davidaulloa/AmericanStories huggingface dataset:
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-03-29

CLOQUET, MIMI, March 2S.-
Especial to the Rip-Saw.)-W. T.
Kennedy, in charge Of the State For
est station located few miles from
Cloquet, and of which institution
the Weyerhaeusers have been the
principal private patrons in the past,
is said to have offered his services to
certain people of Cloquet for the pur-
pose of assisting them in fixing the
responsibility for the Cloquet fire.
AS E1r. Kennedy is an important part
Of our wonderful State Forest Serv-
ice, partly through whose neglect
most of the sixty thousand fire suf-
ferers lost their homes and property,
it readily can be seen how anxious
Cloquet people are to again be dou-
ble-crossed.
That the Rip-saw is read by old
and young alike is attested by the
experience of budding young edu-
catress of the White Pine city. This
young woman, Miss Helen McNair,
daughter of Col. C. I. McNair, and a
finished product of Smith College, is
doing her bit toward properly edu-
eating the children among what Is
left of Cloquet's former population.
One of the features of present-day
educational work is that of topical
reading of current events from news
papers and magazines. Several weeks
ago, Miss McNair called upon GER
tain class for topics of interest for
reading and general discussion
Whereupon young Paul Stolberg,
who had previously read the great
family journal, repeated almost YER
batim the story, Lumber Barons
Grab Graveyard Insurance" The
young, schoolma'am challenged the
truthfulness of the story and tried
hard to correct the impression that
Pauls recital had made on the other
youthful minds, but, undaunted and
undismayed by the reasoning powers
of the older mind, Paul proceeded
like skilled lawyer to prove the al
legations of the Rip-saw to the COM
plete satisfaction of his classmates.
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-03-29
OLDEST indian
TO VISIT EAST
Old John Smith Of Cass Lake
Plans Another Pleasure
Trip to Big Cities.

An associated press dispatch
states that OBSERVATION-DISCLOSURES,
known to his white brethren as plain
John Smith, and credited with being
anywhere from 120 to $50 years old,
therefore Minnesota's oldest resident,
will visit the eastern cities the COM
ing summer. .....-.
Ga-be-nah-gewn-wono, who is cred
tied with belonging to the Blackfeet
tribe Of aborigines, will be accompa-
ned by his adopted son, Thomas
Smith, of Walker. More than a
year ago the aged Indian visited Chi
cago and since that thine has ex-
pressed a desire to see other large
cities. Although he dislikes riding
on railroad trains he told Frank
Smith recently that he wanted to see
the cities in the east and the Great
Father. '%
Although married seven times Ga
be-na-gewn-wono has no children
living. His last wife died more than
20 years ago.
Thomas Smith is the only person
whom the aged. Indian will trust
while riding on railroad trains. Smith
said he has been unable to decide on
what date they will start their trip
east. :,'>
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-03-29
A FOOD HOG STORY.

A recent Rip-saw visitor tells how
couple of young men. quit one of
the. leading Food Hog firms and
went to St. Paul to enter the same
business. They had worked hard
and faithfully in Duluth but in
creases in salaries failed to come.
Seeing nothing very promising
ahead, they hiked for the Capital
City and went into business for
themselves. Thanks to a wide and
favorable acquaintance in Duluth
and the iron range towns they be-
gan to do very profitable business.
They shipped up carload lots and
then sold out the stuff from the
cars.
"AIl at once the mighty Food
Hog firm offered the young men
huge salaries to come back and 60
to work again. Their services and
abilities suddenly showed signs of
being appreciated by the Michigan
street monopolist. But the chaff
failed to catch the birds. They are
represented as still being in bust
ness in st. Paul and doing well.
81 know where there are a lot of
potatoes and I am going out there
to buy them today. I will make a
little mint of money off them"
. Thus spoke another of the most
aggressive and greedy of the Food
Hog fellows down on Michigan
street. The spuds were acquired
and left with the grower subject to
future call. He was paid in full.
No one came for the potatoes and
the seller finally asked the Food
Hog firms head when he was going
to get the Murphies?
"You have been paid for them,
have you not?" was the query.
eyes," was the response.
"Then you need not concern your
self further in the matter. We will
get them when we see fit."
No one ever did get, the potatoes.
They laid there until they spoiled.
The scheme was to acquire them
to keep others from getting them !;
to get monopoly Of the local potato
supply; and to keep up prices to
such point as to handle fewer
potatoes and nuke more money than
il all of those purchased were sold
and handled.
No pity, mercy or thought was
given the many people who are hard
hit by high prices of vegetables.
especially so universal a food as
potatoes. E~E= - .
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-03-29
FARRELL R0ARED
ABOUT SALARIES
Boy Engineer Promised to Cut
Pay Of Supt. Dave Reed
and Assessor Scott.
Commissioner Farrell can m;

