The Saint Paul globe., 1904-11-01

deed which Mr.. Dunn asserted he had
forced the Great Northern to accept
he gave Alvah Eastman, of st. Cloud,
a man who stands high in the coun-
ellis of the Republican, party" as au-
thority for the statement that Mr.
Dunn had told him ne had been COM
missioned ito secure purchasers of the
land assigned under the Biermann
deed.
Il do not say it is reprehensible for
state official to act as land agent for
railroad, but it is mighty ticklish
business!" exclaimed Mr.. Lind.
knute Nelson Lured
Mr. Lind read sections from his let
ter to the attorney general, asking
whether he had authority to revoke
the deed which Gov. Nelson had been
lured into signing.
"Knute Nelson lured into signing
something! Think of it'll" exclaimed
Mr. Lind. and the audience howled
with delight
What one governor has done pur-
suant to law cannot be set aside by a
succeeding governor, nor by any other
authority except that of the legisla-
ture,' asserted the speaker.
The speaker spoke more in detail of
the Biermann deed. and told how this
land had been withheld from taxation
for several years until the state audi
tor saw fit to execute a new instru-
ment to take the place of the one which
Gov. Clough sought to cancel.
Lind Has Nothing to Retract
Touching on the Duluth & Iron
Range land grant, he said he had moth
ing to retract He stood by the speech
he made in st. Paul last week.
Il make no charge of dishonesty
cot lT I'D fo1r ot,n, fob IL.
view of the situation. forgotten
document, bearing the seal and indorse-
ment of the state auditor. conveyed 49,
900 acres of valuable mineral 1aDds to
the steel trust. The steel trust was
compelled to submit to a modification
of the decree, because the state insti-
tutions have a prior right of selection,
but 1 do not believe that there is a
man here who will live to see the Du-
luth & Iron Range grant closed up,
because the steel trust will be in no
hurry to make the selections"
Did a Land Office Business
The "fatiron' mining property was
considered at some length. and Mr..
Lind read an affidavit made yesterday
by c.. III. P Smith, of Superior the
original hemesteader. who filed on the
land in 1893, and who told of his un
successful attempts to secure min
eral lease on the property.
He had called on Finn on this occa-
sion, and in 1904 he asked Auditor
Iverson for a lease and was Informed
he was "too late,'' because Mabel
Evans, a relative of. Mr. Finn, had Sc
cured a lease. Then he recited a list
of leases granted TO Miss Evans,
Messrs. Finn and Patterson on Feb.
Is, 1892.
'They did a land office business,v
said the congressman, with grim hu-
NOR.
Peterson Has an Inning
Mr.. Peterson was greeted with ap-
plause and boots when he started to
speak.
'You would think that Miss Evans.
or Finn, or Patterson, and not Robert
c. Dunn, is running for governor
said Mr.. Peterson in the beginning.
Mr.. Peterson said that Mr. Dunn
was the first man to question the Lit
tie Falls & Dakota grant, and
Gov. Lind knew nothing of it. The case
was settled by the legal officers of the
state and not by Mr.. Dunn. The latter,
he declared, was the mover of the case
and not the settler. The bill to COM
promise the case was introduced at the
instance of the legal department.
Peterson Warns Up
Then Mr.. Peterson began to warm
up-so did the crowd. Mr.. Lind, he
said, was more docfie" than when he
sent the telegram to the effect that
he would not accept bluff for argu-
ment," but would stand ready to prove
his statement.
Mr.. Peterson got away from his text,
the record of Robert c. Dunn, and pro-
ceeded to show that on June 5, 1900,
John Lind, when governor of the state.
purchased several sections of land. in
kanabec county. With mingled cheers
and Kisses he proceeded TO read the
list and was constantly interrupted
with:
What has that to do with Dunn's
record?"
The burden of Mr.. Peterson's argu-
ment was that when the contracts ma
tured, had he been elected governor
in 1900-"as he intended"-he would
have been obliged to issue to John
Lind, citizen, patent signed by John
Lind, governor.
The Duluth & Iron Range grant
came up for consideration. The valid
1ty of the grant was questioned, said
Mr.. Peterson.
What Dunn "Done"
"Now we will see what Mr. Dunn
done" and Chairman Macmillan who
has some acquaintance with the rules
OF English grammar, smiled expansive
~ at the language used by the speaker.
Long legal documents Astounding with
figures were read by the Dunn man
ager. He spoke glibly and rapidly and
little attention was paid to his re-
marks, a large section of the audi
ence coughing or shutting feet. Mr..
Peterson asserted that the federal
court and not the candidate for gov
ernor gave the steel trust the priyi-
Iege of filing its land grant at its own
sweet will. 1t was Judge Lochren who
gave the company an indefinite time.
A letter written by Gov. Lind in
March, 1900, in which he suggested
that in view of the futile Htigation"-
this was after Judge Lochren's decree
there should be an adjustment of the
land grants.
Crowd Wants to Hear About Dunn
Talk about Dunnt' yelled the
crowd.
: Il know this is hot stuff, my Demo-
cratic friends" calculated the speaker.
but you have got to stand it.
Bob Dunn was John Iind's errand
boy in the adjustment of the Duluth &.
Iron Range grant. and not the princi-
pal" cried Mr.. Peterson.
This was in connection with the case
in which Judge Lochren had issued a
decree, although the governor and state
auditor were in ignorance OF 1t.
John Lind, governor OF Minnesota.
being ignorant of the fact that a large
portion OF the land grant OF the Du-