The Bemidji daily pioneer. [volume] (Bemidji, Minn.) 1904-1971, 1919-03-19
bitches HAVE
MEANT Much TO
SETTLERS HERE,
GEORGE TELLS
Former County Auditor Gives
Interesting Review of Drain
age Conditions.
MILLION ACRES FEDERAL
.. LANDS ON TAX ROLLS
Twenty-Eight New Townships
Established in Ditch Dist
rict-Rapid Settlement.

An interesting review Of drainage
conditions in Beltrami county Is
given by James L. George, former
county auditor, in a letter written
Ito tog4Representative Theodore Chris
tianson, chairman Of the house ap-
propriations committee, and In reply
to an editorial in the legislators
paper, the Dawson Seninel, In which
he points out the necessity of new
drainage system for the state.
The letter of Mr.. George brings
out information that every citizen
of Beltrami county should know. 1t
follows:
While agree with you fully as
to the necessity of different system
of drainage, I want to make an en-
phatic objection as to your includ-
ing Beltrami county as bankrupt
county, because of drainage, or for
any other reason.
This county has been constructing
bitches for ten years. In that time
nearly $3,0O0,000 of bonds have been
sold, and the money in full has been
placed in the county treasury. UP
to the present time not a default has
been made in the payment Of princi-
pal and interest on these bonds, and
there is now in the sinking funds Of
the county nearly or quite 100000
for the further payment of principal
and interest.
= Ten years ago a great majority Of
the northern part Of this county was
open swamp and bog. What high
lands there were, were practically
Inaccessible because of the water
surrounding them. Settlers at that
time, (and they were but few,) were
compelled to pack their supplies on
their backs to their homes, and there
was absolutely no chance for them
to take any Of their products to a
market. They were simply hanging
on in hopes Of getting the benefit OF
drainage at some time in the future.
Saved by Volstead Act. 'o..'Ht
There was no way of giving them
this drainage until the passage OF
the Volstead Act in 1908. which
gave counties the right to drain gov
ernment lands, and charge the cost
to said lands, being repaid by the
sale of the government lands for the
delinquent interest, to those with
homestead rights.
While this law was a benefit in a
way 1t was a mistake in that the
work should have been done entirely
by the government, and not turned
over to the counties to be done In a
way without any system whatever,
and under which many mistakes
have been made, and much money
badly expended.
Even with all the disadvantages.
over a million of acres has been pur-
chased, and patents issued, and the
lands are now on the tax lists OF the
county. helping to pay the drainage
charges, as we'll as other expenses
of the county.
The bitches have contributed hun
dreds of miles of road to the county
system, some good, some poor and
some Just foundations for later COM
pletion, but all of some benefit.
Beltrami county had the advant-
age Of other counties in the fact that
nearly 100 per cent Of the unoc-
cupied lands, were government lands
and subject to sale under the Vol
stead Act, while other counties had
mostly state lands. which could not
be sold by the county, and on which
no provision was made by the state
for paying the assessments. How
these counties will provide for the
payment of their bonds and interest
without the aid Of the state. is
problem.
Excess Goes to County.
The original act provided that any
excess above the delinquent interest
for which the land was sold, should
be paid to the government before
patent should be issued. This was
palpably unfair, as the governmen,
had set a price on the land Of $l.25
per acre, and did not invest one cent
towards the drainage cost. But un'
der this provision Beltrami county
paid over to the government some
fifty or sixty thousand dollars O.
bonus received, until an amendmen
to the law was obtained by th'
writer and Mr. A. A. Andrews II
1915. by which amendment. all eX
cess above the amount Of delinquent
interest was retained by the county
and placed in a maintenance fund o
the ditch on which the land was 10
Gated. At the same time we en-
deavored to obtain a refund from thu
government of all bonus which hat
been paid them prior to that time
But the members Of congress assure
us that We were looking for to
much, that we were lucky to ge
what we did.
During the past eight years
twenty-eight new townships OF tn
drainage districts have been estae