Warren sheaf. [volume] (Warren, Marshall County, Minn.) 1880-current, 1912-03-28
SETTLERS ARE
UP IN ARMS
Against the Defamers Of Eastern Mar
shall County-scathing Letter by a
Farmer Who Signs His Own Name

Warren Sheaf: An article was
printed in the Eagle for March 18th.
headed: "Who Was It?" taken from
Warren Sheaf, and commented on bv
the Eagle. 1t is very good thing
for us farmers in eastern Marshall
county to know that the facts have
come out. We are very thanful for
the statement the Warren sheaf gives
us. If it is true what the Eagle and
the Sheaf states, then we know where
we are at. l for one heard this very
mans speech at Grygla. His tongue
was very slick in praising himself as
a Godsend to represent our district
IN the legislature. His st. Paul speech
shows that he has been weighed and
found too light. We don't want any
m1sht to represent us-what we want
is real truth, real fact, and no misre-
presentation. Why, you good people
here in this end of Marshall county.
get your iron hot and brand such men
that come around and ask your vote
the next time. We will all be there.
The history of eastern Marshall and
northwestern Beltrami counties is
well known, and with the limited time
l have to tell the story it will be very
short. But it will not hurt to give
what I can. It might do some good
and even little good is worth while.
We settlers have come from all
over United States and had to look
for some way to make living for
ourselves and our families. We came
here and found the land fertile. but
level, with very little raise here and
there and with leaning slope in
westerly direction with big timber
and sWamps back of it. A heavy rain
fall would naturally overflow the
whole country. We plainly saw that
by opening bitches from east to west
the overf1owing water would be car.
rled off, and that if that were done
the land would make some of the best
farming land in the state. Being from
10 to so miles from any railroad or
tmarket place, we all realized the
hardships we were up against, but as
there seemed to be no room for us
anywhere else, we settled down deter
mined to make the best of it. Some
may say that the government gave us
those claims free as homesteads. That
point is all right, but even if we cot
our claims free, these claims gave us
nothing with which to keep body and
soul together. Poor as we were and
without money, we had to grab a root
and work, yes, and work hard, as at
that time the country was wilder
ness.
Now just stop for minute and
think of what we had to meet, being
SO far from railroads or a market
place and without any road to travel,
and with mud, water and swamps to
common to stand up straight and
drink.
One thing will remind you of, we
had an unbounded hope for better
things and saw and realized fully
what was needed, namely: Drainage.
That was our hope and our cry for
many years. Anybody could plainly
see that if the country would be
drained, there was no better or more
fertile farming land In the state We
asked the county Of Marshall to help
do something for us in drainage and
: the making of roads, but no, they
would not listen with that ear, yet
the western part of the county was
well taken care of. Sometimes they
gave us a little dab, but that did not
help much. We asked the state for
help, but no; we asked the national
government for help, but no; nix. Our
cry for help and money for ditching
was never considered And all this
time we were willing to pay it back
in taxes-we did not ask free gift.
Finally after long struggling years,
there was something doing in the leg
islature that gave us way out to
make a better living. VIM. ]. Brown,
of Warren, took some interest in us
and our country When he was county
attorney of Marshall county, he trav-
elled thru the eastern part of the
county and saw at glance what was
needed, namely, drainage. He saw
the good farming land it would make
if the surplus water was taken of by
sufficient bitches. Mr.. Brown got we'll
acquainted with the situation and as
soon as the drainage law was passed
he came and called mass meeting