The Mitchell capital. (Mitchell, Dakota [S.D.]) 1879-1918, 1915-04-08

1911, my predecessor sent this com
.petent Mr.. Hanson to Marshall coun-
ty, in which county he claims to
know every lake or stone, to APP
praise the land to be offered for sale.
die appraised some of the land at
per acre. On the day of the sale
this land sold at $50 per acre. An
other ract he appraised at $50 which
sold at $42.5O per acre. In 1914 he
insisted that some n should look
over the land in Marshall county and
official board of appraisal met to
make the final appraisement. That
some one was of course to be Mr..
Hanson himself. AS no II else in
She office would have dared to I'M
dertake a job of that kind but him
self. | finally consented and when
later on we made the final appraise-
mcnt found that he had in one sec
tion appraised several forties at $45
per acre, but that he had placed one
forty in the section at $40 per acre.
| could not see why this forty should
not be appraised at the same price
as the others and | had it raised to
$45 per acre and it sold Mt this figure
Here was "a gain of 5000 for the state.
In connection with this l will say
that it was MIR. Hanson who selected
the sale counties for the last two
years, and Mcpherson county was
simply added to the list. instead OF
being the main factor as stated by
him. In making the appraisment the
state auditor and myself met in
each county in which the lands had
been selected TO be sold, with the
nn,,,,t,r vrnnrintayInpf nnI nOpnty
auditor. For our information and
instruction as to values We used the
topography books and sale books
from my office, and all other inform
alton we could get through the coun-
ty~ officials, and | am satisfied that
the appraisement made this sprine
as to correctness will beat any thai
even was made by Mr.. Hanson, al
though the state had aid for his edu-
cation for ten long years. He further
accuses me of reducing the lane
prices in my own county, while the
truth of the matter is that L have
raised our fieldmen's figures from
10 to 35 per cent. The records, and
Mr.. Jacobsen, who did the field WORK
in Mcpherson county will bear me
out in this. The records also show
| UldJ. lIe AVERAGE SdIGS pl Y III wv
year 1914 is higher than in any prev
ious sale, although the land sold is
rougher thar the land sold in prev
ious sales. I can therefore not un-
derstand how a mar cal make such
false statements.
l.. Governor Not Involved.
"He lays the u of his resigna-
ton to the Governor, which is just
as unjust and false as his whole state
ment is, although the governor was
no friend OF his, I would have kept
him for the sake Of his family, as
was aware of his poor financial stand
ing. but he got so bold, doing thing:
against the best interest OF the
state, that i thought it best to ask
him for his resignation. Whenever
| a controversy between the state ant
an individual arose, nine out OF ter
times he would take the individuals
side. Likewise he would always favor
the large rancher over the small
lyfarmer. lie was always willing te
I@travel and commence to do things
but never finish them. For this reas.
! on the former attorney general and
myself had to so to Washington III
/! December. In the fall of 1913 he in
| SISTED IN SOiliS W q Y vi
in the. eastern part of the state II
order to straighten out some existing
I%surveys. He told me they had beer
sending lieldmen down there without
results. After considering the mat
ter | consented and he vent. He also
Ifook a surveyor along from some
eastern town. After two or three
weeks he returned aad told me al
kinds of promising stories, u TIC
date the survey is the same as it has
been.
con the Sth of March l sent him
to Gettysburg. a few hours ride from
Pierre. t. fix, in company with the
county auditor and the county sup
%erintendent the 1915 lease prices il
liPotter County. and to come back the
next day, instead he came on the
filth by way OF Redfield and Huron
On my return / found the expense
| voucher made out by him via Huron
therefore questioned him as to why
he did not return by the Gettysburg
! train. He answered hat this train
was not sure. Since that time | have
found that he went to. Redfield and
Huron to see some promlne"t mel
asking them to bring their pressure
upon me in order to keep him in OF
flee. 1t is these and similar cases
that cost him his job. There is nc
politics connected With his resiSna-
ton being asked for, it was simpl.
asked for in the interest of the state