Bemidji Daily Pioneer Newspaper, March 8, 1913, Page 1

VOLUME 10. NUMBER 265. PROPOSES CHANGE IN VOLSTED ACT BOMBADIER WELLS. English ~ Champion ~ Fighter Comes to Meet Luther MoCarty. J. J. Opsahl Outlines Plan By Which Swamp Lands May Get on Tax List. COUNTY FACING BIG PROBLEM Ditch Assessments Are Not Being Paid And Will Fall Back On Settlers Here Now. DRAINAGE PROJECTS IMPORTANT Water Must Be Carried Away Before Crops Can Be Raised—Non- Residence Clause. J. J. Opsahl. of this city, has draft- ed an amendment to the Volsted act which he believes will hasten the op- ening up of the hundreds of acres of wild land in Beltrami county. Mr. Opsahl recently appeared before the board of county commissioners and pointed out that under the present act, patents to swamp lands cannot be obtajned because the land is unfit for residences. He proposes, therefore, to amend the Volsted act so that it will permit the issuing of patents on swamp lands after ten percent of the land has been improved by plowing and providing that the homesteaders need not actu- ally .reside on the land in question. It also provides that where the land is too wet to be plowed, it shall be sowed to timothy and red top. The point of main interest to Bel- trami county is that these lands, of which there are nearly 1,000,000 acres unclaimed, are not on the tax lists and the costs of ditch and road -improveinénts must be borne by the present settlers of about one-third of the county. He proposes that as soon as a piece of swamp land is filed upon, the land is at once put on the tax list and title will not be issued until the land office is notified that all taxes standing against the land have been paid. The land in this county which is being drained is assessed pro rata according to the benefits received by the drainage. These assessments are charged against the land and as soon as it is filed upon, the assessments become a lien by the county. The point is, however, that hundreds of acres are so wet before they are drain- ed that they are unfit for residence purposes. Consequently they are not settled upon. Mr. Opsahl’s remedy is to allow per- sons with homestead rights to file on this land without having to live upon it and at once put the land on the tax lists so that it will have to bear its share of the county and state ex- pense. People will take up the land if they do not have to live upon it for they will be able to cultivate a part of it anyway. The lands in question have been open to entry for twenty years, have not been touched and may not be for another twenty unless some amendment is made to the Volstead act. Beltrami county is facing a seri- ous problem. Vast sums of money are being spent on drainage projects. These sums are raised by bonding the county and the county raises funds to meet these bonds by levying against the land benefitted.. Thous- ands of these acres belong to the go- vernment whieh does mot pay and the assessments go on the delinquent tax list. All of this money must be raised from the county at large the next year in order that the bonds will be taken when when due. They county cannot get the assess- ments on government land until it is taken up. As this takes from three to five years, it means taht the people already here and the lands already on the tax list must bear the cost of these drainage schemes for that per- iod of time. Mr. Opsahl's remedy ‘would put hundreds of these acres on the tax list at once and so.save the people that extra taxation. At some time the county will be re- paid all of the money that is being spent now for ditches and the ac- companying roads. But in the mean- time the money must be raised by tax- ation, which is even now high, unless some remedy is found at once. When the money starts coming in from these lands five or six years hence, it will mean lower taxes, but in the mean time the money of the settler already here is gome. The Opsahl mend- ment followa: An Act, To reclaim certain swamp lands on Photo by American Press Assoclation. the ceded Red Lake reservation in the state of Minnesota. Be it enacted by the senate and house of representatives of America in congress assembled: Section 1. When it appears by the field notes and maps of the govern- ment survey that certain lands on the ceded Red Lake reservation contain sixty percent or more of wet or swamp lands and are therefore unfit for resi- dence purposes until reclaimed by drainage, parties having their full homestead rights are hereby permitt- ed to file, under the usual homestead rules, swamp entries for 160 acres or less as follows: