davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-09-19
RECOMMENDS THAT
FORTS BE ABANDONED
Gen. Summer Declares Several South.
western Defenses Useless

WASHINGTON. D. c., Sept. 49,
MAJ. Gen. s. S. Sumner, commanding
The southwestern division, comprising
the departments of Texas and the COL
orado, in his annual report makes some
radical recommendations looking to the
abandonment of military posts in that
DIVISION regarded as of the greatest i'm
portance in the old days of Indian war
1are. Some posts he wishes to be
brought up to date in the matter Of
water supply and other conveniences,
as In the case Of Fort Huachuca. He
wants this post enlarged, and if that is
done he suggests the abandonment of
Fort Grant, which is too distant from
the railroad
Fort Clark is said to be in a tumble
down condition, ten miles from the
railroad, on limestone ledge and in a
most uncomfortable position, so Gen.
Sumner says that for strategic reasons
1T would seem well to abandon the site
of Fort Clark and establish a post of
like size near the present site of Camp
Eagle. Touching Fort R1ngold, on the
Rio Grande, opposite Camargo, it Is
said that the twenty mile road con-
Meeting 1t with Havana on the railroad
is practically impossible in wet wealth
er, so Gen. Sumner recommends that
Fort Ringold be abandoned at an early
date and the garrisons at Forts Brown
and Mcintosh be correspondingly in
creased. Other forts that might be
abandoned are Forts Wingate and
Duchesne while Fort Apache is said to
be too remote and expensive to MAIN
tain at full strength and should be re-
duced to q two-troop post.
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-09-19
SAYS IVERSON HANDLED
THE TRESPASS CASES

My efficient deputy, the present state
auditor, who was thoroughly posted on
the affairs of the Office having served
under Mr.. Braden and also acted as dep
uty state treasurer for four years, the
stumpage clerk, Mr. Molandei, and nv
self worked increasingly for months to
bring order out of chaos and get the
stumpage records of the Office in decent
shape. -s4-,es,s
Prior to 1895 timber permits were is
sued Unfortunately and the permit
holder was not required to make any. adj
vance payment. He simply held an op-
ton on state timber, and he might or
might not cut the same.
AS matter of fact, scores of per-
tended to cut the timber They simply
bid to keep others from qettinu the tim.
Der, and they could do so with. impunity
without the expenditure OF dollar on
their part.
Both Gov. Van SAINT and Public Ex-
amlner Johnson think, or pretend to
think, that Hon. S. G. IverSon, the pres
ent state auditor, is honest and efficient
in which, view I heartily concur But
these gentlemen seem to forget that Mr..
lverson was my deputy for eight years
and had hmm ediate supervision of all the
details of the office, and that he person.
ally handled many of the trespass settle
mentS and was consulted in almost every
instance. If Mr.. Iverson is honest and
efficient now, is it not reasonable to pre-
sumo that he was equally honest and ef-
hcient during the eight years he served
as deputy auditor? Will Mr.. Johnson or
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-09-19

the bill were null and void. This made it
impossible for me to pay much attention
70 Old matters, as the appropriation made
TOT the purpose by the legislature only adj
united of the state auditor employing
three cruisers in the field. and they were
necessarily kept busy looking; after cut
lungs Which were made under permits
then In force. But where the state auditor
learned of old cases where cuttings had
not been paid for. the facts were noted.
and Wherever evidence could be secured
collections were made
AS a matter of fact there are very few
cases to which the public examiner calls
attention, where there is the slightest
ground for criticism.
His report is the most reckless and
misleading collection of statements ever
issued by public official. His gross mis-
Interpretation OF such terms as "NeW cut
tings" reported by the cruisers, which he
CONSTITUTES to mean that cutting was made
OF state timber. and follows with the in
CURRY, why the cutting reported was not
ne places on the terms "cut all around -
"cut on south and east side" which also
leads him to inquire why this cutting was
not paid for, indicates his supreme fgnor-
ance of the matters upon which he pre-
sumes to sit in Judgment.
Any person possessing but slight
knowledge of the lumber business could
nave informed him that the term new
cutting means that the timber never
was cut into, and that cuttings on east
and south, "or cuttings all around,
means that the timber on lands adjoining
the state lands had been cut, and that in
ger OF fire originating in the "slashings''
on these a0iOiDirtr lands
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-09-19
EXAMINER REFUSES
TO DISCUSS ANSWER

