St. Johnsbury Caledonian. [volume] (St. Johnsbury, Vt.) 1867-1919, 1904-12-28
What Is Graft and Who Are the
GrafterS.

Wnlle truth was pulInS on MS DOOLS.
Some months ago a man started to do
the rounds of Vermont, ostensibly to
| purify our political atmosphere and cure
our ills some real, more imaginary, and
as an auxiliary to his cure-a all preached the
| doctrine of graft and its humiliation.
Some newspapers caught up the refrain
and with the air of profound mysteri-
| BUSINESS have waited, and are still watt
| ing this tune of graft to it's readers.
"Much ado about nothing" Conse
| quently legislative committee clothed
with all power, shrouded in all mystery,
proceeds to search for graft.-Result-a
report in which there is recommends
ton to remove the prison commissioners
and Supt. Cakes. It never has been the
| policy of the CALIFORNIAN to, in the least
degree, condone evil, or uphold wrong
| doing and it is too old to begin now.
After having carefully read and re-read
| this report the CALIFORNIAN does not be-
| lieve the conclusions are warranted by
| the findings. We most assuredly do not
| believe that the removal OF the officials
|
| 6cation in that report. Who are these
| grafters?
The commissioners having charge of
| our penal institutions in the last 20
years have been W. Fl. II. Bingham, w.
P. Simons, Charles Thatcher, J. c.
Parker, John W. Champion, E. c. Tuttle,
Elisha May, ID. Hazen, E. M. Bartlett,
M. o. Perkins, J. N. Woodfn, Tina Fl.
Albee and A. E. Cudworth. The superin-
| tendents are E. w. Cakes and D. L. Nor
| gan. These names stand for something
| in Vermont, nevertheless if all or singular
of them are grafters or are guilty OF the
mal-administration of our affairs COM
mitted to their care, far be it from this
paper to screen them. We believe, rely
| ing wholly upon the report, that these
| persons have been unfairly dealt with.
| Because this committee had power un-
| limited, they could have summoned the
Lincoln Iron Works with every employee,
every book of record and every scrap
| of paper to it's name, and have deter
| mined whether supplies were furnished
! the House of Correction or product
| bought therefrom, at right prices. They
could have summoned every dealer in
grain and supplies in Vermont. So that
before making report, insinuating this
and that, the committee could have de.
termined the exact facts, and then given
them to the public either for or against,
whether the State Prison supplies had
| graft in them or not.
This committee had power to hale
| into their presence anybody or anything.
Now, barring the three items, mileage,
supplies at a summer camp, and Mr..
| Cakes having a little company now and
then at his prison home, the whole story
| of graft is contained in the buying for,
and selling from these institutions, and
this is where graft that is graft, if graft
there is, could be found in Jumps worth
| finding. This committee, whose names
some of the papers have passed down to
history as public benefactors, the GALE
DOMAIN believes to be as remiss in their
duty, as slack in their methods, and as
criminaly negligent OF faithful perform
ance, as the commissioners of our penal
institutions, whom they have essayed to
try at the bar Of their tribunal.
The cry that time was too short for a
searching investigation, will not be
we'll taken, for if that is the fact the
committee should have so stated, and
LETT the smirching and condemna ton pro-
cess to committee who had taken time
enough to have dug out facts to warrant
that class of conclusions. Drunkards,
| thieves and common Indicators, when
being tried for crimes against the COM
monwealth, have right to be heard in
the court that tries them, either by
themselves, their attorneys. and such
witnesses as they can produce. Not so
with some of these men whom the
CALIFORNIAN believes have given the
state years of honest, faithful and eff
Gent service. We hope that the
new committee just appointed by the
governor, whose powers equal those OF
the committee whose report we have
briefly considered, will delve in the
State Prisor and House of Correction
until the people, who are good judges OF
graft, as well as the newspapers, are
satisfied whether these men who are on
trial are guilty or not. The CALIFORNIAN
has always believed, and now believes
that our penal institutions are we'll man
aged and well disciplined, and will so
continue to believe until a committee
brings in a report to the contrary, who
have taken time to go to the bottom OF
things and base their findings and con-
illusions on something tangible. Then il
the much vaunted graft appears it will be
time to turn the rascals out.
An Advertising Thought.
The merchant whose business needs a
stimulant, whose sales are unsatisfact DRY
or could be increased, should give re-