The Kimball graphic. (Kimball, Brule County, Dakota [S.D.]) 1883-1905, 1901-03-16
THE EKIMBALL GRAPHIC
cLATE r. TINAsJ.
Official P,D,r d IL, cltr and COUNTY
TAYLOR AND Ice SUSTAINED

public examiner, fully. Every material
charge made BY TAYLOR in his reports,
and Gov, Lee In his farewell message,
the report shows to be true with the sin
gle exception that 1t was not found that
Dr.. Mead had taken away from the In
sane ayslum furniture belonging to the
state upon his retirement as superln-
tendent. But even he Is strongly CEN
snred in the report for his manner Of
keering no records OF money transac-
tions available Tor public examination. u
looseness which would enable any man
TO pilfer thousands without detection
were he so inclined.
The severe charges brought by Gov
Lee were so clear and unmistakable in
their import that the Republican push,
which In this state stops only short OF
highway robbery II 1t is done under Re-
publican name, could not laugh them
out Of court. And thanks to the indie.
pendent press and q few honest Republi-
can leaders, the legislature acted prompt
ly upon Gov. Lees recommendation, and
passed bill empowering Gov. Herreid to
name an investigating committee. The
bill did not provide for minority repre-
sentation on the committee, but Gov.
Herretd named OF the seven members of
the committee two Of the best men in
the fusion party. one from the house and
one from the senate. With five to two,
. whtte.wash was expected-or at best a
majority and minority report-but de-
spite all the efforts Of some Of the Re-
publicanA on the committee and the
assistance Of the attorney general, the
evidence OF mismanagement in the In
stitutions-if not Of corruption and
stealing under former Re-
publican rule was 30 clearly evident up.
on investigation that no white-wash was
attempted and the report Is unanimous.
So far as the financial part is CONCERN
ed, Meade, Phillips and Ainsworth, who
were respectively in charge OF the insane
asylum, penitentiary, and reform school
under Republican rule come out OF the
investigation with regulations badly
smtrched, while no crookedness In money
affairs against Or. Ross, Bowler and
Thompklns, now In charge OF the insti-
tutlons by the grace Of GOV. Lee, appears
in evidence, except that the board OF con-
troll allowed Thompkins several hundred
dollars, lost ~ him in The failure Of the
2)anklnton bank. which he claimed was
state money. The financial manage.
ment Of ths penitentiary under Warden
Bowler is especially commended.
Criminality was not proven against
either Phillips. Meade or Ainsworth-ia
fact Taylor made no such charge against
them. The lack Of records and account
Ing was such as to shield them II guilty,
and at the same time prevent them from
proving their innocence. II innocent Of
any wrong doing, they have but them.
selves to blame for keeping books like q
peanut vender.
The report shows, however, thai while
the management Of the state institutions
under Republican rule was characterized
BY q most suspicious method OF book
keeping, the boards OF control, whether
Republican or fusion, contained mem
bers who we're not ayerse 10 making a
dollar on the side ut the expense OF the
state, and In which one party is about as
deep In the mire as the other. This
though, IS wholly and entirely apart
from the issue raised by Taylor and sup.
piemented by Gov. Lee. Gov. Lees I'd
ministration has been characterized BY
an effort to ''les no guilty man escape
while 1t has been the practice Of the Re
publican push to shield and defend any
man who voted the Republican ticket, n,
matter how reprehensible his acts.
4 The report Of the committee covers sew
eral thousand pages, and Is 80 voium
inous that the shortest synopsis woul,
be too lengthy for a newspaper article
The legislature has ordered 1000 copie
Of 1t printed and the taxpayer who Is in
terested In the way things have been sc
ing In South Dakota prior to the inroad
OF the fuslonists will find 1t might
good reading.
One OF the most telling points trough
out was that the Rrst public examins
tion ever made into the state institution
was by Maris Taylor two years az,
which probably accounts for the disco,
cries he made.
The report closes with this tribute
Gov. Lee: .The duty unquestionabl
rests upon the chief executive to brin
to public notice all malfeasance BY
public officer and all abuses Of publ
trust, and In so doing, he will DO ent,or
4. ed and his hands will De upheld by Il
public. and insofar as Ex-Governor u
| has called attention to wrong doing, Il
/ committee accords to him a just measu
/ Of credit"
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