S. T. Johnson, public examiner, says
he will not discuss Robert c. Dunn's
answer to his report until, he has had
an opportunity to read the entire doc
ument. He informed T he Clio e
last evening he had not seen the reply
and until he had he would not say any
thing for publication.
He was amused, he said, when he
heard that Mr.. Dunn had questioned
his definition of timber phrases, par
ticularly that of new cuttings" He
said he used the dictionary.
AS to the sale of timber leases, he
saidsthat Mr.. Dunn did not sell them
to the highest bidder, but sold them
to men in his own office.
On the charge that old deals for tim
Der which had been made before Mr..
Dunn came into office had been raked
up, the public examiner said the audi
tor had ample opportunity to enforce
claims against some of the delinquents,
for the statute of limitations did not
expire, in some instances, for at least
a year after he had entered office.
Relative to the charge that as the
''henchman of the state administra-
ton he had adopted mean and small
methods to discredit the former state
auditor, he had nothing to say last
night.
1t is expected he will have more to
say today after he has had an oppor-
tunity to read and digest the reply of
the oubernatoriaJ candidate
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-09-19
SIGNED MABEL EVANS
LEASE WITHOUT LOOKING

Mr.. Johnson's report particularly refers
to lot l, section 6. town 5S12, range IL,
upon which Miss Mabel Evans secured a
+ lease. This tract of swamp land con-
! talns Sc 65-100 acres. selected 1t and
set it apart for the benefit of the state
institutions, land fund Immediately the
land Office, in order to prevent some rail-
road company owning a swamp land
grant from filing on it, as owing to the
situation of the land it probably contains
body of iron ore, but apparently no one
seemed to think much of the mineral
possibilities of the tract, or else those
who knew of them were sure of being
able to deprive the state of this land by
means of a contest, for as I have before
stated, 1t lay without any application for
a year. Anyone could have applied for
lease during that year and obtained the
same.
When the lease was brought to
me to sign during the last days of my
administration did not even glance at
the name, and even IT had 1t would not
have made the slightest difference, for I
would have, issued the lease Just the
same.
The attorney for the lessee, Mr. c. S.
Wilson, of Duluth, one of the ablest land
attorneys in Minnesota, gave the state
the benefit Of his valuable assistance, and
it was largely through his efforts that
the state was enabled to make good it's
claim to the land.
The tract in question was scripped by
Eastern. parties and they made a des-
perate effort to defeat. the states claim
The tactics employed were diSreputa BILE
in the extreme. United States Surveyor
General Warner was approached and Of
fered a large bribe to rule against the
state, but, to his everlasting credit be
it said he spurned the offer, and after
a hearing reported to Washington that
the land was swamp.
One of the parties interested in the
scripping of the tract made all sorts of
threats. I was threatened MIR Finn was
threatened, and he even undertook to
bulldoze Mr. Iverson. My only connec-
tion with the matter was In urging Mr..
Warner to file the tract In question In
the auditors office as swamp land and
the Issuance of the lease more than a
year afterward. 1t was perfectly law
1t was a perfectly lawful act for Mabel
Evans to receive it.
The present state auditor, Samuel G.
IverSon, has recognized the validity OF
the lease issued to Mabel Evans by issu-
ing to her, as the records show, a state
mining contract under the terms of the
law authorizing the issue of mineral
leases and contracts. I might also add
that the attorney for the lessee, Mr.. Will
son, was approached and offered large
sum if he would prove recreant to the
interests of his client It Is estimated
that there are at least 100000 tons of
ore contained In the tract in question,
and when it is mined the state will re-
ceiye a royalty of $500,0 600. was foolish
enough to imagine that l was entitled to
credit and not censure for taking the
initiative to secure this valuable tract of
land for the state. Certainly private
firm would deal generously with the man
who secured for it a tract of land worth
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-09-19
SALT LAKE CUTOFF
OPEN FOR TRAFFIC
Central Pacific Saves Two Hours Be-
tween Frisco and Chicago

