Grand Rapids Herald-Review Newspaper, November 17, 1909, Page 5

THE REPORT ON OWAMP. LANDS (Continued from first page) tions, in which he emphasized that our duty would be “simply to ascer- tain and report the facts,” and in his letter of April 29th, transmitting to me a copy of these suggestions, Mr. Culkin further said, “you are making this investigation to ascer- tain the facts and you will be requir- ed to testify at the trials in respect to the character of the land.” The three state examiners travel- ed together and in each others pre- ‘sence made a careful examination of each forty, noting the character of the soil, the principal timber and other plant life, and determined how- many acres were swamp and how many not swamp. Where there was any question as to the character of any portion of a swamp being suffi ciently permanent to fall within the meaning of the act of March 12, 1860, we passed it as non-swampy, thus giving the benefit of any doubt to a settler in every case. The examiners found in many casesthat the lands were swampy and properly so des- ignated by the surveyors, in other cases they found that a major portion of each forty to be non-swampy and have been erroneously returned by the surveyors as swampy—in fact the examinations revealed that the U. S. surveyors had been guilty of the grosest carelessness in plat- ting the swampy lands, and this was particularly apparent on _ section lines where high and dry lands, di- rectly under their observations was marked as swampy. Only 73 cases were examined by this party of examiners, instead of “hundreds” as alleged by a recent writer attempting to furnish the pub- lic with facts. Out of these 73 cases 13 were reported non-swamp for all the lands claimed, and no fight made in behalf of the state; 17 were dropped by the contestants; and ‘one was dismissed by the local land office and is now pending at Wash- ington on appeal; 11 were adjusted by mutual agreement, that is, the state dropping out forties that were high and dry and the contestants acquiesced in finding of the examin- ers as to swamp forties; and in 31 cases the state is claiming 52 forties nd in only one of these cases is the whole. 160 acres of the contestants homestead application involved. In 7 of these 31 cases the contestants have built their cabins. on swamp forties. It is fortunate that these peo- ple should have been allowed to set- tle upon such lands, and unfortun-| ate that they should have been! brought in conflict with the state for tracts that are actually swamp. Legally the attitude of the state in defending its title to these lands is right, without question the swamp lands were granted to the state of Minnesota by the act of congress on March 12, 1860, and being so granted they belong to all the people of the state, and not to any one Individual) who may illadvisedly, or otherwise, settle upon them—they must be dis- posed of as provided by law, and for the benefit of all the people of the state Technically, as based on the character of the soil the state is! right. The examiners made careful examination in each case and re- turned as swamp only that which is The-position of the state is unassailable, but where settlement was made in good faith on swamp land there should be some way to help out the settler. Some of these people, and I may say most of them, have been made in good faith in looking for lands, for themselves. As to whether they are night or wrong is not important at this point in the discussion. They have spent money and time in an attempt to settle the north and make homes for themselves —many of them feel that they have lost something in this conflict with the state. It will not be possible to reimburse them directly for the loss but the state by a generous policy, may be able to lighten the burdens of a pioneer life and to hasten the progress of this new country that liv- ing in it may; become easier. No sympathy, however, should be waisted on that class of settlers who have come into the north for the purpose of acquiring valuable timber lands, and who, shortly after getting title, sell the timber and leave the country—many going to Canada to repeat their homestead operations. Northern Minnesota and Koochiching county in particular is suffering severely through the ownership of lands by these erstwhile homestead- ers—there is a lack of permanent farm occupants and there is a sur- plus of wild lands, both wet and dry. In a large percentage of these swamp jand cases the earmarks of good fait) was uncertainly developed, and in several instances entirely wanting so that the claimant may be expect- ed to turn out to be a_bird-of-passage. Northern Minnesota is in need of new settlers. Whole townships that were swamp. well settled six or seven years ago would do that any way because I have since become almost depopulat- have no desire to wrong anyone. I ed through the passing of these home! myself, am a former homesteader and steaders to other fields. This is not }settler, and all of my friends and ‘due entirely. to the character of , acquaintances belong to that class