Section 2. When swamp land en- tries are filed, the residence require- ment will be waived and patent is- sued on the following improvement conditions: A. Swamp land selections ghall be subject for local and state taxation from the date the entry is filed in the same manner as a state land selection by purchase from the state is liable to taxation. B. The entryman must within three years drain the land and place not less than ten per cent of it under actual cultivation, the same to be cleared of timber so it can be culti- vated. If the land is too wet to be plowed, this acreage must be ceded to timoth and redtop and maintained in good condition. Before patent is issued, proper proof of drainage and improvement as well as proof that local and drainage as- sessments have been paid must be fur- nished to the United States land office from which the patent is to be issued. DEATH OF MRS. MARGARET VYE Mrs. Margaret Vye, an old and re- spected resident of Fair Haven, who came here with her husband in 1866, died at the home of her daughter, Mrs. M. C. Bartlett at three o’clock Tuesday afternoon, March 4. Mrs. Vye is survived by four children, Mrs. M. C. Bartlett, of Fair Haven, Mrs. L. S. Freese, 0. Oklahoma City, Okla., W. H. Vye, with the Rumley Products company of Minneapolis, and J. A. Vye, on the editorial staff of the St. Paul Dispatch. : Mrs. Vye was nearly eighty-six years old when she died and had been failing for a long time. The funeral was held from the daughter’s resi- dence in. Fair Haven Thursday The following communication has been received by the Pioneer from the N.M.D. A - *° “Northern Minnesota Development ‘association and to whom it may concern: “In response to your demand for-a hearing on the subject of the state lands and land laws and their admin- istration as affecting the public wel- fare, you are hereby invited to appear beéfore this committee on Wednesday, March 9, at 7:30 p. m. at room 203 in the state capitol, to give testimony on the following subjects: 1. .“Condition of settlers in or sur- rounded by state lands. 2. “Effect of present laws and ad- ministration on state developmenL and the public-interests. 3. “Ways and means of improving present conditions, laws and admin-| istration.” CHRIST AUNE DEAD Found in Room in Auditorium Hotel in 8t. Paul by Holder Slind, His Step Brother. By United Press. ] St. Paul, March 8.—Christ Aine, aged forty, employed by the Crook- ston Lumber company in Bemidji, was found dead in the Auditorium hotel this morning. Epilepsy, resulting in heart failure, was given as the cause of his death. He had gone to bed with Holder Slind, ‘his step-brother, and body was found on the floor near the bed. Slind claimed that he did not hear any noise ‘during the night. Aune had been dead for some time when the discov- ery was made. The name of Christ Aune-does not appear in the Bemidji directory and he is not known in the general of- fices of the Crookston company..— SAYERS GUILTY Alex Sayers, mixed blood Indian, ‘was found guilty of forgery last night after the jury had been out twenty minutes. His defense was drunkenness but the evidence in- troduced by- the state showed that he had passed a second forged check the day before he passed the one on which he was indicted. Sayers will probably be sentenced this afternoon and may be sent eith- er to St. Cloud or Stillwater as he is twenty-seven years cld. The penalty is an indeterminate sentence of not over ten years. The trial of August Johnson, ac- cused .of the murder of Sam Marin will start Monday at 9 a. m. CLARK ON TRIAL William Clark, accused of taking money from a sleeping man, is on trial in district court today. Clark was arrested in Minneapolis. The Jury was drawn this morning. GO TO GRAND RAPIDS The Bemidji High school basket Rapids where it will clash with the High school quint of that eity to- night. The Grand Rapids team has ‘been preparing for the Bemidji boys for some time and one of the hardest fought games of this season is ex- morning, the officiating clergyman being the Rev. A. ' W. Farnhan, a nep- hew of Bishop Whipple, of St. Paul. She was buried on the family lot in the Fair Haven cemetery. The chil- dren were all present at the funeral excepting Mrs. Freese.