SALT LAKE, Utah, Sept. 1s.-The
Ogden-Lucin cutoff of the Hartman
system, running across the northern
arm of Great Salt lake, was opened
for passenger traffic today. 1t has
been in use for some time for part of
the overland freight traffic, but today
it was made an actual part of the over
land system.
The cutoff stretches for miles in a
straight line over piling and filing
through the waters of Great Salt lake
When the new time schedules COM
pleted for the overland traffic are put
into effect an actual lessening of more
than two hours running time between
Chicago and San Francisco will be
shown, beside cutting out of the operat-
ing expenses forty three miles of the
most difficult and most costly railroad
In the country, the trackage over Pro-
montory hill, on the north shore of
Great Salt lake.
The elimination of this part of the
system from overland traffic will, 1t is
estimated, save about fifteen hundred
dollars a day in operating expenses.
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-09-19
DYNAMITE USED TO
ASSUAGE JEALOUSY
Negro Charged With Blowing
Up House for Flouted
Love

MARTINSBURG, w. Va, Sept. 49,
AS the result of the jealousy of a rival
lover John Harris, a negro. is dead.
Jennie Smith. of .Pittsburg, Pa, badly
injured and will die; Julia White is so
seriously cut that she may not recover;
mouse on East Race street, back of
the baltimore & Ohio shops, is blown
up. and Ernest Hollins and John
thompson are in Jail charged with
murder, the result of Saturday night
dance at the home of Julia White.
Rollins and Harris were rivals for
the hand of the Smith woman,
Last night it was intended to hold
a dance at Julia Whites, and John
harris took the Smith woman to the
mousse shortly before o'clock this
morning.
Hollins, who was heard to remark
earlier in the evening that she would
not stay in the house over night. is
supposed to have gone with Thompson.
friend, and stolen the dynamite.
placed it under the house and set it off.
Or squares around the houses were
shaken, windows broken and the house
itself SO badly torn up that it will have
TO be destroyed. All of the participants
are less than thirty years of age. There
is intense excitement among the ne
groes, but no trouble is anticipated.
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-09-19
WRITES TO GOVERNOR
FOR COPY OF REPORT

:, waited patiently the publication of
the same until became convinced that
it was being held back to be sprung on
the eve of election for the sole purpose
OF influencing voters against me and in
favor of the Democratic candidate for
governor gt;nal Then it was that deter
in question. from Gov Van SAINT in order
that ! might refute the charges therein
contained. being fully convinced that I
could do so before I went out in the
state to commence my canvass. Hence I
wrote the following letter:
ST. Paul, Mimi, Sept 8, 1904.-Hon. S.
K Van SAINT, Governor, ST. Paul, Mimi
Dear Sir: Upon my return from South
ern Minnesota yesterday 1 learned that
the managers of Mr. Johnson's Campaign
had secured copy of Public Examiner
Johnson's report on the management of
the state auditors office during my adj
ministration, which 1 understand has been
filed with you. and that the intention is
TO publish and circulate the same
throughout the state. i am totally ig-
norant of the contents of the report in
question and, as it is in the nature of
an Indictment against me- 1 think | am
entitled to copy of the same SO as to
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-09-19
GEN. BLACK ANNOUNCES
G. A. R. APPOINTMENTS
Judge Collins, of Minnesota, Is on tho
National Executive Committee

