The Fargo forum and daily republican. [volume] (Fargo, N.D.) 1894-1957, 1910-05-21
Trains Going West.
THAT PEN INVESTIGATION.

There has been considerable COM
ment over the delay Of Governor Burke
in having the report of the special
committee to investigate the penitent-
larry published, The Fargo News had
the following in defense OF the execu-
tive-and in an attack on The Forum:
The Forum has an occasional out
break about the pen report. That pub
LEGATION was quite certain that there
was nothing amiss when it was pro-
posed to have an Investigation, and af-
ter the legislative investigation, it
claimed that nothing of any moment
had been disclosed. The report was
published to the people in The News
and widely circulated, and other pa
pers published ii.
A committee was appointed. of which
Governor Burke is a member, to con-
tinue the investigation and report. The
Forum claims this report has been is
sued, that 1t has seen a bound copy
and that il looks nice, but that paper
claims it has not been given publicity.
It may be that The Forum will get
more Of the report than it cares to
have. If there was stalwart political
capital to be made out of it, The For
UNI would not only have looked at the
outside of the bound copy, it it was
one, but it would have looked into it.
1t may be that Brewer and Plumley
want to see all about how the pen Is
arranged, and how conducted so far as
the report can give them such informal
ton, and this information they may
want prior to the trial of the cases at
Cando.
That report will reach The Forum
and others in due time, but may not be
entirely to it's liking. The Forum has
asked for things before, which, when
1t got them, it wanted some one to help
1t let go. This may be the case in
reference to the report from the pen.
Just watch The Forum kick when the
report does appear
At the adjournment Of the Iegisla-
ture-in March, 1903 committee, of
which Governor Burke was chairman,
was appointed by the legislature to
continue the Investigations that had
been inaugurated by the legislature
with hope of involving former pen
administrations in charges of fraud.
The legislature directed that this
committee-of which the governor was
hairman--should have the report pub
Iished and copy sent to each member.
This has not been done.
The report is complete. Why did
Burke not do as directed by the legis-
lature? Was it because the report did
not turn out the way he anticipated?
AS matter of fact the report was
completed last August by a firm of well
known accountants. Copies were sent
to Bismarck for each member Of the
committee-but some of them reposed
In the Office of the executive until in
October-when The Forum called at
tention to the matter.
During this time the governor had
not turned over copies of the findings
of the accountants to at least one mem
Der of the committee Why not?
The report is still unpublished, as
directed by the legislature
The meeting Of the special investi-
eating committee was adjourned-sub
1ect to the call of Governor Burke. The
committee can be gotten together when
ever the governor says the word
There are a few words in the con-
illusions OF the report of the expert ac-
countants that took the edge off Gov
ernor Burke's ambition to have the re-
port published. The accountants
found-"there has been no implied o.
antended dishonesty" former man
agements of the state preliminary.
That's the secret Of Governor Burke's
delay-"no implied or intended dis.
honesty"
The publication OF the report woult
b = boost for former pen management
anstead Of an expose Of fraud--as had