—Fair Haven Leader. SCOOP THE CUB REPORTER pected to be played. The locals have been practicing hard since their de- feat at Fosston and will go to Grand Rapids determined to partly make up for the Fosston defeat. The line up will be practically the same as in former games with Klein and Thome as substitutes. - Many of the High school. students will accompany the team. Scoop Was Gomg To Blow Em Up ball team left this noon for Grand |. You I RE ILUZA'IT‘H@N THE (VEXT TIME —1 DEATH PENALTY BILLTURNED DOWN House Refused Yesterday to Change Present Law But May Take a Second Vote. NORMAL SCHOOL BILL PASSED sion of Five to Locate Sixth Site Goes Through Easily. FooL ME FIX You TROUBLE Ambassador to Mexioo Charged With Being Responsible for Huerta Coup d’Etat. INFLUENCE AGAINST ‘MADERO = Washinston,»:,_erch s.——!;:forma- tion which hau filtered into Wash- ingtan from munerous sources in ‘Mexico. lays on -tha state: department and Ambassador Henry Lane Wilson responsibility for the overthrow cf the Madero government. From thc Mexican capital these charges are made: That Ambassador Wilson threw the whole influence of the American government into the balance against Madero. That he gave encouragement and direct aid to traitorous Mexican gen- erals, so openly as to constitute the most pernicious. form of diplomatic meddling, < That he either possessed advance information of the plot of Huerta and Blanquet to turn traitors to Ma- dero or displayed amazing prescience in his official dispatches predicting Madero’s downfall the night before it occurred. That news of the success of .the blow was conveyed by the ambassa- dor’s messenger to Felix Diaz with the suggestion that Huerta and Diaz should come to terms. That Diag, distrustful of Huerta, insisted upon an American escort and protection of the American flag on his trip to confer with Huerta in the embassy. COURT NOTES. Court Reporter Lee La Baw is at work again after having been con- fined to his room with the mumps. J. U. Williams, petit juror from Baudeite, was excused today by Judge Stanton and left for Baudetté this afternoon. 2 DARLING HAS RECORD $t. Paul Potice Say Man Olson Killed Once Before Was Familiar With a Married Woman, PRISONER ASKED ABOUT WIFE St. Paul, March 8.—In spite of the fact that tne alleged unfaithfulp ot his wife placed Prof, Oscar N. 3’. son of the state agricultural college in"a murderer’s cell for shooting death Clyde Darling, a laundry driv- er Wednesday ‘night,~ Olson’s first question when his brother called on him Friday was: ~ “How is my wife?” Friday’s important development in the affair which has shocked-the en- tire state and wrecked tue lives of the members of two families, is the discovery that Darling, the victim of Olson’s wrath, once before was, charged with familiarity with a married woman. According to the records of the Bertillon bureau of the St. Paul police department, Darling left St. Paul with a married woman seven years ago when the¢ police were searching for him on a-charge of embezzlement. H Heére is the record which appears on the back of a Bertillon picture in the police gallery: “Name, Clyde Darling; age, 32; occupation, bookkeeper; criminal oc- cupation, embezzler; height, 5 feet 4 inches; weight, 140. Wanted in St. Paul for embezzlement. Left -city with a married woman, a Syrian.” This record will figure in the “un- written law” defense which in all probability will be used in the case. Steps already have been taken to procure a large array of legal talent to defend Olson. Stan Donnelly was in conference with the prisoner Fri- day. County Attorney C. A. Fosness of Montevidio and his son, Walter Fosness of the law firm of Todd & Kerr, St. Paul, conferred with him Friday morning. SAYS HE LOST NO MONEY ‘The: proprietor of the City hotel stated last night that John Cutrell, who claimed that he had been robbed of $30, could not tell if he had $30 when he came to the hotel as he was drunk. Cutrell was questioned by Mayor McCuaig and thé police but could not satisfy them that he had fSctually lost any money in the hotel. His duffle bag was found in the rear of the hotel where he had lost it FIRE IN HOT SPRINGS Blage Friday Took Three Lives and Caused Property Loss of About $500,000 ARLINGTON HOTEL IN DANGER By United Proess.. Hot Springs, Ark, March 8.