Itasca County MN Archives History .....Itasca's Big Fight, Leads To Organization Of County Home Rule 1891
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File contributed for use in USGenWeb Archives by:
Debra Crosby http://www.genrecords.net/emailregistry/vols/00010.html#0002467 December 17, 2020, 5:43 am

The Saint Paul Globe Tue Feb 10, 1891 pg 8
               ITASCA'S BIG FIGHT
     Citizens Strive to Prevent the Foreign 
           Sheriff Scheme From Passing.
Seeking an Organization of the County Under 
              Pure Home Rule.


   Local contests do not, as a rule, excite the interest
of the entire state, but just at present there is a 
contest, by some called local, before the legislature
which has aroused more than local interest. It is the
proposed organization of Itasca county. This county, which
for some years, has been attached to Aitkin county has,
recently on account of the building of the Duluth &
Winnepeg railroad been the scene of a remarkable develope-
ment. The discoveries of rich iron ore mines have also
attracted public attention.
   The effect of all this, especially the building of 
this railroad through the heart of the county to Duluth,
has been to make the citizens and taxpayers chafe under
a system of government that forces them to travel 150 
miles to see their county officers and attend court, when
the size of the county wouold justify the presence of
these officers in the county, and would vastly reduce
expenses.
   Two bills have been introduced in the senate and house
for the organization of the county, one by Senator Allen
and the other by Representative Foley. Both bills were 
alike originally, but the senate committee on towns and
counties, after hearing a number of the citizens of Itasca
county, made a most important change. The original bills,
amother other things, provided:
     Sec. 3. The officers of said county shall be appointed
  by the board of county commissioners of said county, so 
  appointed, as soon as convenient after the passage of this
  act, who shall hold their offices until the next general
  election after the passage of this act, and until their
  successors are elected and qualified, provided that the 
  sheriff of Aitkin county shall remain and be sheriff of
  Itasca county, the same as now provided by law, until the
  next general election, and until the sheriff of said Itasca
  county is elected and qualified.
   The citizens of Itasca county protested so vigorously 
against the  provision legislating the sheriff of Aitkin 
county into office as the sheriff of Itasca that the senate
committee changed the bill, lopping of this provision, and
making it read as follows:
     Sec. 3. The officers or said county shall  be appointed
  by the board of county commissioners of said county so
  appointed, as soon as convenient after the passage of this
  act, who shall hold their offices until the next general
  election after the passage of this act, and until their
  successors are elected and qualified.
   The reasons for this change appear perfectly plain by a 
single glance at the map printed in this article. {Map posted
in photos section} Under the original bill the sheriff of
Aitkin county, to attend to his duties as sheriff of Itasca
(where there is a vast amount of criminal business), must go
to Northern Pacific Junction and from there to Itasca county,
making a journey of over 150 miles in length. A fair calcu-
lation would make his fees in each case something over $34.
Naturally enough such an arrangement for two long years is
not pleasing to the men who much foot the bills. And besides,
if Itasca county is able to furnish timber for all the other
county officers, treasurer, auditor, commissioners, recorder,
and so on, it surely can supply a man for the office of
sheriff.
   After hearing both sides the senate committee on towns and
counties made the change indicated by unanimous agreement, 
and in this form the bill will pass the senate in a day or
two, and will then go to the house, where the Foley bill is
now side-trackec. The changes made by the senate committee
are so reasonable and appeal so strongly to all lovers of
home rule that there is little doubt that the bill will pass
in its amended form, and that at an early date.


Additional Comments:
Photo of land map can be seen in photos area.

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