Little Falls herald. [volume] (Little Falls, Morrison County, Minn.) 1889-1950, 1911-03-10
Several State Departments In
~. der Investigation.
DRAINAGE IN THE SPOTLIGHT
Surprising Conditions Have Beer
Brought to Light and Further
Sensations Are Promised.
Especial Correspondence.)

especial correspondence
st. Paul, March 6.-The past weel
has been a week of Investigations il
the state legislature. Startling thing:
have been brought to light, and other:
are promised. Interest has centerec
in the investigation of Engineer
George Ralph of the state drainage
commission, and the special investiga
ton committee is doing the best il
can to find the truth in the matter
About all that has developed is thu
fact that contractors in Aitkin count,
began work on their contracts before
they had been formally allotted by the
drainage commission. It also devel
ops that George Welsh, state immi
grafton commissioner; Secretary o.
State Julius Schmahl, Senator L. O.
Cooke and others owned lands in Ait
kin county near the bitches excavated
The answer of Mr.. Welsh is that he
has faith in Northern Minnesota lands
that the ditch was judicial ditch and
that he can see no reason why he
should not buy lands there as well as
anywhere.
j. i. <
The investigation of the state indus
trial school at Red Wing, started
through the statements made at
Crookston by former Senator A. D.
Stephens, is also in progress. Boys
have appeared on the stand to tell OF
wh1ppings they received. They have
presented some rather damaging tes
timony, but the friends of Superin-
tendent Whittier say this will be en-.
tirely understood and the criticism
withdrawn when his side of the story
10 told.
+ !. 4
Still another Investigation is prom.
1sed TN resolution introduced by Rep.
resentative Campbell in the house
asking for an investigation of the &C.
counts of former State Insurance Com.
missioner J. A. Hartigan. Mr.. Camp.
bell asserts his resolution aims not so
much to criticise Mr.. Hartigan as it
hopes to remedy the system of run
ming the office of the insurance com
missioner that prevails now He
charges that Mr.. Hatigan has gone
East on several occasions and has en-.
joyed himself at the expense of the
state. Mr.. Hartigan stands high in
the state ana is looked upon as a man
of the highest sense OF honor and
proven probity.
:. !. +
The affairs of Secretary of State
Julius Schmahl are attracting consid-
cradle attention and much ugly talk
is heard, emanating mostly from the
committee room of the committee on
public accounts and expenditures. 1t
is charged that in addition to incur
ring the expenditure of something like
$4,000 more than the law allowed him
in the matter of printing, Mr.. Schmahl,
In handling automobile tags, bought
them at IS cents when he could have
secured them for Is cents, and that
they were bought through a middle
man. Mr.. Schmahl's defense is that
It was necessary to buy them in a
hurry.
= !. !. !.
The matter of exempting policemen
and f1remen from the prohibitions OF
the anti-pass law came up for a hear
ing in the senate committee of the
whole. The spectacle of old guard
senators and progressive members
standing side by side was the result
The senate supporters of the bill al
lowing policemen and firemen to ride
free could muster only thirty votes,
but enough to recommend it for pas
sage. Senators Ilende ana c. H. Sui
Ivan led the fight against the exemp-
ton. charging that to exempt firemen
and policemen would result in nullify-
ing the provisions of the law. The
street railway men have had a lobby
at work trying to defeat the measure
and in this they have been assisted BY
the men who earnestly believe that
ut would defeat the intent of the anti.
pass law to permit any exceptions
They profess to believe also that to
make an exception now would be fol-
; lowed by requests for other executions
! later and that after a while legislat tors
would be riding on free passes, just
Gas they were accustomed to do.
+ + !. :.
s Employers liability legislation seems
likely to go by the boards this SEES
Esion. There are four workmen's com.
Epensation measures now before the
senate and none of them seem salts
factory to al! parties. The report of
the commission appointed by the late
Governor Johnson, composed of George
M. Gillette, H. V. Mercer and w. E.
McEwen has been split in two, Mr..
Mercer and Mr.. McEven signing one
report and Mr.. Gillette signing an
other. The chief difference between
the Mercer bill and the Gillette bill is
that the Mercer bill is compulsory,
While the Gillette bill is elective. For.
mer Justice Thomas D. O'Brien has in
troduced bill, which has the back.