.. Dunn.
The United States were safe. grew. and
nrospered under Andrew Jackson: and
Minnesota will be safe. grow. and prosper
l,nder the administration of Robert c.
Dunn.
r. c. Dunn on Gross Earnings Tax.
T. ~, l,;apniaJ renorf as Stafa