The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-09-06

peallng for aid was anything but gen.
tlemanly, but on the contrary was in
sulting and wholly uncalled for, there
fore be it
"Resolved, by the Northern Mime
sofa Fire Sufferers association, duly
assembled at their first annual meet
ing at the council chamber, in the city
of Duluth, Mimi, this twenty.fifth
day of August, A. d. 1919, that We
condemn the action of the commission
in the appointment of the said Col. II.
Y. Eva on the ground that they well
knew, or should have known, the linn
tied ability of the said Fl. V. Eva to
justly and humanely deal with the fire
sufferers of the stricken area, and that
they well knew his personal charac-
teristics which made him wholly unfit
to occupy position of authority or a
position which granted him the oppor-
tunity of giving succor to homeless
people and people in extremely desti-
tute circumstances.
The Washburn Resolution.
Concerning the Washburn commit
tees report, the meeting passed reso-
lutions as follows, viz:
"Whereas, the governor Of the state
of Minnesota deemed it necessary and
important that he name a commission
for the purpose of investigating the
cause and effect of the forest fires Of
Northern Minnesota which occurred on
and prior to Oct. II, 1918, and
"Whereas, the governor of the state
of Minnesota did appoint commission,
commonly called the Washburn COM
mission, whose personnel, together
with others, consisted Of one j. L..
Washburn, who occupied the position
of chairman of the commission, and
"Whereas, the above referred to
proceeded with it's duties
by calling individuals to give informa-
ton, and after weeks of examination
Of individuals as to cause and effect,
they rendered a report to the governor
or the state of Minnesota, and
"Whreas, the publication Of that
report conclusively shows that the
commission only brought'sto light in
among the fire sufferers, in that they
did not place responsibility upon the
persons or parties, however great their
number, for the causes Of the forest
fires, or ascertain facts sufficient to
Justify the state or any individual
placing the responsibility for the fires,
and,
"Whereas, the purpose of the COM
mission was wholly defeated by reason
Of the incompetency and inability Of
it's personnel to collect the required
facts to place the responsibility for
the fires,
"Therefore, be it resolved by the
Northern Minnesota Fire Sufferers as
ISOLATION, duly assembled at their first
annual meeting at the council cham
bers, Duluth, Mimi, that we condemn
the inefficiency of the commission and
the lax manner in which they sought
to gather facts for placing responsi.
bility Of the forest fires, in view Of
the fact that many individual men,
bers of this organization had knowl-
edge Of many Of he locations in which
many of the fires originated, which
knowledge tends to prove conclusively
that the various railroads Of the
Northwest were partially, if not who'll
~, responsible for the fires in many
localities, and the report Of the COM
mission serves only to cloud rather than
to clarity the issue and fix the respon-:
sibility."
Resolution on Cox.
Despite the fact that state forester
Cox is q graduate Of the forestry de-
partment of the state of Minnesota
and that, as far back as 1900, he was
student assistant in the United States
forest service, he has not made hit
with many of the settlers in Mime
sofa. Those who were burned out in
the October forest firest of last year,
at the city hall meeting, Monday night,
August IS, expressed themselves as
follows in resolution, viz:
"Whereas, William T. Cox, state
forester Of the state of Minnesota, has
made an annual report for the year
ending July 81, 1918, with. a summary
report dated Nov. l, 1918, attached
and made a part thereof, and
"Whereas, in said report State For
ester William I. Cox only sought to
generalize and make broad statements
when it was his official duty to fix
the responsibility for and cause Of
said fires upon the guilty persons or
parties, and
"Whereas, the state forestry depart
ment conducted itself in a libelous
manner by not exercising the forest
fires of Oct. IL, 1918, inasmuch as it
did not arrest violators Of the law
or persons refusing to aid in fire pre-
vention work, and
"Whereas, this organization, COM
posed of fire sufferers, have all been
deprived Of their rightful belongings
through the inefficiency Of the for
estry department Of this great state
Of Minnesota, therefore, be it
"Resolved, by the Northern Mime
sofa Fire Sufferers association, duly
assembled at their first annual meet
ing at the council chambers, Duluth,
Me kls. AsAll a~0 ~