Morris tribune. [volume] (Morris, Minn.) 1880-2000, 1906-08-18
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: FROM The STATE CAPITAL )


the Republican headquarters the past
week has stimulated matters a good
deal and caused numerous callers. Mr.
Cole makes a decidedly favorable i'm
preston upon every one who meets
him personally. There is nothing OF
The grandstand about him and no in
dication of playing to the galleries for
political effect. Just plain, matter
of fact business man who is very much
in earnest in doing what is best to adj
vance the public interests and one
who can be safely trusted with the
helm of state
There may be other men in the Re-
publican party just as near to the
people and their interests as Mr.. Cole,
but they are yet to be discovered
Mr.. Cole lis prepared and not afraid to
say that as governor he will do all in
his power to secure the reduction OF
rates of freight to which the public is
entitled. When Albert L. Cole is
elected governor the state will have
an executive who will seek to enforce
every law, railroad or otherwise,
which stands for the good Of all the
people.
A great deal of surprise is felt and
expressed over Governor Johnson's in
terview in the Dispatch of few days
ago, relative to the merger wherein
he expressed a desire to do all in his
power to have the railroad rates re-
duced and the dissolution of the "mer
ger" as ordered by the United States
even went so far as to intimate that
If the railroad and warehouse commits
sion did not comply with his demands
he would remove them. AS the result
of that interview the members of the
railroad commission have been inter-
viewed and all agree in saying that
Governor Johnson has never called
upon them officially or unofflcially or
in any way to ask or suggest that they
regulate railroad freight rates in Min
nesota. In Iowa, where the governor
does things, the railroads earn $1,70O
per mile. In Minnesota, where the
governor does nothing, the railroads
pocket $4,000 per mile. The surprise
expressed is that Governor Johnson
should have the temerity to again be
q candidate with such record for his
6rst term.
No member of the legislature ever
made SO vigorous record to prevent
the numbering companies from escap-
ing taxation and buying pine land at
the. nominal sum Of $5-the price OF
purely agricultural land-or to go I'M
punished for timber stealing as did
Albert l.. Cole. And still some of the
mild Republican papers and the out
and out Democratic ones are asserting
that Mr. Cole is representative Of
the lumber barons" and that they
desire his election as governor Let
US look at Mr.. Coles record in the
legislature.
He introduced and secured the pas
two hundred (200) dollars to any one
who will produce susceptible proof of
timber stealing. Every 'lumberjack"
cutting the stolen logs knows what his
employer is doing and this reward is
suf1 Gent to cause him to make the
exposure.
Formerly the valuation of pine lands
for taxation was made by some local
man or men residing in the county.
The pay was merely nominal and they
did the work in the easiest manner
possible by never going to see the
land but by just sitting down and
guessing at the quantity OF pine. I'm
der Mr.. Coles reform the state auditor
sends a trained cruiser, whose reten-
ton of his job depends upon the faith
full performance Of his duty. He is
required to go upon the land itself
and ascertain what pine actually eX-
lists and. in connection with the local
appraisers, enable them to determine
the basis for taxation Mr.. Cole also
secured legislation requiring the taxa
ton of logs in the counties where
they are cut The custom has been
for the big lumbormen to buy some
ones bark mark" for 81 and not reg
lister or record the purchase and when
the logs reach the bcoms where the
assessor can see them point to the
"bark mark" as evidence that they
belong to some one else and are tax
able, if at all, in some other county
Even more-a lumberman would buy
q few million feet of some one elses