104 THE COMMISSION OF INQUIRY, 



especially on the people in the various districts most involved. It is the 

 general lack of adequate State protection and State care and interest 

 in these north counties and in the State lands generally, that has made 

 the State lands "commons" in the eyes of the people, to be dealt with 

 as any one desires. This conception and attitude has been extended 

 until all through our northern counties unoccupied lands are treated as 

 common property; cut-over lands held in contempt as not worth the at- 

 tention of a community or worth the protection accorded property else- 

 where and under different conditions. This sentiment finds expression 

 today in the public attitude toward trespass and fire; and it is in this 

 latter respect that it has been for years the most potent influence for 

 the continuation the waste land condition of large districts. 



An efficient, well controlled, business-like execution of our present 

 system, faulty as it is in principle, a well organized State patrol of the 

 northern wild woods and State lands, as is evidently contemplated in 

 our trespass service, would long ago have established respect for law 

 and property and thereby prevented the destruction and loss of such 

 property, and would have made it easy to introduce better care of for- 

 est and other works helpful in the development of these districts. 



The much dreaded fire question is trivial compared to many of the 

 achievements of the modern industrial world ; a. few years of real ade- 

 quate eflfort will restore law and order to a point where extraordinary 

 care become superfluous and where a moderate expenditure well in keep- 

 ing with the results to be accomplished, would protect our woods and 

 cut-over districts, and give nature a chance to restock the land. 



Everywhere county abstractors, treasurers, registrars of deeds. State 

 trespass agents, etc., are found to be either directly or indirectly, through 

 agents, interested in the buying and selling of these State lands. For 

 instance, we find that A. E. Imler, a State trespass agent, is buying 

 tax titles and State tax homestead lands through Arthur S. Fudge and 

 Wayne Simmons, who then transfer these lands to Imler, the considera- 

 tion being generally given as fl.OO and other valuable considerations. 



The tax lands in the broader sense of the word, i. e., the lands 'which 

 have become delinquent for taxes and have come under the care of the 

 office of the Auditor General of the State, requiring advertisement, cler- 

 ical attention, and involving the expenditure of State money, have 

 amounted to from 5,000,000 to 9,000,000 acres, and their care has been 

 very expensive. The following data is taken from the reports of the 

 Auditor General's office: 



Area, in Acres, of Lands DeUnqiwnt for Taxes. 



1875 9,111,000 



1880 7,395,000 



1885 7,421,000 



1890 7,967,000 



1897 8,970,000 



1901 7,022,000 



1902 6,077,000 



1903 6,310,000 



1904 4,964,000 



1905 5,132,000 



