The Princeton union. [volume] (Princeton, Minn.) 1876-1976, 1904-09-22

i
reputable in the extreme. United
States Surveyor General Warner was
approached and offered large bride
to rule against the State, but, to his
Everlasting credit, be it said, he
spurned the offer, and, after hear
ing, 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, Mr.. Finn was threatened,
and he even undertook to bulldoze
Mr.. Iverson. My only connection
with the matter was in urging Mr..
Warner to file the tract in question in
the auditors Office as swamp land,
and in the issuance of the lease more
than a year afterwards. It was a
perfectly lawful act for me to issue
that lease. and it was perfectly law
full act for Mabel Evans to receive it.
The present State auditor, Samuel G..
lverson. has recognized the validity
OF the lease issued to Mabel Evans by
| issuing to her, as the records show.
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.. Wilson, was approached
and offered large sum if he would
prove recreant to the interests of his
client. 1t is estimated that there are
at least two million tons of ore con-
tanned in the tract in question, and
when it is mined the State will receive
royalty of S50O,0O0. I was foolish
enough to imagine that I was entitled
to credit and not censure for taking
the Initiative to secure this valuable
tract of land for the State. Certainly
a private firm would deal generously
with the man who secured for it a
tract of land worth 100000. Mr..
Johnson lays himself open to the sus-
picion of being in collision with the
sharks who made such strenuous
efforts to rob the State of it's just dues,
for, beyond 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.
[ do not claim to be entitled to the
full credit for securing this tract of
land for the State, but I do assert
that had it not been for the initiatorv
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
tor me to issue that lease, although
the State had not at that time re-
ceived patent for the land from the
United States government, is shown
by the result of the contest over the
States title, the secretary of the in
terror in his decision declaring that
the State became vested with the title
to this land on March IL, 1860, the
date OF the act of congress granting
to the State Of Minnesota all the
swamp lands within it's boundaries.
This decision is one of a long line of
decisions, and has been sustained by
the supreme court of the United States
in the case of Wright VS.. Roseberry
(l21 U. S. 1887, which says of the
States swamp land grant: ':The
grant in this case was present grant
vesting in the State proprio vigore
from the day of it's date, title to all
the land of the particular description
designated, wanting nothing but the
definition of it's boundaries to make
it perfect
There is no question, therefore, that
| the State was possessed of this land
on Dec. 80, 1902, and that it was law
full to issue State mineral lease COW
ering 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 a
lease during my term of Office it would
have been issued without question,
and no possible injury could result to
the State when the fixed charge pro-
vided by law had been paid. 1 have
sold State land to Gov. Lind and
other officials, as we'll as to senator's
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,
l reiterate, any official has as good a
right to lease tract of mineral land
or buy outright piece of State land
as any other individual, and with all
due respect to Mr.. Johnson's legal at
tainments, there is nothing in the land
or mineral laws of the State that pro-
hibits such sale or lease to any
official or employe of the State.
TRESPASS SETTLEMENTS.
In Mr.. Johnson's former reports
have been severely criticised