Traverse Lake, that have put the stink in Mustinka. 

 They are also in bad odor in many other districts. 



There are a good many things about these ditches 

 besides the grades that do not appear to be understood 

 by the general public. The general impression seems 

 to be that a ditch leading from a tract of swamp must 

 inevitably 'drain that swamp without any regard to the 

 land level, the water level or the terminus of the ditch. 

 Quite as inevitably the swamp so drained must be fer- 

 tile, free from rock, and of inestimable value. The 

 further impression seems to be quite prevalent that 

 the applicants for these drained lands are so impa- 

 tiently crowding for first choice that they are often in 

 the way of the ditch digger. The prospective buyer 

 is fully persuaded that not even the great swamp areas 

 of Aitkin, St. Louis and Koochiching counties will fill 

 the demand. 



Not wishing to belittle the valuable work already 

 done, and being in full sympathy with the solution of 

 the problem, I nevertheless feel it my duty to call at- 

 tention to a few of the difficulties. 



Long ago the state passed certain police laws pro- 

 tecting its citizens against assault, robbery, arson, and 

 miost other forms of aggression. These laws are more 

 or less strictly enforced. It is not safe to hit a man 

 on the head with a bludgeon or set fire to his haystack, 

 even though he may be a very small man. But why 

 take all these costly precautions to protect him from 

 these rather mild attacks, if no attempt is made to pre- 

 vent anyone who may stumble on the idea from drown- 

 ing him? If you do not like your neighbor and hap- 

 pen to be well located for the purpose, dig a ditch and 



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