Commissioner Farrell can make
an awful roar to the galleries, for
political effect, when he knows there
is no danger of having his bluff
called. When it comes to a show
down, the boy with the big bawl can
keep as quiet and sing as softly as
any pie-counter politician who ever
grabbed pastry from the people.
When Bert the Boy Engineer, was
wearing out. shoe leather to get the
fat job he has been holding for four
long, expensive years, he roared like
a lion over the payment of $4,000
year to D. A. Reed, as superintend-
ent of the water and light depart
ment, and similar salary to J. Al
Ign Scott. the city assessor.
when I am elected" bawled the
big boy from bluffville, I'll see to it
that those salaries are cut to proper
portions" the promise being made
with sweeping wave of that Far
rellian arm and an immense infla-
ton of his hot air bag.
Farrell was elected but, when it
came to the next fixing of the $4,000
a year salaries of Reed and Scott,
never a bawl came out of cunning
old Bert. He grinned and purred
like a Persian cat. If memory is
correct, the eminent Boy Engineer
even nominated Scott, if not Reed,
for another term. Anyway, the
place in the public records has not
been found where he either opposed
their continued employment at the
aforesaid salaries or voted against
them.
Until Farrell got into office, the
clerk Of the board Of public works
never received more than $50 a
month. For many, many years the
clerk never received more than $125
a month and he had a great deal
more real work to do than now. To-
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-03-29

The Rip-saw has been compli-
mented by Cloquet business men on
the accuracy Of its correspondents
stories on that town. Facts brought
out exclusively by the Rip-saw with
reference to the lumber companies
connection with the Ere and their at
tempts to get graveyard insurance
stand undisputed and the allegations
of inefficiency and incompetency of
the local Minnesota Forest Fires Re-
lief Commission remain uncontro-
verified. The sinister influence of the
Big Interests and the utter subserv-
iency of many Of their retainers re-
minds one very much of the relation
ship between the vassal and feudal
baron Of the middle ages.
. Since the fire, nearly all the law
yers who come back to re-establish
themselves have become representa-
tives Of some interest or other which
aims to buy up city lots whenever
they can be obtained for the proven
bal song. Other than this, there has
been nothing for the legal lights to
do, until recently, when they have
fallen in line with the ambulance
chasing species of their kind in Du-
luth. Now the lawyer hopes to fat
ten his purse by inveigling the poor
fire sufferer into signing contract
with him, wherein said lawyer is des-
ignated as his only legal representa-
tive in the prosecution Of his fire
damage claim.
That the people of Cloquet lack
confidence in these lawyers is evil
denced by. expressions heard on every
hand. A very frequent statement
heard about Cloquet is that when
you want a real lawyer you have to
go to Duluth or the Twin Cities"
There is also strong element Of
fear in the average Cloquet mans
mind that every lawyer in that city
is retained by some of the big Wey-
erhaeuser companies in some capac-
ity or other, and as it is highly prob
able that these interests may be
charged with being Jointly liable
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-03-29
HERR HAUPTMAN HEIDMAN
SQUIRMS UNDER CHARGES
Farrells Favorite Lets More Black Cats Out of the
Bag While Trying to Explain How City =.
Employees Hauled His Coal.