BOSTON, Mass, Sept. 1S.-In
general order, COMMUNICATIVE Chief
Black, of the Grand Army of the Re-
public, announces several additional
appointments on his staff. The list
Includes:
Lee S. Esteele, of Omaha, Neb., in
spector general; James M Schoon-
maker, of Pittsburg, senior aid de
camp and chief of staff; J. Henry Hol-.
comb, of Philadelphia, assistant quar-
termaster general and custodian of rec
ord w. F. Martin, of Decatur, ILL.,, and
Samuel Wright, of Boston, national
color bearers.
General orders also announce that
the commander in chief, the adjutant
general, the quartermaster general, and
the following named members of the
national council of administration will
constitute the executive committee of
the national council:
Thomas G. Sample, Allegheny, Pa;
George w. Cook, Denver, Colo; Will
liam H. Armstrong, Indianapolis, Ind;
L. W. Collins, st. Cloud, Mimi; John
w. Hersey, Springfield, Mass; S. G.
James, Centerville, Iowa, and ] Cory
WinanS Troy Ohio.
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-09-19
QUESTIONS MOTIVES
OF PUBLIC EXAMINER

Mr.. johnson lays himself open to the
suspicion of being in collision with the
sharks who made such strenuous efforts
yond the shadow of doubt, the land is
sWampy in character and rightly was the
property Of the state under the swamp
land grant of 1860.
1 do not claim to be entitled to the full
credit for securing this tract of, land for
the state, but do assert that mad it not
been for the initiatory steps taken by
me it would not have been returned as
swamp and no foundation would have
been laid for the states claim. That it
was lawful for me to issue that lease, al
though the state had not at that time
United States government is shown by
the result of the contest over the states
title. the secretary of the interior in his
vested vested with the he title to this land on
March II, 1860, the date of the act of
congress granting to the state Of Mime
So5a all the decision W ona
long line of decisions and has been sus-
tanned by the supreme court of the United
States in the case so OF Wright VS.. Rose
states swamp land grant: The grant In
this case was a present grant vesting in
the state proprio vigors from the day Of
its date, title to all the. land Of the par
ticular description designated, wanting
nothing but the definition of its bound
aries to make it perfect
the state was possessed of this land on
Dec. 80; 1902, and that it was lawful to
issue a state mineral lease covering it,
in the usual manner subject to all the
requirements of state law.
am frank to say that had any en-
ploye at the capitol applied for lease
I during my term Of office 1t would have
been Issued without question and no pos
sibIe injury could result to the state when
the fixed charge provided by law had been
paid.
have sold state land to Gov. Lind and
other officials, as well as to senators and
representatives, the same being sold at
public auction to the highest bidder as
provided by law, and fail to see wherein
the state was wronged.
reiterate, any official has as good a
right to lease tract of mineral land or
buy outright a piece OF state land as any
other individual, and with all due respect
to Mr.. Jofnson's legal attainments, there
is nothing in the land or mineral laws of
the state that prohibits such sale OF lease
to any official or empIoye of the state.
In Mr.. Johnson'S former reports have
been severely criticized for the settlement
of treSpaSS cases. in not exacting double
or treble damages In every instance.
repeat what I have said before: every
trespass case was settled after due com
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-09-19
DUNN BLAMES PUBLIC
EXAMINER JOHNSON