of lands, swamp or non-swamp, by the! people, but ‘I would like to have you state, nor to the presence of poor soil' understand’ that homesteaders and or unfavorable climatic conditions for | settlers, that is those that are a¢- the holdings of the state are light tually opening up the country, have in towns I have in mind, the soil has | very strong feelings against what been pronounced by experts as the) they call “short visit” homesteaders, best and the climate has not imter-| people who live on their lands-only a ferred with the success of a few en-|small part of each year, and have terprising ones who have remained but it, is due to the unrest of the set-! speak of this because on a great deal tler himself; the ease with which he of the land we had to examine there obtained title under the commutation!are such settlers. There are some feature of the homestead law, and} who are really trying to do something the timber and stone act. Criticism put the most of th:m are persons who of the action of the state in these| do not live on the land. swam land casests has brought out} But in our examination of the land the fact that it, too, is holding laree| we had a duty to perform and it was areas of unoccupied lands in the! to find out the facts so that we could north, land on which no taxes are/swear to the facts before the land paid to help along local improvements' office. We carefully located the and while this has nothing to do land we had to examine from the with the swamp land contests, and is; nearest government corner. Then we something over which the state audit-; “horse-shoed” each acre that we had or has no contro! it goes to show to examine. Mr. Duncan made sound-| that there is a growing sentiment ings with a sounding pole into the against the state’s present plan of swamps, and Mr. Walker took pict-| holding and disposing of lands. lures of each piece where soundings For the relief of the swamp land! were made. I examined the land on| settler the men and women who) poth sides from time to time and ran| have gone on in good faith with the | the compass. Each of us paced out} intention of making homes I would! and counted our steps. We made suggest that influence be brought to' sure of every feature of everything bear upon congress for the passage! we had to do. The land which we of an act in about the following found to be swamp ‘was very flat, | words: and covered with spruce and tam-| “That in all cases where contests|arack, and on the ground there is} are now pending between settlers/4 thick moss. Between the moss and and states, involying lands included/the hard bottom, which is from one ‘im any state swamp land grant, and/to five feet deep below, there is a in which a bona fied settlement was; mushy substance full of water and} made on the land by the contestant) usually peaty. Now there can be no prior to the opening of said land toj question at all about the tracts that entry, the state may relinquish such| such land as this is swamp. A few Jand and eelect in lieu thereof other} years ago I cut the trees off of some Jands equal in area, and such lieU|of my own moss-covered swamps and | selections may be made either within) jt remains swampy today. I tried to| or without any national forest which} qo this to see the results, but noth- may. be in said state, and |ing would grow and I did not expect | “That where any such settler has; that it would. I simply tried it be- relinquished or lost by reason of cause I heard so much about it. such conflict any portion of the 160 Some people claimed at the trials| acres to which he may have been eN- that when trees are cut off these) titled under the homestead law, he jands they would dry up, but that may.select other lands, in lieu there-|js not possible under the conditions. of, which need not be contiguous to) as most of these swamps are part of the tract which he resides upon and! mych larger swamps and of course holds under the homestead law, and’ the land in question would not dry the proof of residence and cultivation) yp) unless the much larger swamp for the original homestead shall be, than the land im question would ary sufficient for such additional entry up: ig a of non-contigous tracts without resi-) | nave done this work in good faith| dence thereupon; and under your instructions and I could “That where any such settler has} not do-otherwise in any particul been forced. by such conflict to Te-| case than I have done. I felt thi linquish a portion of the tract claim- I was performing a public duty, and ‘ed by him and the case has not yet! that is what I was there to do. I reached final decision, the relinquish- | was not there to help anybody and I} ed land restored to the claimant, if! had no such desire. he so desires, and the state permitted; Phe fact is that these lands are, be- to select other lands in lieu thereof.” |ing sought for because they contain) I would suggest further for the be-! valuable spruce and tamarack. Whei| | nefit of all the settlers’ who are ine spruce and tamarack’ is gone,| struggling in these northern woods,’ these alleged