The Saint Paul globe. (St. Paul, Minn.) 1896-1905, 1904-03-15
VERY FAR FROM CLOSED.

what the pafIleS most concerned III the
scandal desire. They have left no effort
untried to prevent the matter from be-
ing opened. They have remained silent
under fire until it became too hot to be
borne. Then they fired a5few popguns
and retired behind their bomb proofs
with the hope that the besieging force
would withdraw.
Nothing Of the sort is going to hap
pen. 1t will continue so until the par
ties implicated shall have made a salts
factory explanation and reply. The idea
that men specifically accused by a per-
son of good standing and both moral
and financial responsibility should
fancy the subject disposed of by max
ing affidavits that they have not done
the things which they are said to have
done is novel one in public life. There
is not a member of congress who is not
willing today to go before a notary
public and swear that he is not guilty
of the things charged in the Bristow re-
pert. Yet congress as whole realizes
that an investigation must be made,
and no man in it is so fatuous or deems
the public either SO stupid or so for
giving as to suppose that he can escape
from his difficulties in that way.
Neither can. ti,eewarden OF. the Min
nesota state prison or the contractor
for prison labor or the members of the
board Of control. The people of this
| state regard them all, under existing.
circumstances, with the gravest sus-
| picion, and will not change their atti-
I tudesuiltH a complete investigation has
been had, and until the author of these
charges has, been, obliged either to
make. them good or to withdraw them.
Such is, the attitude of all honorable
| men whose records are clear when thus
publicly assailed. No other policy be-
| fits men connected with public life in
this state, and none other will CLOSE"
| the incident.
4
The specific charges made by Mr..
| Jordan, in which he asserts on his own
responsibility that Warden Wolfer was
interested in the shoe company holding
contract for prison labor, that Mr..
Bronson was cognizant Of it and a
party to the performance, and that he,
| M, Tor5oy 1,o5 5o+oiIad oil +loo oir-
! cumstances TO the board of control is
! now familiar to the readers of T e
| Clio e and of every other newspaper
! in this state that dares to publish the
news. Why, when this was all laid
| before the board on the I'd day of
| March, according to Mr.. Jordan's as
| sertion, which has not yet been denied,
was no inquiry made and no whisper
of the fact allowed to get before the
public? Why was the original date
| for opening bids for prison labor made
Feb. 4, then changed to Feb. 15,. and
T meantime, was Mr.. VOTERS resigna-
/ ton received with an understanding or
belief behind it that he intended to be
one Of the parties to bid for the prison
labor; and why, when matters took a
/ different turn, was he permitted to
withdraw that resignation and remain
in his official place?
Why did the board of control make
| no reply to Mr., Jordans letter of March
| z? Why does the statement of Warden
Wolfer bear date of March 8, although
| the specifications of Mr.. Jordan were
not published until March IL? The
/ board of control now admits, in docu-
ments which we publish this morning,
| that it had all the matters averred before
| it, that it was secretly consulting with
| Warden Wolfer with view to having
! him make out case for himself, but
that it held back everything, including
the report taken by its own stenog-
| rapher, in the hope that Mr.. Jordan
would remain qHiet and that no state
| ment of any kind need be made.
With every hour that has passed
since first the lancet was used, the pub
lie has become more interested and
more convinced. 1t is not the habit of
| innocent men to wait until statements
are extorted from them with a cork
screw or forced out under hydraulic
pressure. 1t is not the habit of those
who fear no reproach to hide records
and give obstinate refnsals as their
only reply to demands for information.
| The statement of Mr.. Jordan rests not
alone upon his word, substantial as that
is, but upon the whole course of all the
parties to this affair upon the stubborn
reticence Of the board of control, until
smoked out by I he Clio b e. and upon
the further offer of Mr.. Jordan TO bring
forward satisfactory evidence of all that
he has asserted.
/ Not "a whisper was heard, be it re-