Ever since left the auditors office. and
especially after 1t became known that 1
would be candidate for the Republican
nomina ton for governor, nothing has
been left undone by the administration
and its chief henchman. Public Exam
src5 mx naf would tend to be
auditor and belittle my efforts in behalf
of the state
will waste no words denunciatory of
the means and methods employed by Mr..
Johnson and his satellites Suffice 1t to
say that false and defamatory statements
were put in circulation concerning me in
every nook and corner in the state. The
EDITORS and reporters of the city dailies
have had it drilled into them that when
Mr. Johnson got through with his exam
would be doomed to political oblivion.
The reading public know the result Of
the investigation of the state auditors
counts and expenditures of the legisla-
ture. The committee reported. after
thorough investigation, in which they had
the assistance of experts, experts who
were preJudlced against me, that they
found nothing to condemn and much to
commend in my administration.
Mr.. Johnson. however was not salts
legislature had authorized him to go
ahead and make an investigation on his
own account, which was a totally unwar-
as it may, State Auditor Iverson gave
him access to all the books and papers
in his office.
After spending thousands of dollars of
the. states money, he made several re-
ports which, on their face, bore evidence
of falsity.
The general public paid very little at
tention to ANYTHING that emanated from
his : office, as 1t is-well known that he was
mine. Ali through the preliminary cam
paign, after his first report was made
public, 1 ignored him altogether. 1 think
L referred him md his i11c
In the newspapers. 1 absolutely refused
TO be placed on the defensive in my cam
paign for the gubernatorial nomination.
had supposed that after the conyen-
ton Mr.. Johnson's malicious attacks
would cease. Several weeks since L
learned that he had filed another report
with the governor, having previously TAX
en- good care to give a synopsis of the
same to the newspapers that were UNI
friendly to me, and also having taken
care to instill into the minds of the peo-
pie with whom he came in contact that
his latest effort would, metaphorically
speaking, wipe me off the face of the
~.
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-09-19
R. 6. DUNN DEFENDS
IRON LANDS GRAB
enable me to refute the charges therein

-
enable me to refute the charges therein
contained. Hence 1 would respectfully
request that you furnish, or cause to be
furnished to me, at the earliest possible
moment, a copy of said report, and-any
expense incurred in making the copy |
will gladly pay. Now the report is not
in your possession, 1 hope and trust you
will request the party who has control of
it to let me have copy.
I am ready and willing to meet any
and all charges that may have been made
or that may be made against my official
character as state auditor by Mr.. John
son or anyone else, and think it is
grossly unfair to me to afford my enemies
an opportunity to attack me on the ex
parte statement of one of your appointees
and not afford me chance to refute the
charges; In few days / will be out in
the state conducting my campaign, and
my time will be fully occupied. therefore
/ would be pleased to have a copy of the
report at this time.
Hoping you will see fit to comply
with what seems to me very reasonable
request, remain. very truly yours,
r q Duup >,
The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-09-19
MAKES LIGHT OF ALL
THE EXAMINER REPORTS.

In one of his former reports Mr.. John
son makes great ado over the fact that
eral OF the permits when the same were
recorded in the state auditors office. AL;
have to say in reply is that a lumberman
w VINO ,o, would dump his logs into stream
or lake without properly marking the same
would be mt subject for a lunatic asy-
lum. How In the name of common sense
could the logs be identified at the boom
II they were not properly marked? The
letters MIN must be stamped on all logs
cut On state lands, and as matter of
self protection. If for no other reason, The
owner must affix some other mark to en-
able him to distinguish and claim his
property.
S 1t has been asserted that I ought to
have asked the legislature for an addi-
do to hold the appropriation at ST. 900, to
say nothing about increasing it. Out of
that 1900 we had to pay for app1ais-
ing: advertising and selling state lands,
caring for the mineral output and rro-t
tectlng the states timber.
When Mr.. Johnson's first report was
turned over to Attorney General Douglas,
and that conscientious official was Urged
by both the governor and public examiner
to commence suits, ! am reliably informed
that Mr.. Douglas said there was. nothing
IN Johnsons report to base an action ON.
l might say more on this subject, but will
forbear for the present.
During my administration I excro ised
every care to protect the state's timber
and realized the highest prices obtainable,
and never sold stick of timer save at
public sale, as provided by law. No par
TALLY was shown any man or firm hy me.
/ treated all alike. That mistakes and err
rorS of judgment were made I VIII rot
deny, but reiterate that in every in
stance acted for the best interests of
the state, according to the best of my
knowledge and belief Every dollar col
lected for trespass, whether it was So or
81, 600 is accounted for and WAS paid into
the state treasury, and no attempt was
made to cover conceal a r.
ton, and the records of the Office were
ALWAYS omen To any one for inSns .iI.ln