St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1890-06-28
CRIMINAL CONSPIRACY.
What is criminal conspiracy?

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Who are the conspirators?
For what specific offense will they be
prosecuted?
Is it criminal to merely conspire to
do any unlawful act, or is it necessary
that the act shall be done in order to
constitute the offense?
The above is a sample of inquiries
that flooded the GLOBE office yesterday.
and all relating to the Minneapolis cen
sus trouble.
The crime of conspiracy is clearly
defined in section $40 of the Revised
Statutes of the United States, which
reads as follows:
IF two or more persons censpire,
either to commit an offense against the
United States, or to defraud the United
States, ard one OF more of such parties
do an act to effect the object Of the con-
splracy. they shall be liable to penalty
of not less that 81, 200, or more than So,
600, or Imprisonment for not less than
two years."
1t will be observed from the language
of the law that although thousand
persons may be engaged in the con-
spracy and only one effects the object
of the conspiracy, the whole body of
conspirators are subject to the penalties
of the law.
The GLOBE cannot undertake to say
who the conspiratorS are, or what was
the object of the conspiracy. further
than we are warranted by common
rumor and by the affidavit of Detective
MASON. According to these, the Min
neapolis annex census bureau was sup
posed to be the operating machine of
conspiracy which had for its twofold
object the commission of an offense
against the United States by classifying
the census returns, and of defraud-
ing the United States by obtain
ing pay for the census enumer-
ators to which they were not
entitled. If such conspiracy did ex-
ist, the GLOBE has no knowledge of
who we're engaged in it, except such
names as have been connected with it
through the press and in the judicial
proceedings that were instituted be-
fore Commissioner MCCAFFERTY. If it
be shown upon investigation that such
a conspiracy did actually exist. then all
who were in any wise connected with
It will be included in the prosecution.
The conspiracy would not only include
the manager of the annex and his as
sistants, but it would alse include all
census officials who had knowledge of
its existence and co-operated with it,
and all citizens who aided and abetted
the conspiracy by contributing funds
for the support of the annex bureau, OF
otherwise facilitated its unlawful un-
dertaking.
We cannot say what specific charges
will be preferred by the department of
Justice. We only know that the attor-
ney general has reason to believe that
a conspiracy did exist, or he would not
have so peremptorily ordered the arrest
and prosecution of the conspirators.
All the facts will come out in the judi
cial investigation, and during the pend
ency OF that investigation it would be
manifestly improper to express an opin-
ion as to the guilt or innocence Of the
accused.
1t is matter that the whole people OF
Minnesota are interested in, and yet
they can afford to await patiently for a
final judicial determination of the ques-
ton at issue. There is no occasion for
clamor or Indignation, or even excite
ment. The law and the courts have
been appealed to, and the law and the
courts are capable of settling the whole
business.