settlers will be gone. In| that the state legislature should PYO-! fact very few of them are on their vide for the taxation of state lands,!jang very much now. held for speculation, as other lands| I have sent to you my field notes are taxed, so that such state lands} po 91) the lands in respect to which 1 may bear a fare share of the cost of gia not give testimony. These field) road making and other local improve-' notes cover these lands which we) |ments. This seems only just as the found to be dry and so reported, and increase in value of such land is de! giso the lands which we found to be | pendent largely upon the labor of tie, wet, and about which there was no} | |settlers on the adjacent farms. Iti contest because the claimants did jis very desirable that the state’ no appear. |should have large university school} he northern part of the — state! {and other funds; but it may also be. good statesmanship to spend some money in bringing the wisdom of the state’s highest institutions directly to the door of the homesteader in the form of scientific demonstrations o* good road making that will show) steaders are of no use to the county.| them the administration is looking} ppey do not aid in its development| after the interests of all parts of the) in any way. There is no connection | commonwealth, and convince’ them) yetween my work for the state as| that northern Minnesota is, after all,’ .yamp land examiner and what 1 a good place in which to live. might say now, and that is that if I present these remarks for Your) northern Minnesota could get rid of| consideration, believing that, in the) its nomesteaders who do not live in| important office which you have 80/ northern Minnesota, and get on its ably filled for several years, you have|jangs a class of people who would gained an experience and a know-|jive on the land, and if the state ledge of state affairs that will enable| youig pay taxes on its swamp land you to counsel where counsel mMA@Y| precisely as other people pay them, be needed and to assist in directing), verg good result would follow. legislation that may be benefical not Very truly yoours, only to this new settlement in the NILS A. OTTERSTAD. north, but to all the state. pRr Ey eae amen A Respectfully, T. L. DUNCAN. needs a good deal of help, and one | of the worst things we have to con-| tend with is the homesteader who | lives in Chicago or St. Paul or Be-| midji, or some of the towns in Kooch | iching county. These kind of home- FOOTBALL MEN EXONERATED, Net Responsible for Death ef Archer | Christian, Says Cerener. Hon. S. G. Iverson, State Auditor, St. Pais, teams SS aniae Gee Paul, Minn. | sponsibility for the death of young Dear Sir:—I have now concluded all} Archer Christian, who sucoumbed to the state examinations which I have’ injuries received Saturday in the foot- to make to determine if the land xi ee arin anehe the bag cad of i . | Georgetown universit: san to examine was swamp land =| hak The death of the Virginia mar In this work I was at all times inj f7 vet oe Miccadienbwns Slants |company with Frank W. Walker of| ay supe ee ne Two Harbors and T. L. Duncan of BUILD WASHINGTON MEMORIAL. Northome. Both of these men are; competent woodsmen and I have had | Movement te Ralse $2,500,000 For a large experience. I live as you! Building at the Capital. know, at Turtle River, and I had nine) years’ experience in Beltrami and! St. Louis counties in the timber country.’ I know the county well) reise $2,500,000 befere February 22 and I know its conditions. | next, for a Gearge Washingtor me When we went out to examine these| morial building at Washington, D. C, swamp lands, I was instructed to| which shall serve as headquartets for report on the conditions as I at 4 hag eee a and ally found them to via I, of\course, wena, that % Report of Nels Otterstad. Turtle River, Oct. 20. | | New York, Nov. 16.—Announcement | bas been made that distinguished men and women are behind a movement to got homes in some village or city. I} | advancement, | for these, our privileges and blessings, i RAPIDS HERALD:REVIEW WEDNESDAY: NOVEMBER 10, 1908. DAY TO GIVE. THANKS GOV. EBERHART ISSUES HIS FIRST PROCLAMATION. SETS NOVEMBER 25 AS THE DAY Says We Have Abundant Material Reasons For Returning Thanks This Year. St. Paul—Governor Adolph 0. Eber hart issued his Thanksgiving procila mation, naming Thursday, Nov. 25, as the day of general praise and thanks. The document, which is the first by the new governor, reads: “The. people of this state are ever mindful of the source from which come all their blessings. Cosmopoll- tan as they are, blending here the blood, the heart, and conscience of all that is best in old-world civilization, they approach the Thanksgiving period with sincere appreciation that “All good cometh from on High.” “Of material reasons for spiritual thanksgiving and praise there are abundant causes—our unity as a peo ple, our enjoyments of peace, our in- creasing opportunities for industrial our splendid school system that guarantees to every child the right to liberal educational advan- tages, our