Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1906-08-04

of his capacity, his ripe judgment ana
his untiring industry in transacting
the business of the session. What
gave him the greatest prominence in
that legislature, however, was a bill
introduced by him providing for the
taxation of logs in the counties where
they were cut. In seeking evidence
in support of his contention that the
bill should become law he dlscov-
cred that under the then existing
statutes it was difficult, if not impos-
sible, to locate the ownership of half
the logs in such way that they
could be placed upon the tax roll and
that in the city of Minneapolis it had
long been the custom to tax only one
half the logs that the assessor found
were owned there. The bill passed
the house after one of the hardest
fought battles of the session and, al
though defeated in the senate, the
exposures made by Mr.. Cole have re-
suited in the most glaring of the
abuses being corrected. The lumber
men, however, took notice of his per-
ish him for it, In the following cleo
ton whenever in the district where
there was saw mill in operation
there was a marked falling off in the
Cole vote.
Cole and the LAUNDERING Interests.
In December, 1904, after he had
~l~ I'D h>
Cole wrote an open letter to the press,
which was published in the Twin City
papers, in which he said:
Another question which seems to
demand very serious consideration is
the method of disposing of state tim
Der lands. Under the laws now upon
the statute books the state lands are
appraised by the residents of the
county in which the lands are situated.
These appraisers are temporarily en-
ployed at insufficient wages and the
easiest way to earn their money is
the one most liable to be adopted.
Often the appraisal is made without
viewing the lands and tracts covered
with valuable sapling pine have been
sold at S. per acre.
In that letter Mr. Cole advised that
the appraisal be made in part by
cruisers, appointed by the state audi
tor. whose tenure of Office depends
upon accuracy and efficiency. Con-
forming to this suggestion a law was
enacted at the last session Of the leg
islature providing that one of the
appraisers should be selected from
the states best cruisers. This law
guarantees to the people of the state
that each piece or parcel of land has
been thoroughly examined by the ap
praisers, as the law all along has con-
templated, and in consequence of it's
enactment large sums of money have
been saved to the state.
Mr.. Cole was a member of sub
committee of the house which drafted
bill which is now law, which pro-
vides that stealing of timber from
provides for a reward, not to exceed
$500, to be paid to any person fur
nisning evidence leading to the con
viction of any one found guilty Of
stealing standing timber from state
lands. Not in twenty years, and per-
haps not in the history Of legislation
of the state, has any person intro
duced so many bills or aided in the
enactment of so many laws to safe
guard the state against timber tres
pass and to cause the numbering inter-
ests of the state to pay their fair
share of taxes.
State Development Measures.
In the session of 1905 Mr.. Cole was
successful in securing the passage Of
other important legislation which he
had outlined in 1903 and which from
that time he was persistent in bring
ing to the attention of the house and
the people of the state. The Cole i'm
migration law was really his first
move in the direction of that we'll de-
fined policy of state development
which has come to be associated with
his name. It's purpose is to advertise
the state lands widely among home
seekers at home and abroad and to
dispose of them only to actual settlers,
who are required to cultivate them.
The result of it's operation has been
to attract wide attention to our unoc-
cupied lands, to secure larger at
tendance at the periodical land sales,
to break up spectators combines
and to get better price for the lands
sold. Auditor Iverson is on record as
saying that, had the law been passed
years ago, it would have saved mil
lions of dollars to the state funds. 1t
has already put hundreds of thousands
of dollars in the state treasury more
than would have been received under
the old law.
Mr.. Cole gave his attention during
his service in the legislature to drain
age legislation and is the author Of
the bill for the comprehensive system
which has been inaugurated in this
state. He was an ardent advocate of
the good roads movement, aided in
porfootino orr e1acfion laws and gave