number Of calls made before kind of
coal desired was found and many
incidents that will satisfy Heidman
and Dulinski that they either have
forgotten, do not have the same time
in mind as the Rip-saw, or that they
are talking under duress.
One w. H. Healy presents an affi-
davit that he was conducting war
instructions at the city repair shop
in the spring of 1918 and that Herr
Heidman's old boat was not repaired
at city expense. Mr.. Healy's affi-
davit probably is correct, but the
time and case mentioned by the Rip
saw were weeks before Mr.. Healy
came to the shop.
Bruder Paul Heidman comes to
the support of Herr Frank Hcidman
with sort of family Happy David"
to support Lieber Bruder Franks
denial as to having his frozen water
main thawed out at city expense.
The Rip-saw will credit Lieber
Bruder Paul with thinking that he
thinks, but it has testimony that, un-
Will 81 JuOI q WV III StOi
than his.
AS stated, the Rip-saw made allie
cations about one set of facts while
Herr Hauptman Strasse Kommis-
sionair Franciscus Heidman has been
making denials, allegations and
Happy Davids" about entirely diff
ferent men, time and acts.
The Rip-saw firmly believes that
it's allegations were substantially
true and correct. It will, therefore,
stand pat on them.
If Herr Frank Heidman, commits
sioner Farrell or even kindly city
attorney Samuelson are not satisfied
with that, let them bring action for
libel so that court of justice can
say who is wrong and who is right.
But, if all or any of these suckers of
the public teat do start suit, let taem
go through with it and not merely
begin just before election and quit
Immediately after that momentous
event.
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-03-29
TAMP|NC MACHINE
PROVED failure
Commissioner Farrell Bought
Futi|ity without Testing
Or Right to Test.

As the great family journal has
previously intimated, commissioner
Bert Farrell is firm Deliver in the
pie-counter principle of the munich
pal ownership of Public Futilties.
, The demise of the Municipal Fox
was heavy blow to that propaganda.
Bert's great success with a tamping
machine, however, almost made up
for the loss Of the Fox.
Until Bert, the Boy Engineer, with
his blow, bombast and buncombe,
came into the much abused old city
hall, street tamping was done by
hand labor, slowly and laboriously.
When Bert, the Boy Engineer got
onto the burning deck, so to speak.
he began to bawl around how he
was going to show contractors, civil
/ engineers and men of affairs, who
had, in the years gone by, served on
the board of public works, really and
truly how to do things.
Without any testing and without
:; buying it subject to test, the depart
ment of public works purchased an
incompatible tamping machine that
was expected to save the tough old
; Turks from having to do such hard
and plebian work.
That tamping machine was sup
posed to go to work by use of its
own power and wheels. When it
was decided to make the first trial
on that red clay out Lakeside way,
the machine walked to work with
out objection but, when the start
home was made, 1t baked and ut
terly refused to move.
A team was required to haul the
dear old tamping machine back to
it's stall In the old firehall or some
other restful place.
Later, the tamping machine was
tried out on some patching on Mich
igan street, but it was a dire fail
ure. The futile bit of machinery was
dragged back to old fire hall No. 1,
where it rests in peace down in the
basement.
OF course that worthless, imprac-
teal tamping machine cost only $3.50
and it was another feather in the
cap of the Boy Engineer who believes
/ in the municipal ownership of Public
Futilities. When it comes to backing
up principle, even a worthless. ex
pensive one, to what does $3.50 of the
; taxpayers money amount?
The Big Interests can get enough
special privileges in return for waste
fulness in buying utilities. It's the
old story-"God help the rich; the
poor can beg"
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-03-29

a yard, $444. Sand then was worth
about 80 cents a yard in the Duluth
market, or $1.10. less than commits.
sioner Farrell let it cost the helpless
city. ..
Twelve and sone-half (12h) bar
rels of cement, at $2.42 a barrel,
$30.25. The market price was about
$1.56 a barrel, :orS88* cents less a
barrel sthan:.was allowed the foreign
contracting firm. -.
Six hundred and forty-two boxes
of mixing, at 80 cents box, $577.80.
A fair. price would have been 80
cents, or CO. cents less than the cost
to the citys 2 rl1ce: q 9se!ap:
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-03-29

