The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-11-10
STATE PRISON COMMENT.

Gov. Clough has named commission to
Investigate the charges against the Saltwater
prison officials. If they don't perform their
duties more faithfully than the insane asylum
and capitol commissioners, they ought to be
placed in charge of Deputy Warden Lemon
fer a few weeks. But the members Of this
commission are said to be men who will hold
an impartial investigation and report ac-
cordingly. We hope this is true and that
there will be no whitewashing.-Litch
Review.
The state prison at Saltwater is being made
the object of very serious attacks by the st.
Paul G o e, and as a result Gov. Clough
has appointed a committee of investigation
The charge appears mainly against Frank
Lemon, the deputy warden, for having in
iicted cruel and unusual punishment on con-
victs confined in the institution. Warden
Wolfer has matters of more Importance to
attend to, and the prison discipline is left in
the hands of deputies Mr. Wolfer has made
an excellent warden an he no oubt will be
completely eXonOrated.-St. Vincent New Era
The st. Paul G l o b has stirred up a big
thing in its alleged discovery of cruelty to
CIR its officials should maltreat it's prisoners,
but there is another view of the question
most aptly illustrated in last Saturdays
Journel cartoon. Two pictures convey the
idea, one the sand baggers and hold-up artists
at work mauling helpless citizen, and the
cher displaying the convicts, fat and COM
Portable at Saltwater, with upholstered fu1ni-
ture, feet rests, haInmOcks and all the com
forts of home at their disposal. Underneath
is the line, These fellows always deal so
gently with their victims. that we cannot be
tco careful of their comfort when sent to
Saltwater" There are times when public
sympathy can be wasted.-Lyons County
Register.
In perusing the accounts OF cruelties at the
stcte prison set out with so much force and
Enthusiastically by the st. Paul Globe
one is led to ask, what has the board of
charities and corrections been doing all these
years? This board if it has any mission in
the world, which we doubt is supposed to
have a general supervision over the charit-
able ana penal institutions in the state and
more particularly is it's high salarled secre-
tary charged with keeping tab on the gen
eral conduct of these places, put we have vet
failed to note a single instance where his
services have been of any value whatever
He has, with the assistance of a clerk, also
well paid, arranged a few tabulated state
menis, it is true, but these are read by so
few and are of so little general interest that
the benefits are not equal to the expense of
printing. In this connection recall the
statement of one of the members of the board
of charities and corrections at time when
it was proposed to abolish the board. Said
he: Our board is as necessary as the fifth
wheel would be to a wagon. 1t is needless
expense to the state and should be abolished"
Unfortunately the legislature could not be
induced to take that view of it. and the Sec
rotary still tabulates useless "fggers,' draws
So, 500 a year and has his expenses paid for
an occasional excursion into the country or
to some seashore meeting or other so-called
prison reformers while perchance the sub
jects of his elaborate articles and speeches
are being literally pounded to death under his
very nose.-Preston Times.
The commision-C. E. Flandrau. A. NJ
Harrison and B. F. Farmer-appointed by
Gov. Clough to investigate the charges against
certain officers of the Minnesota state prison,
commenced work at the capitol in st. Paul
last Thursday, publicly and with open doors.
To the st. Paul G o b credit Is due for
cation, and if the facts prove half as bad as
represented hanging is too good for the
guilty parties.-North st. Paul Sentinel.
Lemon is the most talked-of man in the
state just now. His ears must be red hot
and the end is not yet.-Preston Times.
While Gov Clough's action appointing an
investigating committee to inquire into the
alleged inhuman work of the deputy warden
at the Saltwater penitentiary at Minnesota
is commendable, we do not think very much
of the ex-keepers who knew of these cruel
ties years ago, and only come out now and
tell of them under an impetus of some sort
A person who sees wrong act committed
and does not take the means to prevent it's
repetition, is a confederate and an accessory,
an to sneak and deserves equal condemna-
ton with the perpetrator.-Griggs Courier.
Charges of cruel treatment of the inmates
of the states prison will be Investigated
by q special commission appointed by the
governor, consisting of Judge Flandrau Of
St Paul; A. M. Harrison OF Minneapolis and
B. F. Farmer, Of Spring Valley. This will
be an investigation that will Investigate,
and its makeup indicates that Gov. Clough