The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1897-02-18
TEE HAS A VOLUMINOUs DOC
UMENT PREPARED.
ERWIN HAS MANY CHARGES,
ALL OF WHICH ARE SET FORTH
IN THE OFFICIAL STATE
MENT.
To "COin's Financial school, Was
One of the Matters Particu-
IarIy Referred To.

On account of its Voluminous nature
the report Of the senate committee tc
investigate the actions of Labor Com
missioner Powers could not be gotten
ready in time for submission to the
senate yesterday, but it will be present
ed this morning, no doubt. The sub
stance of the report is that the COM
mittee decided that Attorney Erwin
should cOnfine his inquisition to the
scope of the resolution of Senator Ring
dal under which the committee OBJ
tanned its powers, and which was as
follows:
That the bureau Of labor is not conducted
IN accordance with the statute prescribing
the functions and duties of the said bureau.
That the said bureau and the commissioner
and his assistants have been engaged in
purposes foreign to the purpose and func-
ton Of the bureau, as defined by law.
Thereupon, Mr.. Erwin offered the
following as his specific charges to the
committee:
That Commissioner Powers first part Of
the biennial report of 1896 was. (al not au;
JhoriZed by law; (b) 1t was a political and
personal enterprise; (c) it was prepared at
the expense of the state; Id it was circulated
at the states expense; (e) that the commits
stoner made no report, as required by law.
That the commissioner has used his office
as political power. Witness Deputy A.
McCullom showed that he worked for the
Republican party at the states expense while
under states salary, for over one MONTH in
and about Duluth. in the year 1896.
That the commissioner used the depart
ment force to compile q schedule called
Farmer Hayseed," which purports to be an
answer to Coins Financial School, a purely
private enterprise; Witnesses Henry Eckman
and Frank Valesh. to prove that they oc-
cupied their time in compiling the tables
used IN the same; w. A. Hammond and F.
g. Casserly to testify that they used the
n 7ATNO rfYDlOr 5J,,e~
the said book; Alice Bevans, that she did a
portion Of the typewriting OF said book dur
ing office hours, and that she was paid $50
Tor her labor. all of which, with the excep-
ton OF $40. was paid out Of the state fund;
Commissioner Powers, to show that he visit
ed the city Of Chicago on several occasions
az the states expense, to arrange for the
illustrations and printing of said work.
That the mortgage statistics collected by
the inspectors have been garbled.
That the tax statistics collected by the de-
partment for several years have never been
reported to the legislature nor completed by
state.
That the department has been engaged in
collecting flour statistics. expensive in chaac-
ter, which have never been completed nor
reported TO the legislature. Witnesses Mr.
Casserly, Mr.. Mayo and Anton Paul of Du-
luth; Mr.. Mayo, especially, as to whether he
received horse and buggy which was used
In the collection of these statistics.
Collecting probate court statistics, at great
expense for number of years, and never re-
porting them to the legislature. Witnesses
various employees of the department.
Commissioner Henry Eckman did work I'M
der the direction of the Republican state CEN
tral committee two weeks prior to the cleo
ton Of 1894, while under states pay.
Using the official force to complete and
make q genealogical tree of his family. Wit
nesses, members of the department.
That the commissioner went to Rainy Lake
country with Messrs. Valesh, Eckman, Mayo
and Hammond and took up private claims, or
endeavored to take up private claims, while
under the state employ. Witnesses, various
members of the department.
Exhaustlng the appropriation for printing
by printing part first of the report for 1885,
cited in charge of Witnesses Auditor Dunn.
the public printer and the officers of the Nc
Gill Printing company.
That the commissioner made trips to New
York, Boston and several other cities at the
state expense. Witnesses, Commissioner
Powers and the department.
That he introduced civil service in his de-
partment for personal ends, in order to
move certain employees and excepted Mr..
Hammond from the same that he might be
retained.
That J. N. Jones had been appointed inspec-
tor in the service, and the commissioner in
structed the other inspectors to- in teaching
him the business, show him things in
wrong and improper way, in order that he
might have cause to discharge him. Wit
neSses, Mayo and Casserly.
That Mr.. Powers and Mr.. Mayo spent prac-
tically two months after Aug. 20 1895 at
Leech lake with their families and drew sal
aries.
That the commissioner and his assistant
Commissioner Hammond spent the summer
and fall of 1896 in organizing gold clubs while
under states expense.
That while the labor bureau was created at
the request of the labor organizations of the
state, it has distinctly departed from the in
tent of it's creators, and, now managed,
violates both the spirit and the letter of the
law.
That the reports do not give any statistics
In regard to cooperation, strikes, labor
unions, etc, as required by law
That the factory law has not been en-
forced.
That the report of the factories inspected in
1895 and 1896 has not yet been published al
though the law requires it to be on or before
the first Monday in January.
That the law in relation to fire escapes has
not been enforced.
1t was admitted by the attorneys
that it would require at least ten even