peaceful journeys in the direction of higher ideals of civiliza- tion and society. These are blessings that our people will do well to remem- ber and to raise their voices in praise and gratitude therefor. Let us each and everyone, whether in the quiet of our homes or in the places of public worship, give thanks to Almighty God and with fervent resolution and rev- erent mien let us justify the faith of our fathers by consecrating ourselves anew on this autumnal day to service in the cause of the Great Giver. “Thankful, indeed, that fire and flood have not devastated our domin- fon, that public health and _ public morals are both on a high plane, that |. our harvests are not only bountiful, but our products command a premium in the marts of the world, we of Min- nesota should give thanks for these signs of the heavenly beneficence and devote ourselves to works of highest attainment, not forgetting that through service to others is the road to indi- vidual happiness and the accomplish- ment of the ideal. “Now, therefore, I, Adolph O. Eber- hart, governor of the state of Minne- sota, by virtue of the authority vested in me by the laws of the state and the custom honored since the admis- Bion of the state to the union, do here- by appoint Thursday, the 25th day of November, in the year nineteen hun- dred and nine, as a day of general Thanksgiving. “Done at the capitol in the city of St. Paul, this twelfth day of Novem- ber in the year nineteen hundred and aine. “ADOLPH O. EBERHART, Governor. “Attest: “Julius A. Schmahl, “Secretary of State.” EDITORS AT SAUK CENTER. pa eae ! Gev. Eberhart Will Speak to Central | Minnesota Association. Sauk Center. — Governor Adolph E. Eberhart will address the Cen-| tral Minnesota Editorial Association here on Dec. 3 on “The Newspaper as a Factor in the State’s Develop- ment.” Frank M. Eddy will also ad- dress the association. Editor Welles of the Sauk Center Herald is at work | on an entertainment program, and | the citizens are preparing a special welcome to the editors and their out- of-town guésts. Business matters of vital importance to editors and pub- lishers will be discussed and the social side will be amply provided for by the committee. The scope of the as sociation was greatly enlarged at the last meeting at Bemidji and the ter- ritory was increased. Originally this association was called togther by a few editors on the Sauk Center and Bemidji branch of the Great Northern cailroad, to try and get better train service for the towns on the branch line, Long Prairie, Akeley, Park Rap- ids, Cass Lake, Walker, Browerville and Walker. A public reception will be held t& the Opera house, where Governor Bb srhart will give his address. TWO FILE IN BANKRUPTCY. Mankato.—Elihu Parker, of Minne apolis, formerly of Mankato, filed a petition im voluntary bankruptcy. He has been engaged in the elevator busi- ness, and gives his liabilities as $24, 898, and his assets as real estate $80,000, stock, etc., $1,230, and $6,500 exempt. Lawrence J.'Parker, of Hen- derson, an elevator man, also filed a petition in bankruptcy at the same time, with liabilities of $2,225, and as sets exempt. MOTHER AND FIVE PERISH. Husband and Father Builds Fire With | Gasoline at Warroad. | Warroad.—Mrs. Neil Jensen and five | ci ren lost their lives, and Jensen, | the husband and father, probably will die as the result of injuries sustained in a fire caused by a gasoline explo sion. Jensen was starting a fire with gasoline. His wife was upstairs sich with a week-old baby and these, with Is quickly sharpened by using a grindstone. Buy a knife and the stone, as well as other necessary From this store and you'll get what is best, stan- dard, as well as at the lowest possible price. Carv- ing knives and forks, for Thanksgiving, are the proper caper. See the stock we are offering and buy.a set. F DULL BUSINESS HARDWARE ARTICLES W. J. & H. D: POWERS Crand Rapids, Minn. We will sell all the dry goods in our store at cost as we wish to close out all these goods at once. We will carry a clean and fresh stock of Groceries and ask for a share of your patronage. THE CASH STORE Arsenault @ Cashen, Props. ALL KINDS OF HARD AND SOFT WOOD FOR SALE | *Phone 114 JOHN O’BRIEN ai 4 : 3 | om apeapaee aemm.sease 64 fF $7 to $22.50 * Price Drop in Saturday and let -us talk over troubles about Coats, Suits, Shirts, Sweaters, Under- wear, Caps, Shoes or anything else you need in wearables. Boys’ Overcoats, at half price: $ 4.00 Overcoat. . $10.00 Overcoat. . 5.00 The newest shades of gray, dark and light, heavy weights and novelty stripes, made up with convertible collars. A splendid assortment of neat patterns for old and young, made up in our long, big col- lared great coat, comfortable in all kinds of weather. Now then, fellows, all together “What's the matter with Hen- ry Hughes & Company?’ “They’re all right!”’ “Who's all right?’ “Henry Hughes & Company; because they sell the best of Suits, Overcoats, Hats, Shirts, % Rubbers, Shoes and _ every- thing that is good to wear. Henry Hughes & Co. : The Popular Store Grand Rapids ng Minnesota