St. Paul daily globe. [volume] (Saint Paul, Minn.) 1884-1896, 1891-05-14

D. NJ McGrath, one Of the Winona repre-
sentatiyes in the legislature, was around the
city yesterday. An ex-official of the house
mistook HIM for an Individual seeking to be
appointed assistant sergeant-atarms, clerk or
something of the sort to the alleged wheat
steal investigating committee, and addressed
him accordingly. Whoop! How INC" did
jump Oh his dignity, Il want au Office? No.
sir; no. sir, don't want any Office. I've had
plenty of office. want no more pap least
of all public pap With these fiery ejacu-
lations Me rushed away, and his interrog-
ator mentally vowed he would in future
steer clear of Alliance men-at all events
those who hailed from Winena county.
j.
How the public treasure is wasted is ex-
emplified by this so-called Duluth wheat-steal
investigation. The legislature voted $4,000
appropriation for this investigation, and it is
evidently the intention of some members OF
the committee to spend it all Take an
instance: There are eight members of the
committee. The witnesses to be examined
largely reside i'll Duluth; over three-fourths
do. The expense of bringing these witnesses
to st. Paul is no insignificant sum, especially
when they will be required to remain in the
city several days. There is absolutely no
reason why the committee should not
examine every witness who resides in
Duluth at Duluth. But are they? Well, they
propose to 90 to Duluth for two days, Mon
day and Tuesday next. 1t will be impossible
to dispose of the whole of the witnesses in
that time, consequently they will have to be
dragged to St. Paul. Certain members of
the committee lose sight of the fact that it
Is cheaper>to pay the expenses of the eight
committee men in Duluth than the expense
of a score or two of witnesses suDpenaed to
appear before them i'll St Paul.
Il
1t is difficult to imagine how this wheat in
vestigating committee is going to accomplish
anything of benefit to the state. At the out
set of the investigation the committee is
split into two factions. One facton-the
Farmers Allianeee-accuses the other of Sc
cretly desiring to whitewash the elevator
people; the other faction retaliates by saying
that the Alliance men want to have
everything their own way, and if
any one objects they are instantly
accused of being TRAITORS or of having
been bought up The committee washed
little dirty linen IN public yesterday, and
more may be expected before the investiga-
ton is closed. The outlook Is simply this:
If the majority of the committee make ar
port which is not in line with the Alliance
open to the charge of having been bought
up. What confidence can the great mass of
the public have in committee composed of
such divergent elements?
Il
Attorney General Clapp is one of straight
est politicians-he is the straightest public
official-in the state. His name has been
pretty well banded about by Alliance men
in connection with the Duluth wheat inspec-
ton investigation. Some have said that the
attorney general was afraid of sufficiently
probing the investigation; that if he did so.
it would ruin his political aspirations.
Gen. Clapp totally ignores these re-
marks. When called upon by the committee.
he readily consented to conduct the exami-
nation. There was no Sinking Of duty for,
as he remarked to reporter, IF the commit
tee desires my services they are entitled to
them. l do not propose to take notice of
anything the Alliance men or any one else
may have to say. The public can be left to
judge whether am afraid of properly con-
Quoting such an Investigation never reply
to such attacks if you may call them attacks.
Actions speak louder than words >,