The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1904-06-16
A REASONABLE VIEW.
The rlatter of Trespass Settlements
Viewed in an Impartial and
Unbiased Manner.
The Campaign in the Interest of r.
G. Dunn in Hennepin County
And Promising Results.

The most dangerous lies are half
truths, and that style of mendacity is
highly popular among the organs and
agents OF the State machine, an organ
ization which is said by Judge Col
Inns friend, the Minneapolis Tribune,
to be the most greedy, vulgar and
demagogic band of political free
hooters known to history. These peo-
pie shout: ''The law provides that
double penalties shall be exacted from
trespassers on State timber. Auditor
Dunn did not collect these penalties.
He did not do his duty He permitted
the trespassers to get the best of the
State.''
The falsehood comes in the assump-
ton that the penalties could have been
collected by Mr.. Dunn. When the
State undertakes to bring timber tres
passers to time it must begin a suit.
The State appears in the courts with
no advantage over any other litigant.
1t must make its standing good in law
and facts, the same as Smith, Brown
or Jones. It is the business of the
States agents and attorneys to make
the most out of case. They are not
in court to spend the States money in
foolhardy attempt to collect drastic
penalties when their evidence is GER
tain and reasonable compromise can
be attained. If the State followed the
iron-clad rule of demanding full dam
ages and double penalties every case
would be fought to the bitter end and
the litigation would cost the people
more than they would get out of it.
The evidences of timber trespasses
is VIGOROUSLY uncertain, and those
witnesses cognizant of the facts do
not, as rule, favor the State. They
lean rather to the trespasser. The
State mustsgo before jury and prove
it's case, and if you think that the tres
passer gets a worse show than the
| :people of Minnesota before the
twelve good men and true you know
little about the facts in such cases.
Auditor Dunn had to do the best he
could for the State, and it is not re-
corded that Auditor Iverson, whom it
is the interest of the organs and Great
ures of the State machine to extol an
executive officer superior to Mr.. Dunn,
is collecting the timber trespass pen
alties, but is getting what he can out
| Of oh ntio 10
the circumstances.
1t must be remembered that the
| United States has a law which i'm
poses double penalties in case of will
full trespasses: but the federal govern
ment, strong, vigorous, rich and per-
severing to the verge of vindictiveness
in litigation, has to take it's chances
| in the courts. It must make the legal
showing and prove the facts to the
satisfaction of jury, and that jury
does not look with special favor on
"Uncle SAM Only the other day
case Of timber trespa ssing came before
a jury in the United States court at
Fergus Falls. The government sued
great lumber company, claiming over
100000. The jury, however, gave
only verdict of $4,000. This is
case in illustration.
But no man Of sense and fairness
will pretend to say that r. c.. Dunn
or any other officer could collect these
penalties. The rigid execution of such
provisions of law is impossible both
to the State and the United States
Duluth News-Tribune