— ’mn'ea mwly more. perspns are h_ellev toibodead. in a fire which destroyed five business houses along Central avenue, the city’s principal business street Friday afternoon. The property loss, it is believed will be nearly $500,000. Although firemen confined the blaze to a small district they had a hard battle to prevent further losses by other blazes caused store the fire originated, when ‘he left tae building, by flying eparks. i The fire started jn tne orlental store of Mattar brothers, when a gas explosion set fire to one of the five buildings. Before firemen were on the job the blaze had spread rapidly and all the fire fighting apparatus in the city was called out. Miss Leona Willoughby, a book- keeper in-the store where the fire started, was carried out of the build- ing badly injured. A girl friend who was visiting her was also badly injured. ‘The fire threatened the valuable government buildings across the street from the blazing structures. The blaze did not cross the street, however, but the buildings were va- cated by panic stricken employes. Guests of the famous Arlington hotel also vacated, but the building was not reached by the flames. Other injured persons were: Tom Cain, overcome by heat and 8smoke. *' Miss Maud Diffie, badly injured by fiying glass. i 8. N, Arnett, Middletown, O., pass- ing’ along the street at the time, in- jured by glass from’ bursting store front which was.blown clear across Central avenue, The Kentucky and Ohio palatial club houseg were threatened by the flames.” The government fire depart- ment assisted the city firemen. ~ Mattar brothers, in whose oriental estimated their loss at $125,00 DISTANCE TARIFF UP MARCH 18 Has Been Made Special Order of Bus- iness—8t. Paul Polioe Baid Merchants’ Hotel. St. Paul, Minn., March 8.—After a two ‘hour debate, the house yesterday afternoon killed Representative Pless’ bill'which proposed to revive capital punishment for murder in the first de- ] gree, but friends of the bill are al- ready making preparations to revive the measure by a motion to reconsid- er made by Rep. W. A. Campbell, of E Minneapolis. . | The bill got the big end of a 57 to 49 vote, but owing to the absence of thirteen members of the house, it was impossible to muster enough votes to pass it. After considerable time had been consumed in trying to find the absentees Who. were not excused by the speaker before the call of the house, ‘Representative Campbell changed his vote from yes to no and made the motion which will be taken up some time within the next three legislative days. = Senator C. S. Marden’s bill pro- hibiting the use of “public drinking cups in the state, Representatiye Ly- diard’s bill’ gresumhig ~“ons day- of rest in seven for nen-ly all employes and the committee bill authorizing the appointment of a commission to select a location for an additional state normal school were other meas- ures which passed the house. The senate was busy all afternoon on general orders, and advanced about three dozen bills to the aalen- dar. After much bickering on the part of proponents and opponents of the Cashman distance tariff bill the house decided to make that measure & spec- ial order of business for Tuesday, 5 March 18. Although it seems to be the general opinion that the bill will pass, the fact that H .H. Dunn, Albert Lea, is leading the fight for it is ex- pected to hurt its chances somewhat, as Representative Dunn has become very unpopular since his fight on re- apportionment. This fact has become apparent several times since that fight. It was apparent yesterday when the house killed his so-called anti-trust bill which he said was be- ing fought by the Hill and Weyer- hauser interests. There is much speculation as to the probable result of Thursday night’s raid by the local poilce of a quiet poker game which was going on at the Merchants hotel, and which was ° largely attended by legislators. The 5 fact that the players had to make a f getaway by climbing out of windows Y by means of improvised ropes made out of sheets has hurt their pride. In addition there is a well founded ru- mor that the raid was instigated by Mayor Keller and Wwas intended to trap certain legislators with a view to having them put the “soft-pedal” on . the scandal in connection with the seining contract let for Lake Shétek which involves the game and fish commission and the mayor. In fact, this opinion seems to be so general that many of the members are open in their announceed intention to vote against all Ramsey county meas-, ures as a means of retaliating. 2 When the lawmakers adjourn today they will not convene again until Wednesday. This action-was taken on account of the township elections which are general throughout the state on Tuesday. STUDENTS GIVE GOOD PROGRAM Last night one of the best pro- grams_ever rendered by students in the Bemidji ngh school was given ‘| by -the public “speaking class in the assembly room ‘of the High school building. Every selection rendered received much apphuue and judging from remarks made by tuose present was thoroughly. enjoyed by the aud-' fence, that packed the large assembly - room. Practice on a similar program will commence immediately and an- other one will. be anticipated by “|many.