The Irish standard., 1906-09-29
Promises Made to the People of Minnesota
Two Years Ago Have Been Faith
fully and Loyalty Kept.
Public Timber Trespass, Insurance and Many
Other Matters Of Great Importance
..-.-s Receive Attention.
uring the past two years.

during the past two years.
Public Timber Trespass.
1t will be remembered that one Of
the chief issues Of that campaign was
the charge that the law had been vio-
lated by public servants in the settle
ment of the states just claims against
men who, without the authority of law
and without due legal compensation,
had taken the states lands, timber and
mineral rights, thereby robbing the
school children of Minnesota Of sa-
cred and valuable heritage. 1t was
charged in an official state document
after Official investigation, that sys-
tenn had come into vogue by which it
was cheaper to steal the timber from
the public domain and settle for 1t with
state officials, than it was to buy tho
timber at legal public sale. I promised
at that time that if I were elected
governor Of Minnesota would see that
suits were instituted by ME state to
recover, SO far as it was physically
and legally possible, every dollar which
belonged to the school fund of this
state.
One Of my first official actions was
to demand a complete transcript of all
the charges thus preferred, and to
submit the matter to the attorney gen.
eral. Pursuant to my recon.
mendation, the legislature made pro-
visions for the appointment of addi-
tional council by the attorney general,
that suits might be instituted for the
recovery of all the moneys belonging
to the state. Suits were instituted.
A partial list of the defendants
and amounts claimed by the state, to
the aggregate of over 100000, was
recently published by the state press.
wish to emphasize the fact that
timber trespass cases involving thou
sands of dollars have been settled by
the state timber board during the past
two years, and not single case has
been settled except in accordance with
the law and for the entire double or
treble damages legally due the state. I
desire to be perfectly fair and honest
in my statement of this question, and
at this time wish to accord to the at
torney general for his able legal serv-
ices, as well as to my other associates
on the state timber board, the credit
to which they are entitled.
Under the direction of the timber
board examinations have been made.
The revelations already made are START
ling. In a single county, on less than
half dozen sections, there are dis
crepancies Of millions of feet of timber
1 am convinced that proper steps in
the future and the proper prosecution
along the lines of investigation, which
led to the recovery of hundreds Of
thousands and perhaps millions of dol
dren of the state Of Minnesota. :"
Cases now pending for settlement
will bring a half million dollars into
the state treasury. I am satisfied
that more than this amount will be
realized to the state of Minnesota
after the proper investigations have
been completed. Under these condi-
tions and circumstances. it was per-
fectly natural. in my judgment, that
defendant in one of these suits for
an amount of more than $4,000 should
have boasted openly of the amount Of
money he spent in an attempt to con-
troll the Republican convention at
Duluth, and that at a celebration ban.
ouet given to the defeated candidates
for governor at that convention, he
claimed the credit of a great victory
and announced to them that if they
had done business with him, one Of
them might have been nominee for
governor in that convention.
In the keynote speech Of my oppo-
nent in his campaign. there is little or