day, there not only is a manager of
the general office of the department
of public works at SITS year, but
there's secretary to the commits
sioner at the enormous salary of
1898 month. He was started
at $3.50 month. Another shake
of the plum tree made the salary
SITS. Now, because work is light
in the department and the secretary
is wearied by having to fold his
hands some of the time, his salary
has been boosted to $183.33. If
anyone IS warranted in dragging out
the salary that the present secretary
gets twice month, it might as well
be good old "Uncle Ned"
For time, a stenographer was
getting 1925 a month, higher sal
airy, probably, than is paid any stem
ographer in the entire city hall. To-
day, that salary is $3.50 but a class
ification of "book-keeper" is given
instead that of stenographer.
Commissioner Farrell found the
platform ECONOMY a good one to
get into office on but very unsat-
isfactory one to stand on.
The idea Of economy" on the part
of this cheerful shaker of the politi-
cal plum tree is nearly as funny as
his vagary to the effect that the city
rock crusher is run at minimum cost
and at a genuine profit to the people.
Heavily feeding on political pie
certainly does cause some boys to
say and do funny things.
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-03-29

To the foregoing liberal prices
were added $105.84 for freight and
$500 for loading sand.
Many times have many taxpayers
asked the question, "Why did com
missioner Farrell insist on awarding
the contract to the General Con-
tracing Company" The ordinance
allowing those outrageously high
prices also stated that the city had
no equipment. The question arises
as to what had become Of 1t, for
there certainly was equipment when
commissioner Farrell took charge of
the department. "
There always has been more or
less mystery about this deal between
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-03-29

AS election draws nigh, the num-
Der of employees and the size of the
payrolls in the department of public
works mount steadily upwards.
The previous issue Of the great
family journal printed a list of en-
ployes, with their salaries, working
In the department of public" works
under commissioner Farrell. II
showed that the payroll for the two
last weeks in February, the last half
of the month, amounted to IS, $4,000.
or a. total of about $10,658.04 fol
the entire month.
That same article stated that the
increase in, the department for the
first half of the month of March was
$3,04S.S5.
The total Of the payrolls for that
half month was $8,377.87, which
would be equivalent to $16,048.S5,
for the entire month, which
is some payroll for the season
of the year and the character of the
weather this year.
Incidentally the expenses in the
general office for the half month
were $1,017.50 or about $2,O35.00
q month, which is about double the
salary list of that office during some
of the busiest seasons ever known In
the department Of public works.
You must not forget, dear old
reader, to figure in commissioner
Farrell's own salary of $333.33 a
month, or $4,000 year, something
very handsome, compared with his
modest wage when q stake-driver
rodman or even transitman before
he so effectively shook the city halls
political plum tree. ,. .
So that he who runs may also read,
the great family journal prints in de-
tail the handsome salary list for the
first half Of the month Of March.
Election will be over before the fig
ures are available for the last half of
March. If there are any idle voters
in the city, this will be the most fav-
orable time of all the busy year for
them to get onto the payrolls in the
department of public works.
During the first half of March,
Louis Christensen, foreman, by some
mischance, got in only 10k hours,
worth only $5.25. Three laborers
and two teams served the city dur
ing that time in his district.
William McComber, foreman
worked Sc hours at so cents an
hour, aggregating $4S. Under him,
ten laborers put in their time as
best they could. ~
Gust Johnson, foreman, got in 40
hours, at so cents an hour, aggregat-
ing $40 He also managed to squeeze
in 100 hours at so cents an hour, ag-
gregating $50, or total of $72 for
two weeks. That would mean $144
for an entire mouth, at the same rate,
a full gross of dollars, by the way:
TO earn that modest wage, Gust.
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-03-29

the city and the General Contracting
Company, alias commissioners Far
rell and smooth Mr.. Leahy from Min
neapolis. ..
To date, man hath not known, eye
hath not seen and ear hath not
heard, but time may reveal the hid
den wheels. .
incidentally, this incident certain
ly bears out the contention of some
Of the Big Interests that Farrell
has done things" In this case, he
seems to have dome" something to
the public treasury that, in men not
disable by the Fat Boys, is sternly
condemned.
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-03-29
HELPLESS CITY
Was HIT HARD
Farrell Allowed Bill For Repair
. Work in Favor Of Mime.
apoIis Firm.

