Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1905-04-01
St. Paul, March 80, 1905.


Acknowledgement Young has proved himsel
10 be both good official and good Republlca
nv commencing suit to void the Mabel Evan
mineral lease to the valuable deposits of tn
so-called "Virginia silver This "sliver wa
first brought to public attention when Mr. Dun
and Attorney General Douglas successfully la1
claim to the land on behalf of the state unde
the swamp land grant. When title becam
vested in the state, public attention was again
directed to the peculiar tract of land by th
claim of Public Examiner Johnson that th'
mineral lease thereto had been let to Mabel Nv
ans-a sister of Patterson, the land clerk-whe1
at the same time there other applications
for the lease and so the lease should have beer
let to the highest bidder.
Mr.. Youngs statement Of the case is as fol
lows:
81 have commenced suit to cancel the
contract issued by the state to Mabel Evans fo1
5he so-called silver mineral property in St
Louis county, and have associated Judge w. B
Douglas with me III the case, on account Of his
familiarity with the questions involved,
eve believe that Finn and Patterson, who
we're respectively land clerk and assistant land
,1er1 in the auditors office during the admins
ration, whose duty it was to look after the in
erests of the state in the disposal of it's mineral
ands had been engaged for some time before
hey went out of office in specializing in state
mineral leases, which they always took in the
lame of Mabel Evans
"The property was of the most valuable
wned by the state, being worth anywhere from
ne to several millions, a lease upon which
you'd, if sold at public auction, bring a very
arge snm in addition to the % cents ton roy
lty reserved to the state under the law.
"The ore is claimed to be worth rs cents a
on in the ground.
"There had been several applications for a
ease on this tract, but applicants had been adj
ised that the title in litigation and the
ract not subject to lease. In the meantime a
ease was secretly procured by them i'll the
anne of Mabel Evans for the minimum sum
crowded by law, viz, $685. which lease was af-
9rward followed by a contract whereby the
cate sold the ore to Mabel Evans at rs cents a
IN, leaving a net profit of at least so cents
On on several million tons of ore to Mabel Ev-
rs and the persons associated with her in the
transaction.
There were other applicants at the time
his original lease was issued, and therefore
lnder the law the lease should have been sold
1t public auction, and if so sold it would have
brought large into the state treasury for
he benefit of the school fund.
1--WE believe this was breach of duty by
hese public afficials, and that the whole tran
action was void for that reason.
"There are other important questions in
olved which [ do not care to discuss at this
ime. This suit will not aid the Pearl Smith
lain now pending in the United States district
ourt. The result we are seeking is to secure a
ublic sale of this very valuable property sol
1at the school fund will get the benefit, instead
f any individual securing vast fortune for
othing at the expense of the state"
s S
AS the leading Republican state Official, and
the whose official acts are most likely to
taken as the acts of the party, Mr.. Young is
be most highly commended for meeting the
uestion in sensible way. If there were
rafters in the Republican party during for
administration, and there now remains any
rounds for proceedings against them, it is al
edit to the party that the Republican party
ow has man in high office who has the cour-
sc to go after grafters even if they do belong
his own party. It is also no more than simp-
justice that Finn and Patterson be given an
oportunity to prove their innocence in
gdicial proceedings.