The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-05-10


were in revolt and Gov. Burnquist
was fearful of defeat in his cam
paign for reelection, he played every
card possible and overlooked no pos
sibility for votes. When the Octo-
Der forest fires played havoc in por-
tions of six counties in northern
Minnesota and made over $4,000
men, women and children homeless
and penniless, Gov. Burnquist seized
that opportunity to play politics and
appeal for votes.
The ruins still were smoking when
Gov. Burnquist visited Moose Lake,
Duluth and other localities affected
by the fires. He not only pow-wowed
with the political medicine men but
he also sent runners to all neigh
borhoods in the burned areas.
ct come directly from the gov
ernor," a special messenger would
say. "You must stick to your farm.
Your cattle must not be sold. They
belong to the state and the state will
feed them for you. So far as you,
yourself, are concerned, you will be
put right back where and as you
were the day before the fire."
Settlers Trusted Burnquist.
The settlers took those special
messages for granted. They did not
even resent it when Gov. Burnquist
backed down in his original deter
mination to call special session of
the legislature.
eve will stick" declared the
sturdy settlers, "for the governor of
the great state of Minnesota prom
Uses to stand by u.s.
Temporary relief was started by
the state safety commission and the
fire sufferers looked on that as an
earnest of the governors bargain.
They not only starved along in pa
thence but they voted for Gov. Burn
quist on election day.
Gov. Burnquist soon forgot all
about the fire victims in Minnesota.
He not only had promised them more
than he wished to try to deliver but,
after getting their votes. he had no
further use for them. He gave the
sufferers and the situation scanty
and perfunctory mention in his an
nual message, as a reference to that
paper will prove. Then the vice.
presidential bee got into his bonnet,
fully crowding out all sense of obli-
CATION to the victims of the terrible
October forest fires.
Temporary Relief Work.
The state safety commission and
the Minnesota Forest Fires Relief
Commission spent available money
and went heavily into the hole. The
muddling old legislature appropri-
ated $1,850,000 to pay up the over
draft and carry on temporary relief
through the winter, but that was all.
Nothing practical, substantial or
definite was done towards rehabilita-
ton, substantial restoration, OF the
$4,000 unfortunate men, women and
children who were made penniless
and homeless by an Act of God, said
Act being greatly accentuated in its
destructiveness by neglect of the
state forester in his duty and the
violation of the state forestry laws
by the lumber barons.
So far as Gov. Burnquist and the
est fire victims of northern Mime
sofa need expect nothing further in
the matter of rehabilitation or res
toration.
Eva's Job Will Last.
There may be a trifle more re-
ceived in the way of relief but
mighty little. After Little Eva and
his humble helpers get their seed
grains and grass seeds distributed,
the future will bring nothing to the
forest fire sufferers from the state
of Minnesota or the supplies donated
by the many sympathetic people of
the state.
Little Eva's job at $500 or more
a month may last several years but
no real gain or profit will accrue to
the hinterland. It's an ill wind that
blows nobody good. The October
forest fires destroyed property esti-
mated all the way from $25, 100000
to $50,000,000 by experts and rend-
cred $4,000 men, women and child
rem homeless but, from that terrible
dictator, Little Eva, the Boy Scout
soldier, boosted out of the service
because he could not learn to prop
erly cock a cannon, secured job
that, presumably, does not pay him
much less than $4,000 year. Some
claim that it pays even more.
Congressman Carss Gets Busy.
Now comes congressman William
l.. Carss with determination to call
on congress for not less than $4,000
600 for the purpose ef restoring the
hinterland fire sufferers to a fair
measure Of their wealth and pros
perity preceding the fires.
Some months ago, the Rip-saw
printed facts and figures concerning
the effects and losses in the forest
fires. Area burned, number of suf-
ferers and value of losses were
pointed out. 1t was shown that the
more consecutive experts fixed the