The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1911-06-02

nesota second to none. There is n,
question but that the handling o
these lands has resulted in grea
good to the state. No other system
perhaps, could have resulted II
greater good-but this system while
doing so much for the education O.
the whole state, has entailed certain
evils and hardships that now cry ou1
for redress. t...
"These swamp lands were largely
located in the northern part of Min.
nesota. While held by the state
they contributed no aid to the local
tax fund. The burden of roads,
schools and other vivic affairs had
to be borne in many sections by less
than one half the land. And again,
the land sold by the state gave but
little relief, for the reason that it
was not purchased by farmers.
While adding something to the tax
fund, it did not materially add to
the building up on the country.
"The land has not been and is not
being purchased by farmers for the
reason that in it's present condition
it is unfit for the immediate appli-
cation of agriculture.
t'In certain county in northern
Minnesota in which a great deal of
state land is held, the records show
that during the past four years end
ing Jan. 1, 1911, thirty-nine per-
sons purchased land, and among
their number the following occupants
were represented: nine timber deal
ers, two real estate dealers, three
merchants, two publishers, two car
penters, one scaler, one sheriff, one
contractor, one postmaster, one at
torney, two county commissioners,
one farmer, and thirteen whose oc-
equations were unknown. Of the
entire amount purchased, only three
pieces of land show improvement
and not one piece of land purchased
in this county four years shows a
home. I believe that nearly all the
counties in Northern Minnesota con-
tanning the great portion of the state
swamp land will show similar re-
cords
''This is certainly not reclamation,
| either by the state, or by anyone
else. 49,.
"While Northern Minnesota was
without agriculture, and figured it's
possibilities chiefly in timber, there
was no serious objection to the state
selling It's, land to the highest bidder
and looking no farther ahead than
the purchasing price, but for the
state to continue that policy today
while northern Minnesota goes beg
ging for farmers and agricultural
products, is not the part of wisdom
The policy practiced in the past may
continue to make the state treasury
rich, but it will leave northern Min
nesOta poor.
81 would not deny any man the
right to own land who honestly in
tends to pursue agriculture at some
future time, but the man who wants
to farm this year is of more import
ance to northern Minnesota than the
man who thinks he may want to farm
ten years from now.
Need Actual Farmers
"How the reclamation board can
put the land into the hands of an
actual farmer, under the present law,
is problem that the board still has
to solve and until it is solved it will,
in my opinion, prove serious OBJ
stacle to the success of the work.
In the reclamation of state land
there are the following departments
of work:
First, location of the land, and in
this there must be taken into consid-
Grafton the adaptability of the land
to agriculture and it's proximity to
roads, markets, schools, etc.
oCCOIu, Cuc ClcdIluS duu uidludSS
of the land, and third, it's sale to a
farmer. This latter point has al
ready been considered and it has been
pointed out that the state law doesn't
place any more Importance upon a
farmer than upon any one else, but
the Northern Minnesota Development
association does when it comes to
farming, and I would ask the associ-
alton to make note of this for future
references: That we want the state
agricultural lands sold to. farmers
and to no one else. ..-
Needs a Survey.
minnesota needs a survey of it's
state lands-a survey that will give
full and accurate information that