The Saint Paul globe., 1905-02-21
NEWS OF THE CITY
j. v. Brewer Scores Former
Governor and Attorney
General

). r. Van SAINT, former governor, and
wallace B. Douglas, former attorney
general, are severely criticised by J.
V. Brewer, in a history of the Itsaca
State park, issued in the ninth volume
or the Minnesota Historical society col
lections, placed on the society's shelves
yesterday. MIR. Brewer suggests a leg
islative inquiry to fix the RESPONSIBLE
ity.
The former state officials are held re-
sponsible for the despoIiation of the
state park by permitting influential
lumbermen to haul their lumber across
the park and to raise and lower Lake
Itsaca for purposes of booming 10000
600 feet of logs across the lake. Both
Messrs. Van SAINT and Douglas ap-
peared during the incumbency of office
as persistent prosecutors of timber
trespassers, and Mr. Brewer, who is
writing series of articles for the state,
takes them to task very severely for
their consent to the spoliation of the
trees along the shore line of the lake,
and the withdrawal of the waters of
the lake by the presence of 10000, 900
feet of logs on its surface.
History of the Park
The volume goes into the history of
the park. the agreement made between
the state and 7. b. Walker, by which
his company was permitted to use the
state park to get its logs to market,
and the litigation which followed. Mr..
Brewer says that the statement, issued
by the attorney general, that there was
no other practical way to get the
Walker lumber to market, is a mere
subterfuge. He says it was fully ex-
planned that the timber was north of
Lake Itsaca and near the Mississippi,
situated where it was not necessary to
despoil the state park in order to re-
move it, but T. B. Walker desired the
use of ItSaca lake for a log boom and
his influence WAS sufficient to get it.
The writer says that last autumn
there were 100000 feet of doomed
and floating logs at various places in
the lake, without compensation for
the extraordinary privilege of convert
ing public property to private despolia-
ton free of charge, and exempting
from prosecution trespaSsers before the
law. who openly destroy and perma-
nently damage state property sacredly
dedicated by statutory enactment to
the exclusive use of the people. who
have paid the cost of it's establishment
and maintenance"
trees were destroyed by the trespassers
in the numbering and booming opera
tfonS, and characteriZes the policy of
planting seedlings at state expense to
take the pl; ce of these noble trees. as
disastrous farce and shameful dis
grace to the era. He says:
Under official supervision and au-
thority, with an ample park law to pro-
tect the rights of the state, the beau
tiful evergreen shores of Itsaca lake,
flooded and despoiIed, are fast becom-
ing a stencil in the nostrils of a ma
ton and state which have directed that
one of the most historic and health
giving resorts shall not perish from the
earth"
Demands investigation
Mr.. Brewer declares in his report
that the friends of the park have
right to demand a legislative investi-
CATION to fix the responsibility for
whatever misconduct has resulted in
transfer ming the lake into a promis-
cuous log boom, flooding it's shores, de-
spelling its beauty, depicting it's outlet
and greatly damaging it's permanent
value as public resort.
When all the facts have been as
certained and promulgated" the Itsaca
park historian says, establishing the
responsibility or the unnecessary,
wanton and extensive injury to the
beautiful surroundings of Itsaca lake,
official titles shall not shield the per-
petrators of this indignity against the
state and the nation"
The record shows that at a meeting
of the state historical society, held Dec.
10, 1903. resolution was adopted, pro-
testing against the license being issued
to Mr.. Walker. The license was. how
ever, issued. by Gov. Van SAINT and
State Auditor Iverson Jan. II. Similar
licenses were issued to the Brainerd
Lumber company and the Crookston
Lumber company. The governor claim
ed, at the time, he was acting on the
advice of Attorney General w. B.
Douglas.