It will be recalled that when bids
were first received for the paving of
Superior street in 1915, all tenders
were rejected upon the grounds that
the lowest bidder could not secure
the particular brand of asphalt that
commissioner Farrell wished to use,
after which the contract was read
vertised and new bids received.
It may not be generally known
that the specifications upon which
the second bids were received were
prepared by the General Contracting
Company of Minneapolis, with the
assistance of Mr.. Davis, sales agent
for the notorious Barber Asphalt
Company, and that they were pre-
sented to the city engineers office
in typewriter form, ready to use.
Under such conditions, it would
be natural that the contract should
be awarded to the authors of the
specifications. 1t might be Incl
dentally noted that the new specifi-
cations called for but one inch of
binder, while the old specifications
called for one and a half inches.
Limestone dust was substituted for
portland cement and all restrictions
were removed as to the quantity Of
oil as well as the character of the oil.
There was nothing lin fact, to pre-
vent the use gilmore oil than asphalt
in the mixture - s1s..s. az q
One Of the most interesting fea-
lures connected with this contract
appeared in an ordinance passed by
the council Nov. 20, 1916, introduced
by commissioner Farrell. That or
dinance allowed q. claim Of the Gen.
eral Contracting Company for labor
and materials for repairs on various
pavements throughout the city.
That ;notmto,lss hill, amounting to
$1,522.29 can better be understood
when reduced to unit prices, viz:
Twelve ,(12) tons of asphalt, at
SIS a tonE 5000. The market price
at this 4Re .yas about $40, or IS
less than commissioner Farrell al
lowed the firm so smoothly repre-
sented by his friend, Mr.. Leahy.
Fourteen l14) cubic yards of rock,
at s2.16perfyard, $3.50, the mar
ket price being about $1.25 yard,
or IS cents less than the price al
lowed the Minneapolis firm Of con-
tractors.
Two hundred and twenty-five
(222) cubic yards Of sand, at $500
Y (
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-03-29

with the railroads in having been
responsible for the fires, one can
readily understand these fears.
A few weeks ago the Rip-saw had
something to say of Cloquet's famous
fire chief who went to Carlton on the
twelfth Of last October to get away
from the fire. His motto evidently
was safety first" This highly VAL
liable fire chief did save the fire ap-
paratus, one of the few things that
were left after the last embers had
died. With fire apparatus you must
have crew, and Chief Mahan has
crew, even though there is no
great fire risk. But thH crew. Of
two men has a very novel way Of
Willing away time by cleaning old
bricks for a contractor at $500 per
thousand. It Is also alleged that this
crew is of the imported variety and
that no local man can get employ
ment on the Cloquet fire department.
A. G.. Wiley is very assiduously
engaged in running down the man
higher up" in connection with fire
matters, as he expresses it. He al
leges that this man is none other
than Senator Vibert; that the sena-
tors brother Percy let this fact leak
out, and that the Carlton county
solon, like many others of his kind,
is practicing double-barrelled office
holding. What state office the sem
ator holds other than the senator
ship, your correspondent has been
unable to learn.
Some weeks ago the Rip-saw told
of a considerable flock of Red Cross
Florence Nightingale brides that
had been complacently roosting in
comfortable quarters in Cloquet since
shortly after the fire. Local observ-
ers now report that, since the search
light of publicity has been thrown
on the strange flutterings of these
pathological specimens, the Clo-
quet air has gradually become too
chilly for them, hence they steadily
have been taking flight to kindlier.
climes.
The Duluth rip-saw. [volume] (Duluth, Minn.) 1917-19??, 1919-03-29
PICKS WOOD, NEXT PRESIDENT.

In predicting who would be the next
President Of the United States I have
guessed correctly in every instance
since Cleveland was elected in 1892.
Names are again being suggested and
both parties are throwing the hats
of their favorites in the ring. but again
I am willing to, make q guess. I feel
sure the rneN PRESIDENT Of the United
States will be Leonard Wood.
General Wood has no political blum
ders, charged against his record; he
has obeyed orders, as a soldier should,
and he knows. how, to comamnd, as a
general should, He has filled the bill
to the satisfaction Of patriots and the
reward is now due.