Willmar tribune. [volume] (Willmar, Minn.) 1895-1931, 1899-12-06

81 .5sSs4 Sut y GlOIlH VI LIE kEutH uepArL-s
ment was to he 1 lie cA /, shent Of Mr..
Lind s reform notwithstanding Last
fall his heart just yealnedztO get Il
chance to help the farmers, and now
they've got it. Twenty thousand
dollars Il year, more to furnish
"Vawbs''' for fusion office seekers is
the epitome Of the inspection reform.
Somebody's pocket5ook has been
reformed" but it isn't the farmers.
And now to the "twine REFORM
That was another great wrong that
Lind, Grue and Nelson would right,
according to Reform Lawson. What
Messrs. Grue and Nelson did l have
shown. But we still have the record
OF OurrefOrm governor to fall back
on. Last fall the prison Irvine man
agement was the most. corrupt and
incompetent institution Oh earth.
Warden WOlfer and his associa ties
were simply the tools and hirelings
OF the Irvine trust. In fact the latter
was running the prison Irvine fac
tory. A reform from warden to
chaplain would he the only means of
salvation. Wolfer was q monster in
human form, who ought to occupy
the darkest Of the cells in the institu-
ton he had charge of. Thus solilo-
quized our reform pretenders. Moth
ing but the election of John Lind
would VOuchsafe prison reform. In
no other way could the Infamous
w offer be removed. Just elect Hon
eat John and see how quick he'll have
Wolfer's scalp dangling at his belt!
That was the illusion held out to the
farmers in 1898 by our office seeking
refOrmers. Well, Lind was elected,
but what reforms did he or his CO.
shOuters inaugurate in the prison
Irvine department? None! Not one
single one is traceable to. Gov. Lind.
He knew all about it before election,
but subsequently he knew nothing,
as his regular message to the legisla-
ture would Indicate. Not one single
suggestion relative to a reform OF
the prison came from his eXcellency.
Later on in the session he sent spe-
c1al message recommending an in
crease in the Irvine machinery This
special message reached the legisla-
ture when they had already substan-
tally agreed upon what the gov
ernOr suggested. Early in the SEES
sion Mr.. Torrey, Of Meeker county,
introduced Il bill providing for an
additional system of Irvine machin-
cry at the prison. This had the ap-
prevail of the prison authorities.
This was before Gov. Lind ever
dreamt Of his special Irvine message
His message was about as timely HIS
the assistance of all inactive n.y.
ISLANDER would he to save a drown
ing man. After Mr.. Torrey had
labOred all winter, and observed
success browning his efforts, then
our genial governor steps in and
tries to get the glory. Won't it be
nice to travel around among the
farmers next year and point out
that the prison now turns out about
three million pounds more of Irvine
than in 1898? And won't it be in
deed feather in the cap of his excel
lency to claim credit for this? Here
is a saving of 100000 to the farmers
of the state. Won't it be Il grand
idea to get credit for this? And such
cOnscien tiOus refOrmers of the Law
son type are already proclaiming the
governors success. They neglect to
state, though, at what time Mr.
Lind sent his special Irvine message
And they also neglect to state that
the legislature had already provided
for just what the governor sng.
gested.
All the credit due Mr.. Lind in this
matter is for signing the bill. He did
nothing to initiate this legislation
and he did nothing to promote it.
That we today have an additional
set OF Irvine machinery is due to the
efforts of Mr.. Torrey, supplemented
by help from Warden Wolfer and the
board OF prison managers. So let
no one be deceived as to whom credit
is due in this matter
And now as to the reform Of the
prison. What corruption has on,
reform administration brought t.
light? None, absolutely none. They
have not been able to point out one
single dishonest and unbusine.slil>t
act of Warden Wolier in the manage.
ment OF the twine factory, nor have
they been able to impeach his hon
esty and competency in the sale 81
the finished product. A Legislative
committee, made up of members O.
both parties, unanimously exoner
ated Mr.. Wolfer of the base ch;lrg,s
made against him. Gov. Liud, him
self, even previous to this report
asked Mr.. w Olfer to remain in charge
Of the prison, and incidentally agreed
to a raise of the Warden's salary
Does this Indicate corruption, FRIEND
Lawson? Is this a substantiatiOr
OF your ante-election charges? l.
this the way yOn reformers reform:
Before election, brand q man a vii
famous cOrruptionist, and then after
wards reinstate him and even raise
his salary? Now, what is and was
the secret Of this remarkable conduct
on the part of Gov. Lind? He either
was convinced of the falsity of the
charges against WOlfer, or else hi
hagrantly violated a sacred trust
VIZ, to reform the prison manage
ment. And there isn't Il particle OF
doubt that our reform governor be
came aware of land perhaps was
aware) that the gist of the whole
pernicious charges against Wolfcl
was nothing but an adrOit attempt
to make fusion votes And in this il
admirably had served it's purpose
Lind was elected and the multitulin
GUS charges of corruption at thu
prison had in no little manner influ
enced the result of the election. The
business sagacity. % of the Irvine
dealers in gobbling up the prison
output and selling the same at trust
prices, contrary to agreement with
the prison officials. had given an al
legged reform press a splendid clut
with which to brain innocent repub
lfcan candidates. No better or more
effective campaign buncombe could
have possibly been discovered. A
combination of truth and lies is al.
ways the weapon of the calamity
bowling refOrmers, and it is this