The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1901-03-02
GENERAL REEVE IS OUT
GIVES CHARGE OF SALTWATER
PRISON INTO WOLFER,S
HANDS
POSITION IS "NoN-PoL1T1cA1v
Retiring Warden Discusses Repub-
lican Campaign Misrepresenta-
lions and the Management
of the Institution.

Gen. c. Nice. Reeves official connec-
ton with the penitentiary at Saltwater
ceased yesterday morning when he hand
cd over the charge of the institution to
Henry Wolfer, who was his pre-
decessor, in the position of warden.
Gen. and Mrs. Reeve intend leaving
IN few days for California. where they
VIII spend the remainder of the winter.
The retiring warden interviewed yes
terday said: when a board of mana
gers was created for the prison to take
the management out of politics, the first
incumbent was a Republican who held
the office of warden until he left 1t vol
unfairly His successor, also a Republic
an, filed the position for a number of
years, the last eleven months being UNI
Ger Democratic governor and Demo-
cratic board. He resigned to accept an
$4,000 position with the Grass Irvine
company. The true intent of the law,
however. was not fully understood until
after the election of the present gov
ernor who at once pointed out the .m-
Iortant fact that non-partisan action in
the selection of a warden was all right
sc long as the warden was a Republic
an
''And to emphasize this view he called
a meeting of the board three days after
his Inauguration at his office in st. Paul
for the purpose of electing a new war
Gen. 1t was not until the members as
sembied that he learned with surprise
and no doubt chagrin that warden
could only be elected at a regular meet
ing of the board held in the city Of
Saltwater This meeting took place on
the 7th inst To the mild suggestion
that the present warden had managed
the affairs of the prison to the entire
satisfaction of the board as clearly set
forth in their last biennial report. he
replied with the knockdown argument
that he had decided on change, and
should, if necessary to accomplish 1t, re-
move every member Of the board.
FIGURES WE'RE NOT "JUGGLED.
'sTt was one of the fruitful and popular
arguments during the recent campaign,
that the report OF the hoard OF man
ayers, showing a profit of $l6,0N for the
year ending July 81, 1900, was 'Juggled,
and that IN reality there was a large
deficit which the state would be required
to face the coming season. This deficit
gradually grew with the necessities OF
the campaign, from $4,000 early in Sep
TENDER tc over $100.0t(0 late In october.
OF course there was no deficit, but the
charge was good campaign ammunition
and was used by many Republican
orators on the stump from one end or
the state to the other. And after cleo
ton. the condition, which confronted the
governor who had been quite free in the
use of this sort of campaign literature,
was this: If the prison should continue
under the present management until the
close of the year and there should not
turn out to be any deficit. but on the
contrary, a small profit, he ard his
friends would have been mistaken, to
say the least, in their very free criti-
cisms of the Democratic prison manage
n7ent. Hence his haste. If the low
prices now fixed for this season had
i been fixed by the Republican majority,
and the business thereafter conducted
under a Republican warden, what better
claim could be advanced to the gratitude
of an adnIiriEg constituency than to be
|. able to say: Notwithstanding the in
competency of this. wicked and unbusi-
nesslike Democratic crowd to whose
| places we have succeeded, we have not
only reduced the price of tWine, but we
have so managed the business that the
large deficiency which every one knew
existed at the close of the last fiscal
year. has been overcome and we are able
to show a small profit Although the
Democrats were so foolish as to keep
politics entirely out of the management
of prison affairs so long as they were In
control, they did manage at the Janu-
airy meeting by a strict party vote, all
the Republicans voting No, to fix the
four cents a pound below those OF last
year
SHOWS A GOOD PROFIT.
s'The amount Of material on hand at
the close of the last fiscal year and the
quantity since purchased amounts, in
round numbers to 4S75,00 pounds,
large quantity OF which has already been
sold and assuming that the remainder
will be disposed of at present prices,
after making a liberal allowance for all
manufacturing expenses, the profit on
this amount of Irvine Will be a little over
$4,000 AS the Democratic board fixed
the price and the Democratic warden
purchased the material. I think, we are
fairly entitled TO the credit Of having
demonstrated without the assistance or
Republican advice, that the statement
IF July 81, 1900, was not only true but
that our plans were we'll considered for
the Success which we have achieved dur
ing the present season As answer to
the possible criticism that we are max
ing too much money and that we should
have placed the price lower. I call at
tention to the result of Republican man.
agement, greatly appla uded, which res
ported profit of $4,000 in 1897 and
sS7. GOO in 1898.
eft more material Is purchased at
higher price for remainder of the season
and a dininution of profit is the result,
the new officials will have to shoulder
the responsibility. If on the other hand,
there should be a sudden and rapid de-
cline in the hemp market, the price Of
Irvine remaining as it now is the new
officials will have the advantage of it
and will be entitled to all the glory there